It was another busy day for the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline on Friday and they are going to look very different over the final six weeks of the 2024-25 season. Likely missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, GM Don Sweeney had a fire sale and traded several key pieces of his team in what is going to be a retool of some kind.
Just what happens following the season remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, you will need a program the rest of the season to know who is who when watching the Black and Gold. That begins on Saturday when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida.
How to watch Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning with and without cable
Usually this time of year when the Bruins and Lightning meet this late in the season, it's for playoff positioning, but not this year. Tampa Bay is one of the hottest teams in the NHL and battling the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins are free-falling and free-falling quickly since the 4 Nations Face-Off. Just when you think that they have hit rock-bottom, they surprise you. Tied 2-2 late in the third period with the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night, they caught a break when Carolina scored what appeared to be the game-winning goal with just over a minute left, but Boston challenged for off-sides and won it.
In typical fashion this season, the Bruins allowed the game-winning goal to Seth Jarvis with just 18 seconds left in the game when Nikita Zadorov's cross-ice pass fell well short of its intended target when his stick snapped, which put the puck on Jarvis' stick to pot the game-winner.
Then on Friday, the Bruins traded Brad Marchand, who is out with an injury, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo, it was a sell that was needed. With that said, just who is in the lineup for interim coach Joe Sacco against the Lightning is anyone's guess, which makes the game worth watching.