Causeway gameday! Boston Bruins welcome the Avalanche to town

It’s finally here, game two of the Boston Bruins regular season has arrived.  It was a long three-day layoff, especially watching every other team play on Saturday night.  What’s on tap for today?

Afternoon hockey on a Monday?  Alllllllll-righty then!  After opening the season this past Thursday with a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators, the Boston Bruins welcome the Colorado Avalanche to town for a Monday matinee.

All of the talk in the Boston Bruins media recently has been about the “youth movement.”  Players like Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, and Charlie McAvoy have been thrust into the limelight so fast I’m sure their heads are still spinning.  How the team performs this season may very well come down to how these young guys mesh with their veteran linemates.

DeBrusk, Bjork, and McAvoy all recorded their first NHL regular season points on Thursday.  Here’s hoping the trend continues with today’s game, and to be optimistic, the rest of the season.  The Bruins also got some good news roster-wise, in a season that has been nothing but bleak in that regard,

Schedule

Happy Columbus Day to those who are given the day off work.  The game at the TD Garden in Boston, MA at 1:00 pm.  The game will be televised on NESN for those able to watch.  This is the first game of a home-and-home series with the Avalanche.

What to watch for

More from Causeway Crowd

• Harrison, Toporowski shine in Prospects Challenge
• Obscure former Boston Bruins: Steven Kampfer
• Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
• Bruins release full “Historic 100” list ahead of season
• McAvoy, Lucic named to “Historic 100” list over the weekend

I’m hoping you all read the piece where I attempted to broker a deal for Matt Duchene with Mile High Sticking.  The Bruins were linked to the forward in trade talks this summer, and tonight will be the first time the teams meet.  Duchene is still on the Avs roster, and has played pretty well so far.  Increasing his trade value, perhaps?

Torey Krug may make his return today, same with Austin Czarnik.  Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Patrice Bergeron.  He skated over the weekend in practice, but in a non-contact jersey.  If the lineup shakes out the way the practices went this weekend, here’s how the lines will look:

Next: Bruins Weekly Review and Preview

After our Twitter negotiations about Matt Duchene, the site expert from Mile High Sticking asked me what I felt the biggest challenge would be for the Bruins in our home-and-home series coming up.  My response?

“For the Bruins, I think the biggest challenge is going to be staying focused.  We have an incredibly young team that is getting younger with each injury we suffer.  We started the season off right with a win, but the team got sloppy at the end of the game and it almost slipped away.  Then, after an exciting and emotional win, the team has an odd 3 day layoff before game #2 of the season. Keeping emotions in check, maintaining focus and discipline will be the key to any success the Bruins have. Especially give they have a 4 game week, the last 3 being on the road in the West”