Boston Bruins: Why the Bruins need to stop Matthews and Nylander

Here’s the deal: if the Boston Bruins can shut down Auston Matthews and William Nylander, they’ll win the game.

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs had their share of memorable moments in the past decade. The two teams played 22 times over the past two seasons alone! So, it’s safe to say the Bruins and Leafs have a good feel for each other.

Saturday’s night matchup will look a little different, however, without Nazem Kadri and with injuries to important players.

One of the more significant injuries is the broken finger for John Tavares. The Leafs will have to adjust with life without Tavares, and this could mean big games for Patrice Bergeron and company.

What this also means is Toronto needs to shuffle its lines to make up for Tavares’ absence. William Nylander remains on the top line with Auston Matthews. Mitch Marner stays on the second line with newcomer Alexander Kerfoot as his center.

With this new lineup, Toronto is even more top heavy than before. Kerfoot doesn’t have the offensive upside of Tavares, so that second line could struggle. As a result, the Boston Bruins should be in good to go if they shut down that first line.

This, of course, won’t be easy, especially when Toronto has the last change at home.

Matthews and Nylander are the keys to the first line. Matthews started off the season with a bang in the goal-scoring department. He already has seven goals in eight games. Matthews might have the best wrist shot in the NHL.

Nylander, as Matthews’ right wing, got off to a decent start this year. He currently has two goals and three assists in eight games. This stat line is modest, but Nylander definitely looks better than he did last year after his holdout.

Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy will do his best to get Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy out there against the Matthews line.

Chara and McAvoy, who make up Boston’s shutdown pairing, have what it takes to handle Matthews and Nylander. Chara has the size to really limit their space, and McAvoy can control play and initiate breakouts.

Cassidy also needs to make sure he gets the right forward matchups for Matthews and Nylander.

He played the fourth line against Tampa Bay’s first line on Thursday night, and this seemed to work out well. Cassidy probably can’t rely on this line against Toronto, however, because David Backes looks set to replace the injured Joakim Nordstrom.

Instead, Cassidy may very well match up strength against strength and play his top line against Toronto’s top line. Then, he’ll hope Boston’s bottom nine forwards can get the job done.

No matter the matchups, one thing is clear. If the Boston Bruins can stop the Matthews and Nylander line, they’ll be in good shape to leave Toronto with two points.