Jim Montgomery explains the notable lineup change in the Bruins' home opener

It was a tough start to the season for Mason Lohrei, as the Boston Bruins defenseman finished the game with a game-worst minus-three rating.

And Lohrei won't get a chance to redeem himself on Thursday night when the Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens in their home opener at TD Garden.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery opted to remove Lohrei and bottom-six power forward Max Jones from the lineup in favor of defenseman Parker Wotherspoon and newcomer Riley Tufte.

Montgomery explained that because of their poor play against the Florida Panthers, it wasn't a penalty that the 23-year-old Lohrei – and to a lesser extent Jones – was a healthy scratch, as Montgomery wanted to bring some new faces into the lineup.

“It's the beginning of the year, we want to get people in the lineup, we want to get people used to the speed of the game,” Montgomery told reporters after the morning skate. per video provided by the team. “The guys coming out are not a reflection (of them). The entire team was permeable in the last game. It’s just an opportunity to get two people involved.”

The Bruins will certainly lose some depth on the blue line with the loss of Lohrei, but will be looking for Wotherspoon to help bolster the back end in front of Jeremy Swayman. Wotherspoon played 41 games last season and recorded eight assists. He is expected to be on Boston's third pairing with Andrew Peeke.

The Bruins won't lose any size with Tufte replacing Jones. Tufte, who signed a one-year, $775,000 deal with Boston in the offseason, is 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and contributed just one goal and one assist in five games for the Colorado Avalanche last season.

Tufte is slated to play left wing on Boston's third line alongside Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau.

Tufte will also get his first taste of the rivalry between the Bruins and Canadiens. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game and an hour of early coverage on NESN.