Boston Bruins Get A Second Chance To Take First Place From The Montreal Canadiens

Mar 27, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (44) keeps the puck away from Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) during the second period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday night, the Boston Bruins will once again have a chance to beat the Montreal Canadiens and overtake them for first place in the Northeast Division.

Just a short nine days ago, the Bruins and Canadiens squared off in Boston with the same situation as tomorrow night. Whoever wins takes first place in the division. The aforementioned game did not end how Boston fans would have liked. A game that was filled with scoring, hard hits and emotion saw the Bruins take a 6-5 loss in a shootout. Former Bruin Michael Ryder scored two goals in the win for Montreal while Patrice Bergeron had a goal and three assists for Boston.

Going into the previous game against Montreal on March 27, the Bruins had lost three of their last five games and were wondering if their offense had gone missing. This time around, the B’s have won three straight games and have a whole different look to their lineup. The Bruins will be without their best player, Patrice Bergeron, due to a concussion, but have picked up veteran Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars and Kaspars Daugavins from the Ottawa Senators.

Every matchup between the Bruins and Canadiens this season has been a one-goal game. Of the three games thus far, Montreal have won two, outscoring Boston 11-10. The Canadiens are also hot right now. They have won four of their last five, scoring twenty goals in those five games. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod in goal for Boston, as both Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin have played outstanding of late. My gut feeling says that Coach Claude Julien will give Rask the start. Tuukka had one of his best games all season against the Devils on Thursday night stopping all 40 shots he faced.

This game will definitely be a dogfight, as both these teams fight for first place in the Northeast Division in what should be another classic game in this always-heated rivalry.

Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre in Montreal.