Boston Bruins: 3 Questions Tonight Against the Devils
For the first time in 21 days, the Boston Bruins will play a home game at the TD Garden. After having their past three games postponed because of COVID-19 protocols with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, the Black and Gold will hit the ice against the Devils.
In a rematch of the season-opening, two-game series last month in New Jersey in which the Bruins won the opener in a shootout, but lost the second game in overtime, Boston will look to bounce back from just their second regulation loss of the season last Saturday night against the New York Islanders.
Here are three questions as the Bruins play their first game in five days.
1. How will the Bruins’ new-look lines fare?
On Monday, coach Bruce Cassidy moved around his top-six lines in a shake-up. David Pastrnak was dropped to the second line with David Krejci and Nick Ritchie, while Jake DeBrusk was bumped up to the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.
Cassidy is hoping to jump-start the offense, which is struggling 5-on-5. The Bruins have 21 goals at even strength while giving up the same amount. DeBrusk has yet to light the lamp in 2021 in nine games, while only one of Ritchie’s five goals has been scored at even strength. Moving DeBrusk with Marchand and Bergeron, the Bruins’ two leading point scorers, is a move to hopefully get DeBrusk going offensively.
Dropping Pastrank with Krejci and Ritchie hopefully gives Boston two lines that can provide more offense and balance out their scoring beyond the top line.
Wednesday, Cassidy moved rookie Trent Frederic to the third line with Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith in an attempt to solidify the bottom-six. Anders Bjork, who has been playing better in recent games, was on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner. Time will tell what ends up working out for the Bruins.
2. Are the Devils just what the Bruins’ power play needs to get going?
Entering the game, the Devils have the 31st-ranked penalty-killing unit at 67.7-percent (%) and they could be what the Boston power play needs as they are in a rare funk with the man advantage. The Bruins have dropped to eighth in the NHL on the PP at 27.3 %.
The Bruins have failed to score a power play goal in their last four games (0-for-11) and have not scored one since Bergeron’s game-winning goal in overtime on Feb. 3 in a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Surprisingly the Black and Gold have gone 3-1 in those four games without a man-up goal, but clearly getting the power play going is something they need to do. The power play is a big part of what makes them go and before they hit the road for four more games, it would be in their best interest to take advantage of the New Jersey PK.
3. Can the Bruins solve Mackenzie Blackwood?
In the first two games between the teams, Blackwood frustrated the Bruins between the pipes for the Devils. He stopped 62 of the 65 shots he faced against Boston, allowing just power play goals to Ritchie and Marchand and a shorthanded tally to Bergeron.
Blackwood, who made 37 saves in Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the New York Rangers in the Devils’first game in 15 days, is 3-0-1 with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. He is a big reason NJ’s 5-3-2 start through their first 10 games.
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The Bruins will look to bounce back from their loss to the Islanders five nights ago before they head back out on the road for four more games.