Berkshire Bank Hockey Night in New England: Draft Bruins-Coyotes lines, pairings

The Bruins hope to focus straight ahead when they take on the lowly Coyotes on Friday.

Boston is coming off a shutout win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. The Black and Gold have won four of their last five games, which is the opposite direction Arizona has been going.

The Coyotes have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including six in a row going into Friday. The Bruins are tied with the New Jersey Devils for first in the Eastern Conference, and Arizona is 14th in the Western Conference.

But the Bruins would be wise not to take the Coyotes lightly. Jim Montgomery confirmed in his pre-game press conference that the B’s will play with the same lineup starting Wednesday. The only change is between the pipes when Jeremy Swayman starts.

While the Bruins’ first line is among the best in the NHL, it’s the third line that has grabbed the headlines. Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic have been consistent contributors every night for Boston, with Hall having two goals and one assist against the Avalanche on Wednesday. Coyle had two assists and Frederic one.

Friday’s puck drop from Mullett Arena is scheduled for 9:30 PM ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN starting with the one-hour pregame show at 9 PM.

Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings for both the Bruins and Coyotes.