The Boston Bruins will play the middle game of their three-game road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York against the Rangers.
The Bruins will be going for their second straight win over the Blue Shirts as they rallied from a deficit Wednesday night for a 3-2 victory in overtime when Brad Marchand scored on breakaway 36 seconds into the extra period.
If the first-place Bruins are to extend their winning streak to five games, here are three keys for Boston in getting two points for the second straight game in the Big Apple.
Bruins need to have a better first period.
Early in the season, the Bruins took the momentum in games by having a strong first period. It always did not result in goals, but for the most part, they outshot and outplayed their opponents in the first 20 minutes.
Wednesday night, the Black and Gold looked every bit like a team that had not played a game in five days. Sluggish all over the ice, they failed to connect on a lot of passes, they had shots blocked, shots that did get through missed the net. When they did hit the net, NYR goalie Alexander Georgiev made the save.
The Bruins played better second and third periods. They got more shots on net, their passing was better and they played as they had in previous games before their break.
As the Bruins found out early in the season, a solid first period can set the tone for the game and a good start will go a long way in setting the tone against the frustrated Rangers.