I feel like I’m in the movie Groundhog’s Day with Bill Murray, because I have to keep typing the same thing about the Boston Bruins in every post. You’ll know it when you see it. Maybe a home and home will be just the ticket.
My apologies if you’ve heard this before and you’re getting sick of it. The Boston Bruins, after they loss their last game, are still yet to string together two consecutive wins this season. I’m fairly confident that I have written that exact statement at least 5 or 6 times this season. Personally, I’m starting to get sick of writing it. Maybe the Bruins could help me out and, you know, win back-to-back games at some point.
The Bruins loss on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers was due to what nearly all of their losses have had in common: a really slow start. It’s hard to win hockey games when you’re having to constantly claw back from 2 and 3 goal deficits. Even head coach Bruce Cassidy knows it:
Cassidy: "The most frustrating thing is the start again. We put ourselves in a bad spot and in this league it's tough to come back. We got to learn quickly to not put ourselves behind the eight ball. Teams are too good."
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 9, 2017
Well, normally I’d say what better way to win back-to-back games than a home-and-home series with a division rival. However, this division rival is the 10-7-0 Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs currently have one of the NHL’s top young stars in Auston Matthews, and a solid supporting cast that has brought Toronto hockey back to relevance.
Schedule
Things will be rocking in the Air Canada Centre tonight. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm. The game will be televised on NESN, and 98.5 The Sports Hub will be picking up the radio broadcast.
What to watch for
Brad Marchand has missed the last two games, and Noel Acciari has been out several weeks with a broken finger from blocking a shot. Both appear close to a return. Austin Czarnik was sent back to Providence yesterday, likely to make room for one of the two players. Noel Acciari’s official status will be that of a game-time decision.
The Bruins power play that was clicking on all cylinders to start the season has begun sputtering a bit. The team always manages to score one here-or-there, and still has the 6th best power play in the league at 23.5%. Patrice Bergeron had this to say about the team’s man-advantage play:
"“I think we’re looking for the perfect play. An effective power play is just about finding a way to score a goal. It doesn’t matter how it is. Right now if it’s keeping things more simple and going to the front and having bodies there for rebounds, so be it.”"
Also announced on Twitter with the Acciari news, is that it is likely Anton Khudobin will start tonight’s game, and Tuukka Rask will tend the net tomorrow night. Rask’s play has been very up-and-down recently. There are some games where he steals a win, or gives the team at least a chance to win a game that they lose. Other times, he looks a bit lost out there.
Next: Bruins trumped by Rangers
On the Maple Leafs front, Auston Matthews missed the team’s last game with an upper body injury. Matthews is arguably one of the Top 5 players in the NHL right now. If he doesn’t suit up, the Bruins get a big break. They have other young studs in William Nylander and Mitch Marner; but no offense to them, they are not Auston Matthews.