Boston Bruins Weekly Predictions: Nov 16th to 22nd
By Jay Peterson
With three more home games this week, the Boston Bruins have an excellent opportunity to get some much needed points. They begin the week playing two Western Conference teams in the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild, and then welcome Atlantic Division rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, into TD Garden for the first time this season.
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Bruins v Sharks
Going into this week, I figured that the Bruins would win one of their next two games against their upcoming Western Conference foes. After the way the Bruins responded against Detroit after their embarrassing loss to Colorado, I feel that Boston will still have serious hunger for another win. This will be matched against a San Jose team that is gifted with offensive talent.
Boston’s defense will have to be smart and careful when they have possession of the puck and know when to strike and when to hold back. I look to Tuukka Rask to have another sharp game and lead the Bruins to a 4 to 2 win, with an empty net to seal the deal.
Dec 17, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Sticks during a faceoff between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Bruins defeated the Wild 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Bruins v Wild
I have always thought that the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Wild were similar teams. This game will be very defensive and will come down to who makes the first mistake. I feel that the Bruins should play Rask for all three games this week, since he has been looking very good lately, but if Claude Julien were to put Jonas Gustavsson into a game, I would choose this one. Although I believe that Boston will play a complete game, it will be in extra time when the Minnesota Wild take this game 3 to 2 in a shootout.
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Bruins v Maple Leafs
This will mark the first meeting between the two old time rivals this season. Not only that, the two teams will play again in Toronto two days later. It is extremely important that the Bruins assert their physical dominance on the Leafs like they have in the past. If they are able to pull off a convincing win on Saturday then that will impact their performance, and the Leafs’ attitude, going into the game after. If the Bruins can stay focused on the game at hand, this should be a game that they win. I look for the Bruins to get the first goal and keep it, pulling ahead with a 4 to 0 win, with Rask getting the shutout.
The Boston Bruins have awful stats when it comes to scoring first and maintaining that lead. Even so, the odds of any team winning when scoring the first goal are excellent and since the Bruins are certainly due in that respect, scoring first is of great importance. If the Bruins can have the strong first periods that they have had so far, in most games, there is no reason why they can’t be in all of these games until the end and possibly have a four game winning streak by week’s end.
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