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Causeway gameday! Boston Bruins take on the Champs

By Chad Zimmermann

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 26: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) can not hold onto the puck with Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) in front during a regular season NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 26, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Penguins 4-3. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 26: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) can not hold onto the puck with Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) in front during a regular season NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 26, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Penguins 4-3. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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After an incredibly positive 4 game road-trip, the Boston Bruins return home for a Black Friday matinee against the other team in black and gold.

Before last week, if you asked me how many points the Boston Bruins would earn on their most recent road trip, I would have said 3 or 4, max.  The Bruins were facing four tough teams in the Ducks, Kings, Sharks, and Devils, and the team was not playing inspired hockey.  After some rough games, the team is all smiles, like Jake DeBrusk here.

NEWARK, NJ – NOVEMBER 22: Jake DeBrusk
NEWARK, NJ – NOVEMBER 22: Jake DeBrusk /

But here we are, looking in the rear view mirror, and the Bruins took 6 out of a possible 8 points.  What better way to continue that momentum than by defeating the defending champions?  The Pittsburgh Penguins come to town for some afternoon hockey.  The Pens (11-9-3, 25 points) aren’t exactly lighting up the hockey world right now.  The Pens have a pitiful -19 goal differential right now.  Woof.

The Bruins now sit at 9-7-4, 22 points, and have three games-in-hand over several teams ahead of them in the standings.  A win today could propel the team on a positive track, and make a run back into the playoff picture.  Imagine what could happen when the team gets fully healthy?

Schedule

The Bruins return home after a four-game roadie.  The fans will be packed into the TD Garden in Boston, MA today.  NBC will be covering the game today as their Thanksgiving special.  For those not in view of a TV, you can catch the audio coverage on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

What to watch for

Boston Bruins
BOSTON – FEBRUARY 8: Boston Bruins goalies Tuukka Rask, left, and Anton Khudobin take a break during a practice with new coach Bruce Cassidy at Warrior Arena in Boston on Feb. 8, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Obviously the big question is who starts in net for the Bruins today.  Anton Khudobin has been a revelation this season.  He has the hot hand, and currently sits at 6-0-2 with a .938 save percentage and a 2.13 GAA.  I imagine that head coach Bruce Cassidy knows whats best for the team.  You ride the hot goalie until he’s not hot anymore, even if it’s the backup.  This is especially true when your starter (aka Tuukka Rask) is anything but hot.

The team got back Ryan Spooner for the last game, which many thought would help their scuttling power play.  He may struggle in some aspects, but he’s a decent back-end QB at the point.  But the power play looked dreadful last game against the Devils.  Watching closely, it appeared the Devils had more chances shorthanded than the Bruins did with the man advantage.  In the current state of the league where penalties abound recently, you have to take advantage of power plays.

Next: Bruins: Time for Khudobin to take over

The team’s first winning streak of the season sits at three currently with wins against the Kings, Sharks, and Devils, all teams that would be in the playoffs if they started today.  A win today against the Penguins would make that four wins against “playoff” teams.

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