3:15 p.m.: The game has been postponed.
Here’s the league’s full statement:
“Today’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at the TD Garden, NHL Game No. 154, has been postponed due to the continuing, weather-related State of Emergency that remains in effect in Boston.
A make-up date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.
Although both Clubs and the assigned on-ice officials are in Boston, travel conditions remain too hazardous for fans, security personnel and TD Garden staff to get to the arena.”
1:25 p.m.: Here’s a brief update on what’s going on in and around Boston, and how it might affect this game.
First of all, it snowed. A lot.
Now that we got that out of the way, there has been no official word on the status of this game. So that means, as of now, all systems are a go.
The MBTA is shut down for the day, so that’s going to be a problem for a lot of people trying to make the trip into the city. However, the driving ban will be lifted at 4 p.m., which is probably exactly when you want to leave if you’re looking to get to the game.
All in all, it seems like it’s going to be kind of a mess.
If we hear anything that says there won’t be hockey tonight, we’ll let you know.
8 a.m. ET: There will be hockey at TD Garden on Saturday, it will just be a little bit later than first expected.
The Bruins return home to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, not Saturday afternoon as originally planned. The Bruins and the NHL made the decision Friday afternoon to move the game back to 7 p.m. instead of the original 1 p.m. start time with a blizzard set to slam Boston and the rest of New England.
It will be a game between two teams that have been going in the opposite direction the last week or so.
The Bruins have won two straight, and they still only have one loss in regulation this season. They find themselves second in points in the Eastern Confernence, just one point behind Pittsburgh, who is in the midst of a five-game winning streak.
The Lightning come in leading the Southeast Division, but they’ve cooled off significantly after a hot start. They’re right in the middle of a four-game road trip that has seen them drop the first two, and their last three overall.
Steven Stamkos once again leads the way for the Lightning. He already has 17 points through 10 games, and Marty St. Louis is just behind him with 16 points. You expect that from those two. What has been a bit of a surprise, though, has been the early play of Cory Conacher, who has proved to be one of the best rookies in the league, entering Saturday’s game with 5-7-12 totals.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. — not 1 p.m. — so be sure to check back for updates.
