Getty Pat Maroon to make Bruins debut.
The Boston Bruins will get a boost to their lineup on April 13 as forward Pat Maroon will make his debut with the team after being acquired at the trade deadline.
The Bruins are set to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road on April 13 and will get Maroon in the lineup. Maroon has not played since January 27 when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild, as he underwent back surgery.
🎥 Pat Maroon on making his #NHLBruins debut tonight vs. Pittsburgh: “I’m really excited, actually…it’s gonna be a good test for myself, too. This is a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot. It’s a great game to get into. Get me prepared and ready for the real stuff.”
“I feel good, I’m excited. I’m really excited, actually. I’m really pumped to get going here. It’s gonna be a good test for myself, too. This is a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot,” Pat Maroon said. “So, it’s a great game to get into. Get me prepared and ready for the real stuff.”
“I’m going to try and play as many games as I can before. There’s three games remaining, I’m gonna try to play all three. It’s up to the coaches, too, depending on what they want to do. My goal is to play this game, get through this game first, and try to go from there. So, really just excited to get in the locker room with the guys and go on the ice with them.”
Maroon is projected to play on Boston’s fourth line with Jesper Boqvist and Jakob Lauko.
The forward was acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline to give Boston some more playoff experience. Maroon won three straight Stanley Cups, as he won with the St. Louis Blues and then won back-to-back with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In just 49 games this season, Maroon has recorded four goals and 12 assists for 16 points.
Bruins’ Jim Montgomery Excited to See Pat Maroon Play
Boston head coach Jim Montgomery is also eager to see Maroon in the lineup for the Bruins.
Maroon is a physical presence who will add some size and grit to the bottom of Boston’s lineup. Montgomery is excited to see how Maroon fits into the lineup as the playoffs are just around the corner.
“Quite a bit. What he’s gonna bring to the locker room, what he’s gonna bring to the bench, what he’s gonna bring on the ice, what he’s gonna bring to the power play,” Bruins coach Montgomery said, via NHL.com. “His first game, he’s got to get some rustiness out of his game and that’s why we’re putting him in. Hopefully he can play all three here [remaining games]. That remains to be seen before we start playoffs.”
After Boston’s game against the Penguins on April 13, the Bruins will play the Washington Capitals on April 15 and the Ottawa Senators on April 16 to end the regular season.
Bruins Can Clinch Atlantic Division
Boston can clinch the Atlantic Division with a win over the Penguins on April 13 and a Florida Panthers loss in regulation to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Bruins are 46-18-15 which is good for 107 points and are in second place in the Eastern Conference.
If the season ended now, Boston would be playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.