Preview: Bruins at Oilers time, TV, lines, what to know
After an underwhelming performance last night in the 2-1 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins are back at it 24 hours later against the Edmonton Oilers.
The two met back in November, where after holding a one-goal lead heading into the final period, the Bruins’ defense collapsed and let in three unanswered goals, falling 5-3 to the Oilers.
It’s the second game of their three-game road trip to Western Canada. The Bruins are at risk of losing a third game in a row, something they have not done yet this season.
When: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta
TV: NESN
Stream: ESPN+
Bruins projected linesMarchand-Bergeron-PastrnakHall-Coyle-SmithHaula-Frederic-FolignoDeBrusk-Lazar-Steen Forbort-McAvoyGrzelcyk-CarloReilly-Clifton UllmarkSwayman
Oilers projected linesHyman-McDavid-PuljujarviNugent-Hopkins-Draisaitl-YamamotoFoegele-McLeod-KassianShore-Ryan-Sceviour Nurse-BouchardRussell-CeciNiemelainen-Barrie SkinnerKoskinen
There likely changes to the Bruins lineup from last night, but nothing yet announced from Joe Sacco. With John Moore and Jack Ahcan making the trip, I would not be surprised to see changes with the defensive pairings.
Similarly, something has to give with the forward lines. Last night certainly did not cut it offensively. Whether it’s new personnel in tonight, or different combinations, something has to change.
The Oilers are 16-8-0 this season, but are currently riding a three-game losing streak. A team once averaging over four goals per game has managed just five goals in the last three contests, while allowing 13.
Edmonton’s offense still clicks at one of the highest rates in the league. The team’s 3.54 goals per game is fourth-best in the NHL. Their 32% success rate on the power play is first in the league, and will play as a major factor tonight against a Bruins penalty kill that is seventh in the league.
Boston may be catching a break with Stuart Skinner set to start for the Oilers. The rookie net minder has allowed four goals in back-to-back games. He sits with a 2-4-0 record with a 2.70 GAA and .921 SV%.
The Bruins are countering with Linus Ullmark, who has played pretty well as of late. He is 5-4-0 with a 2.68 GAA and .911 SV% and in his last three starts, has giving up just two goals in each outing.
Next. No one is protecting Bergeron and that's a problem. dark
This is a tough task for a Bruins team dealing with some illness right now and coming off a game less than 24 hours ago. But the team needs to pull together a strong defensive effort tonight if they want to get a win in Edmonton.