Preview: Bruins at Maple Leafs time, TV, lines, what to know
It’s been nearly two years since the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs played a game against each other. That changes Saturday night.
The two rivals will be squaring off in Toronto for the first time in over 700 days. With the two teams in different divisions last season, the two never crossed paths.
Maple Leafs fans were ready to hit the panic button early with the team starting off 2-4-1, but Toronto has ripped off four straight wins, including last Thursday’s overtime victory over the Lightning.
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV: NESN, NHL Network
Stream: NESN
Bruins projected linesMarchand-Bergeron-PastrnakHall-Coyle-SmithDeBrusk-Haula-LazarFrederic-Nosek-Kuhlman Forbort-McAvoyGrzelcyk-CarloReilly-Clifton UllmarkSwayman
Maple Leafs projected linesBunting – Matthews – NylanderKerfoot – Tavares – MarnerEngvall – Kampf – KaseRitchie – Spezza – Simmonds Rielly – DermottMuzzin – BrodieSandin – Liljegren CampbellWoll
You knew the top dogs on Toronto could stay quiet for only so long and after a slow start from Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, things are starting to heat up.
Tavares and William Nylander are tied for the team lead in points with nine. Nylander is first on the team in goals with five and has been one of the only consistent parts of the Maple Leafs’ offense. Marner is up to eight points after starting the first seven games with just a single assist. He is coming off back-to-back, two-assist games. And Matthews has six points, with four coming in the last two games.
Jack Campbell has been outstanding in net for Toronto to start the season. He’s 5-2-1 with a 1.86 GAA and a .932 SV%. He is showing that last season was not a fluke and he is a legitimate elite goalie in the league.
Two familiar faces will be on the other side of the ice, as Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are in the lineup for Toronto. Both signed with the Maple Leafs this offseason in free agency.
The Bruins are coming off a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. After coming into the game with no goals on the year, Patrice Bergeron netted four in the win, including three on the power play. That catapults him into a tie with Brad Marchand for the team lead in goals and he is second behind Marchand in points, with Bergeron having seven and Marchand with 12.
Next. Charlie McAvoy is rounding into form. dark
Linus Ullmark gets the nod in net. He’s been arguably the better of the two goalies so far, and Boston will need him on his A-game against Toronto. Big game against a big rival.