March 7, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) celebrates a goal during the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
After a sloppy win on Thursday night in Ottawa, the Boston Bruins will look to improve their performance against a team they have dominated over the past two seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is the first game of a home and home between the two teams.
Boston has had Toronto’s number for the past two years now. They have won eight straight games over the Maple Leafs dating back to last season. Playing the Maple Leafs couldn’t come at a better time for Boston. After losing two in a row, and playing very sloppy against the Senators, the B’s definitely need a solid performance to get their confidence back and what better team to play against than a struggling Maple Leafs team.
Toronto has lost six of their last seven games and is currently fourth in the Northeast division. Leafs forward, Joffrey Lupul was suspended two games for a violent hit to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman. This will be the last game that Lupul has to miss as his suspension ends after this game.
After being a healthy scratch for Thursday’s game, Rich Peverley was back at practice on Friday. Among players that didn’t practice on Friday were Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference. Coach Claude Julien gave them the day off as they all produced big minutes against the Senators. Boston General Manager, Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled Matt Bartkowski from Providence on emergency basis. With all the injuries that surround the Bruins right now, who knows what the lines will be on Saturday night.
This is the last game of a Canadian swing for the B’s before they come back to Boston. The puck is set to drop at 7:00 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.