After losing two of their three games last week at the TD Garden, the Boston Bruins hit the road this week for four games in what could be considered a crucial road trip.
One quick look at the East Division standings has the Bruins three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place and three points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for the fourth and final postseason spot.
Boston will open with a two-game stop in Pittsburgh tonight and tomorrow night in what is a tough back-to-back. The Bruins, who won the first two meetings back in January at home, have a chance to close the gap on the Penguins in the standings. We know that Jaroslav Halak will start one of the two games, but questions surround who will play the other.
Saturday, the Bruins called up Jeremy Swayman for the trip to join Halak and Dan Vladar. One of the two backups will most likely start the other game with Tuukka Rask still nursing an undisclosed injury.
Following their two games against the Pens, the Bruins will head to Western New York to play their first two games of the season against the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo is currently in last place in the division.
Buffalo is 6-16-4 with a minus-32 goal differential. They recently learned that they will be without the services of captain Jack Eichel for the foreseeable future. Heading into their game with the Washington Capitals tonight, they are 0-8-2 in their last 10 games and have won just two of 13 games at home in 2021.
The two games with the Penguins will be tough for the shorthanded Black and Gold, but if Boston is going to look to gain some separation from the Flyers, then winning two games against the Sabres is almost a must. If the Bruins have one thing going for them with their remaining schedule, is that they still have all eight games with Buffalo.
As Boston approaches the halfway point of the season, it’s never too early to start looking at the standings. With the way, the Bruins have played in the last month, this is a big trip on tap before they return home to begin an eight-game homestand.