Boston Bruins attempt to regain lead with match against the New Jersey Devils
Jan 29, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Shawn Thornton (22, left) squares off against New Jersey Devils forward Krystofer Barch (22) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports
Tonight the Boston Bruins (23-8-4) are taking on the New Jersey Devils (15-12-9) at the TD Garden. The resurging Bruins will be fighting a slumping Devils with a puck drop at 7:05 PM. The Bruins will be trying to keep a three game win streak alive, and try to catch up to a surprisingly good Montreal Canadiens squad. The Bruins are once again a single point behind their ancient rivals, and can overtake them again with a win tonight. Their last matchup occurred on January 29th, when Brad Marchand scored a shootout goal in the sixth round to give the B’s a 2-1 win.
One of my friends had suggested last year that the only chance he’d see Jaromir Jagr in a Bruins uniform would be by playing NHL 12. Well, the five time Art Ross Trophy winner, and certainly future Hall of Famer was traded to us a few days ago by the Dallas Stars. His arrival is more necessary then ever now. We’ve very likely lost Patrice Bergeron for the remainder of the regular season due to his concussion he sustained in the match against the Ottawa Senators.(He has missed ninety-six previous games over his career due to three separate concussions.)
All this means is that everyone in the Krejci line will likely remain where they are. The Bergeron line will become the Jagr line (temporarily we hope), and the problems we were facing with the slumping third line will have to wait a little longer to be resolved one way or the other. Jagr still playing like a champion, and we should expect fireworks early.
In the net, we’re likely to see Johan Hedberg defending tonight. He lost in his last start against the B’s, but he’s got a better record against us then their #1 goaltender. Martin Brodeur is 2-1-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average since returning from a back injury. Brodeur has a 3.38 GAA while dropping his last seven starts versus the Bruins. For the Bruins, it’s a coin toss. Anton Khudobin has gone 2-0 while starting the last two games for Boston. He stopped seventy-one of seventy-three shots and got his first shutout of the season. Coach Claude Julien could look to Tuukka Rask for this game as well. Rask is 2-1-1 with a 1.18 GAA in four career starts versus the Devils.