Boston Bruins Preparing For Tough January Road Trip

The Boston Bruins are set to embark on a five game road trip that starts in New Jersey and ends in Buffalo.

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First up for the Boston Bruins will be the New Jersey Devils on January 8th. The last time these two teams met, the Bruins were able to capture two points in a very close 2-1 win back on December 20th. The Devils currently sit one point in front of the Bruins and one spot ahead of them in the wildcard standings. The Bruins could use a win after starting January off with back-to-back losses at “home” against the Montreal Canadiens at the Winter Classic in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as well as the Capitals at the TD Garden.

The Bruins will then travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators the next night on January 9th in Ottawa. After splitting a home-and-home series in December and combining for a total of 138 penalty minutes between the two games with 110 of those minutes coming from their last meetup alone, and with Brad Marchand set to return to the lineup, the game should be chalk full of emotion. Both teams are competing for a playoff spot in the always-competitive Atlantic as they both currently hold 44 points each. The Bruins have the slight edge having played two less games than the Senators, but having games-in-hand only matters if a team can capitalize and win those games; the Bruins will have to compete hard to make those games-in-hand matter.

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Following the game in Ottawa, the Bruins will travel to New York two days later on January 11th to take on the New York Rangers. The Rangers are looking to get back into a groove and they could also be looking for revenge after the Bruins beat them in a matinee game in November in the last matchup between the two clubs. Any game that involves the Boston Bruins and an Alain Vigneault-coached team is always primed for action and controversy, with the last game sparking a war of words as a result of Brad Marchand and Henrik Lundqvist having a difference of opinion on a particular play that left the Rangers’ goaltender laying flat on his back in the crease.

Once again, the Bruins will play just two days later, this time in Philadelphia on January 13th. The Bruins and Flyers have had some of the most hard-hitting matchups in recent years with every game promising to be exciting. Former-Flyers forward and current Bruin Zac Rinaldo will be returning to Philadelphia for the first time, although it will be his second game against his former teammates. As expected, Rinaldo was the center of controversy in that game after hitting Sean Couturier in a questionable manner that was ultimately deemed not-suspension-worthy by the league. The Bruins dropped that game 5-4 but were able to steal a point as the game ended in overtime.

The Bruins conclude their road trip in Buffalo two days later on January 15th. The Sabres are once again bottom-feeders in the NHL, sitting near the bottom of the league. What’s important to note about the Buffalo Sabres, however, is their offense is full of weapons, including Boston-native and 2015 second overall draft pick Jack Eichel. The Bruins and Sabres last played on December 26th in Eichel’s first game against his hometown team. The rookie didn’t miss a beat, playing his best game-to-date and scoring two goals and totaling four points in a 6-3 Sabres win. The Bruins cannot take teams like the Sabres lightly if they plan on making the playoffs because every single point counts in the standings.

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The Bruins then return home one day later to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the TD Garden the next night on January 16th. For those keeping track, that’s six games in just nine nights for the Black and Gold. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most unpredictable teams in the entire NHL, with uncertain play from both of their goaltenders in James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier, as well as a lineup full of inconsistent players. The Leafs can explode on offense and shut the door in net on one night and be completely blown out the next. The Bruins need to play a smart game and out-compete the Leafs who are run by one of the best coaches in the game, Mike Babcock.

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The Boston Bruins will have their work cut out for them in January, but the team has shown they can be resilient and stand up to adversity in the past. The team is currently riding a slump that consists of five losses in their last six games, but they will need to put those losses out of their mind and focus on winning games. With Brad Marchand set to return against the Ottawa Senators, and David Krejci hopefully poised for a potential return at any point in the upcoming weeks, the Bruins will need to work hard each and every night with the best lineup they can possibly manage if they plan on making up the ground they’ve lost as of late.

Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports