Causeway Crowd
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Boston Bruins Causeway gameday! Time to start new streak

By Chad Zimmermann

ST. LOUIS, MO - JANUARY 10: Boston Bruins Right Wing David Backes (42) and St. Louis Blues Defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) exchange blows during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues on January 10, 2017, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - JANUARY 10: Boston Bruins Right Wing David Backes (42) and St. Louis Blues Defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) exchange blows during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues on January 10, 2017, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Coming off the team’s first regulation loss in a month-and-half, the Boston Bruins look to rebound and start a new streak.  But it won’t be easy.

The last time the Boston Bruins had gone 18 games without a regulation loss was the 1968-1969 season.  The blueline sensation on that Bruins team?  You may have heard of him, his name was Bobby Orr.  That was Orr’s third season in the NHL.

This 2017-2018 Bruins team likewise features one young, blueline sensation.  Unfortunately, stud rookie Charlie McAvoy was absent from Tuesday night’s loss against the Anaheim Ducks, and will be possibly for a few more games.  McAvoy has gotten back on the ice, but he remains out after undergoing a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat, but could be back Saturday.

Boston Bruins
BOSTON – JANUARY 30: The Anaheim Ducks celebrate after they scored first in a play where the puck rebounded off a sliding Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) and past Boston Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin (35) into the Bruins goal during the first period. The Boston Bruins host the Anaheim Ducks in a regular season NHL hockey game at TD Garden in Boston on Jan. 30, 2018. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Tuesday night’s game was the first in a few months where the Bruins didn’t look like they deserved a point.  Did they rebound after a weak start?  Yes, you can say that, they started to play a bit better in the second and third periods.  But the team still looked really weak in certain areas, spurred on by the absence of McAvoy, Brad Marchand, and Noel Acciari.  And then, after the game started, the Bruins lost both Anders Bjork and David Backes to injuries mid-game.

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There’s no time to sit back and revel in what was an amazing 18 game streak (14-0-4).  One of the best teams in the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues, will try to give the Bruins their first back-to-back losses since December 14th and December 16th (regulation loss, then overtime loss that started the point streak.

Schedule

The puck drop for tonight’s game is set for 7:00 pm at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.  The game can be viewed on NESN, or if you’re like me, on NHL.tv.  You can also listen to the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

What to watch for

Acciari remains out with a lower body injury, and Bjork will miss the game due to the injury he suffered on Tuesday.  Peter Cehlarik, who has missed a bunch of time due to injury, was recalled from Providence.  Here’s how the practice lines were yesterday:

After Anton Khudobin started the last game, head coach Bruce Cassidy has said that Tuukka Rask will be starting tonight’s game against St. Louis, and Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Rask is on his own impressive point streak, having not lost in regulation since November 26, 2017.

Next: Bruins playing in China?

Earlier this season, the Blues top line of Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, and Vladimir Tarasenko was arguably the best line in hockey.  Then, the injury bug reared its ugly head when Schwartz missed 6 weeks due to an ankle injury.  He is back now, but the Blues appear to have not reunited that top line, according to Dailyfaceoff.com.  Here’s hoping they don’t do it for tonight’s game.

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