Bruins week ahead: Red-hot B’s return home as trade deadline looms
After earning six of a possible eight points on their successful four-game road trip, the Bruins return to TD Garden this week with three games in five days.
The Bruins enter play Monday with 70 points, good for third in the Atlantic Division. Interim head coach Bruce Cassidy and company sit two points behind the Ottawa Senators for second in the division, while the first place Montreal Canadiens sit four points ahead of the Bruins.
With 14 games in March, the Bruins will look to continue the momentum gained under Cassidy, as they have just one loss since the firing of Claude Julien. Let’s take a closer look at the Bruins’ week ahead.
Tuesday vs. Arizona, 7 p.m.
In their first game at TD Garden since a 4-0 victory over the Canadiens back on Feb. 12, the Bruins will look to extend their three-game home winning streak against a lowly Coyotes squad. On Sunday, the Coyotes shipped veteran forward Martin Hanzal to the Minnesota Wild as Arizona starts to waive the white flag on their 2016-17 season.
The Desert Dogs sit dead last is the Pacific Division, and second to last in all of the National Hockey League. The Bruins earned a 2-1 victory in the first meeting between the two clubs back in November.
After allowing 11 goals in a brief two-game road trip that took them to Chicago and Dallas, the Coyotes bounced back Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the Sabres, a win that bodes well for the Bruins as Buffalo sits eight points in back of the Black and Gold.
Wednesday: NHL Trade Deadline
Christmas day for hockey fans comes on Wednesday as the NHL trade deadline strikes. Thanks to their recent surge under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy, the Bruins are expected to be buyers. Names like Kevin Shattenkirk, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene have all been linked to the Bruins. But if Sunday’s early trades are any indication of where the market is, the B’s may be wise to stand pat.
As mentioned above, the Coyotes shipped Hanzal, forward Ryan White, and a fourth-round pick in 2017 to the Wild in exchange for a 2017 first-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick a 2019 conditional pick.
The Kings, who the Bruins saw a few nights ago, made a splash of their own acquiring goalie Ben Bishop, and a 2017 fifth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lighting in exchange for LA goalie Peter Budaj defenseman, Erik Cernak, and a 2017 seventh-round pick.
If the price is right for Don Sweeney and company, on the Bruins’ list of needs are a top-four defenseman and some help on the wings.
Thursday vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
The Bruins will face a tough test Thursday as the New York Rangers come to town. Chasing the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins in the talented Metropolitan Division, the Rangers will be equally as hungry as the Bruins for the two points.
The Rangers are coming off of a tough 5-2 loss against the Blue Jackets and have a contest on Tuesday against the league-leading Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Sunday’s loss was only New York’s second regulation loss in February.
The Bruins have lost their first two against the Rangers, being outscored 10-4 in the process. With the Bruins playing their best hockey of the season, the Black and Gold will look to take the final game of the season series and push themselves that much closer to a playoff spot.
Saturday vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.
In their final contest of the week, the Bruins will play host to the New Jersey Devils. The Bruins and Devils have split their first two of a three-game season series with the home team winning in each contest.
The Devils enter play Monday eight points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final wild card spot in the East. But with two games on tap before the two teams meet on Saturday, the Devils’ playoff hopes could be all but gone at that point.
Taylor Hall has led the way for the Devils in his first season with the club. The former Oiler leads the team with 27 assists and 41 points. His 14 goals puts him third behind Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique.
The always reliable Corey Schneider has been solid for New Jersey despite not having much help in front of him. His 19-18-9 record is no fault of his own as he sports a very respectable 2.64 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
