Bruins week ahead: B’s look to stay hot out west
The biggest question mark surrounding the Bruins entering their four-game west coast trip wasn’t so much about their personnel or style of play, but whether or not they could stay hot coming off their bye week. Well, those questions were answered in dramatic fashion.
In a year where teams struggled in their first game after their mandated week off, the Bruins bucked that trend becoming the first team this month to win Game No. 1 after their bye week. Beginning their four-game road swing in San Jose on Sunday night, Brad Marchand sealed another Black and Gold win in overtime to help the team improve to 4-0-0 under interim coach Bruce Cassidy.
“Yeah, we were excited to get back at it and come together again, it’s always fun to get back it when you have a few days off, gets you excited to play again,” Marchand told the press following the 2-1 victory over the Sharks. “So we were excited and knew we had to work hard and again we knew it wouldn’t be our best game, but we worked through it.”
With the win, the Bruins are now within four points of the struggling Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Atlantic Division. Can the B’s keep the hot streak going and potentially pass Claude Julien’s squad in the standings this week?
Here’s a look at remaining three games of the Bruins’ road trip.
Wednesday at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.
Making the trek from Silicon Valley to Orange County, the Bruins will have a pair of practices before taking on the Ducks in Anaheim for their second of the four-game trip – and the first of a back-to-back in Southern California – Wednesday night.
Recent history hasn’t been too kind for the Bruins against the Ducks. Anaheim has won six straight against the Black and Gold dating back to 2014, including a 4-3 win earlier this season against former teammate Anton Khudobin. The Bruins’ last win against the Ducks came on Halloween night, 2013.
Though they possess one of the deeper blue-lines in the league with the likes of Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm, the Ducks are having problems finding the back of the net during Randy Carlyle’s second tenure in Anaheim. Even with their power play converting at a rate of exactly 20 percent (good for a tie for 12th with the Bruins and Flames), the Ducks sit 19th in goals for (152) and tied for 20th with three other teams in goals per game (2.50). Only one player, Richard Rakell, has hit the 20-goal mark for Anaheim this year.
Although the Bruins are lighting the lamp on a more consistent basis under Cassidy, the two games in California will provide a stiff test starting on Wednesday against a Ducks team that has allowed the seventh fewest goals in the league (149) giving up an average of 2.48 goals per game (good for sixth).
Thursday at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
From one stingy defense to another, the Bruins will turn their attention to a Kings squad that’s given up 142 goals – good for a tie for third entering Monday – without the services of Jonathan Quick.
Peter Budaj has filled in nicely for the former UMass-Amherst standout in what is unquestionably a career year for the journeyman netminder. The Former Avs and Habs netminder ranks tied for first with Braden Holtby in shutouts (7), third in goals against average (2.14) among goalies who have played in 20 or more games and eighth in wins (26).
Unfortunately for Budaj, the Kings have provided little help offensively aside from Jeff Carter, who sits second in goals with 29. LA’s 142 goals are sixth-fewest in the league. Tanner Pearson is the only other skater with double digit goal totals (19).
The Kings, who were on the short end of the 1-0 final against the Bruins in the first meeting back in December, enter the week losers of three straight. They have dropped to 10th in the Western Conference after holding a wild card spot for a good portion of the 2016-17 season.
Sunday at Dallas 12:30 p.m.
For the first time this year, the Bruins will renew acquaintances with Tyler Seguin when they travel to Dallas for an NBC matchup with the Stars.
To no surprise, Seguin has been one of the sparks for the Stars offense, along with Jamie Benn and former Boston College forward Patrick Eaves. The trio have combined for nearly 37 percent of the team’s goal output.
Still, it’s been another struggling season for Dallas’ goaltending. Neither Kari Lehtonen nor Antti Niemi has given stability between the pipes for Lindy Ruff’s squad as the two have combined to give up 179 of the team’s 192 goals allowed, which is second-to-last in the league. Their issues between the pipes are the main reason why the Stars sit dead last in the Central Division.
