Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch tonight against Toronto. Frank Vatrano, who was in suit and tie last night, will replace DeBrusk. The rookie had dressed in all 15 games prior to tonight, scoring three goals and three assists.
“Lately, he’s lost a bit of his energy in his legs,” Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s not going to be an effective player if he doesn’t have his legs. If he has his legs, he is a very effective player. Might not always score, but he’s on pucks. He creates anxiety for their D’s. I thought the last couple games, he lost a bit of that. I don’t know if it’s just that time of year. A little tutelage upstairs might do him good. Sometimes it helps players. Other times, it sets them back. We’ll find out.”
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Rob O’Gara will also be back in after sitting out Friday. He will replace Paul Postma on the No. 3 pairing.
Tonight’s projected lineup:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen-Jordan Szwarz-Anders Bjork
Tim Schaller-Riley Nash-Noel Acciari
Matt Beleskey-Sean Kuraly-Frank Vatrano
Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug-Brandon Carlo
Rob O’Gara-Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.