Bruins predictions for the rest of the season

Sunday night’s loss to the Canadiens aside, the Bruins have gotten just about everything they’ve wanted through the first 19 games of the season. Boston is 14-3-2 and sits in fourth place in the conference with the three teams ahead having playing more games. A jam-packed stretch coming up will change that, and it should also tell us much more about the team’s chances entering the playoffs. Two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup, the Bruins look different than the team who bowed out of the playoffs in the first round last season. With all that in mind, here are eight predictions for the rest of the season.

The Bruins and Canadiens will meet in the playoffs

It seems destined, right? Sunday night’s 4-3 Bruins loss to Montreal at TD Garden was disappointing because of the result, but you can’t argue the entertainment factor. The Canadiens had five power plays Sunday to Boston’s two. P.K. Subban was his usual self, ducking a fight with Nathan Horton. Montreal leads the league in power plays, while the Bruins are last. Add two rabid fan bases to these vastly conflicting styles, and a seven-game series would be incredible to watch. Given how well both teams are playing and the likelihood of them each winning their first-round playoff series, it could happen.

Zdeno Chara won’t get to fight a Canadien

Zdeno Chara came to the defense of teammate Tyler Seguin Sunday after Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin hacked at Seguin in the neutral zone. Chara challenged Emelin to a fight, and when the Montreal player didn’t engage, Chara took matters into his own hands, putting a beating on Emelin. Chara received 17 minutes in penalties, two for instigating, five for fighting, and a 10-minute misconduct. The Canadiens struck for the game-tying and game-winning goals in Chara’s absence. The reason Chara won’t get his chance is two-fold. No Montreal player will engage him, and the Bruins don’t want to lose their best player for most of the game. What you saw from Chara is likely what you’ll get. Paging Shawn Thornton.

Tyler Seguin will finish with more than 12.6 goalsJim Davis/Globe Staff

Why 12.6 goals? With 5 goals in 19 games, Seguin is averaging .26 goals/game in 2013. Given that we’re inb a condensed 48-game season, Seguin would score between seven and eight goals in the team’s remaining 29 games if he kept this pace. Given Seguin’s pedigree, however, we’re guessing he goes way over that mark. Can the young winger catch fire and finish with 20 goals? That target seems more realistic.

The Bruins will make a deal

When the Bruins unloaded Tim Thomas and his $5 million pro-rated salary cap number, the likelihood that they’d be making a deal before the deadline increased to almost a certainity. Next year’s salary cap is even tighter, so the Bruins don’t want to take on any large long-term contracts. Veteran Daniel Alfredsson has been mentioned as a potential target. Boston’s biggest need continues to be a third-line left winger, though the oft-mentioned “puck-moving defenseman’’ could also be a target.

We’ll be seeing more Jay Pandolfo, Jamie Tardif, and Lane McDermaid

The Bruins squeeze 15 more games into the final 27 days of March, then throw 14 games in their April schedule. That’s a lot of ice time, which means you’re likely to see players coming and going from Providence and getting actual minutes. Jay Pandolfo, Jamie Tardif, and Lane McDermaid could see stints in Boston, and regulars could see entire games off or vastly reduced minutes during especially difficult stretches.

Tuukka Rask will hold up just fine

Tuukka Rask admitted that the fourth goal he gave up Sunday night was his fault. He wasn’t his best vs. the Canadiens, but those games have been few and far between this season. Rask’s save percentage of .928 ranks 5th in the NHL. His goals against average of 1.97 is also 5th. Compare that to Tim Thomas, who had a save percentage of .920 and a goals against average of 2.00 in his final season in Boston. Thomas obviously carried the Bruins on their playoff run in 2011, posting a .940 save percentage, but one of the major concerns coming into this season was if Rask would be able to hold his own. So far he’s doing just fine.

Brad Marchand won’t score more than 28 goals

Brad Marchand scored a career-high 28 goals in 76 games last season. He currently leads the Bruins with 11 goals, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to match his output from last year in a 48-game season. Still, Marchand is very capable of being a 35-goal scorer in a full season of action.

Chris Bourque will lose his job

Everyone wants the son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque to do well, but the 26-year-old has struggled in 17 games. Bourque is a minus-4 with one goal and three assists. He’s gone from being a third-line left winger to the fourth line to being a healthy scratch Sunday. His career high for NHL games played is 20, which he did with the Penguins in 2009-10.