Boston Hosts ‘KesselMania I’ as Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs Take on Bruins

Bruins fans were planning to see plenty of Phil Kessel in the TD Garden this winter. Forty-one games' worth, in fact. But after being traded to the Maple Leafs in mid-September, Kessel will take the Garden ice surface just three times.

Kessel returns to Boston on Saturday night for the first time since being dealt to the Leafs on Sept. 18, 2009, when the Bruins swapped him to the Leafs for a package of draft picks. It's a bittersweet night for the Bruins and their fans. It won't be easy to watch Kessel take the ice in another uniform, but the Bruins are more than happy to host a struggling Leafs team as they search for their seventh win in their last nine games.

When And Where

Saturday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. (NESN)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.

Records

Bruins (14-9-5, 29 points, second place in Northeast Division, fifth place in Eastern Conference)
Maple Leafs (8-12-7, fifth place in Northeast Division, 14th place in Eastern Conference)

Head to Head

This is the first of six meetings this season between the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Last year, the Bruins won five-of-six but it was Toronto that stole the first matchup in Boston on Oct. 23, coming back from down 2-0 to win 4-2 behind two goals from Niklas Hagman.

Skinny

Despite their weak overall record, Toronto is one of the Eastern Conference's hottest teams as the Leafs have won five of their last seven contests heading into its matchup with the equally-hot Bruins.

Projected Lineups

Bruins
Forwards
Blake Wheeler–Marc Savard–Byron Bitz 
Marco Sturm–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Vladimir Sobotka–David Krejci–Michael Ryder
Shawn Thornton–Steve Begin–Daniel Paille

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Derek Morris
Andrew Ference–Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart–Matt Hunwick

Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Maple Leafs
Forwards
Alexei Ponikarovsky–Matt Stajan–Phil Kessel
Jason Blake–Mikhail Grabovski–Niklas Hagman
Nikolai Kulemin–Wayne Primeau–Lee Stempniak
Christian Hanson–Jamal Mayers–Colton Orr

Defense
Tomas Kaberle–Mike Komisarek
Francois Beauchemin–Jeff Finger
Ian White–Luke Schenn

Goalies
Vesa Toskala
Joey MacDonald

Goaltender Matchup

Bruins
After missing six games in November with an upper body injury, Tim Thomas has reclaimed the starting role. The Bruins are 2-1-0 in three games since his return, beating both Ottawa and Tampa Bay at home.

Tuukka Rask was superb in Thomas' absence and led the B's to four wins.

Maple Leafs
Vesa Toskala is 1-4-2 with a 3.91 GAA and an .865 save percentage.

Joey MacDonald is 1-3-0 with a 2.80 GAA and a .903 save percentage.

Stat Sheet

Bruins
The Bruins are 8-5-3 at home this season.

They have allowed 65 goals, fourth-fewest in the NHL.

Tuukka Rask's .727 points percentage is fifth-best in the league.

Tim Thomas is one of six goalies in the league each with three shutouts.

Patrice Bergeron leads the team with 21 points.

Zdeno Chara leads the Bruins with 15 assists.

Shawn Thornton has had 56 penalty minutes this season.

Marco Sturm has taken 68 shots on goal.

Derek Morris has played 610 minutes this season.

Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are 6-5-4 on the road this season.

They have allowed 95 goals, fourth-most in the NHL.

Phil Kessel is fourth in the NHL with 0.67 goals per game.

Tomas Kaberle has 25 assists, tied for second in the league.

Jonas Gustavsson has manned the Leafs' goal in five overtime games this season, leading the NHL in that category.

Colton Orr leads the Leafs with 66 penalty minutes.

Jay Rosehill leads the team with a 20.0 shooting percentage.

Niklas Hagman leads the Leafs with 13 goals scored.

Black and Blue

Bruins
Milan Lucic has a sprained left ankle. He is out for most of December.

Maple Leafs
Jonas Gustavsson is set to undergo his second heart procedure in less than three months. He is out for the rest of 2009.

Tim Brent suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the preseason. He is likely out until April.

Mike Van Ryn has undergone major knee surgery. He is out for the season.

This Date in Bruins History

On Dec. 5, 2007, the Bruins blow a 3-0 first-period lead and lose a 4-3 overtime heartbreaker in New Jersey. Patrik Elias and Zach Parise have two goals apiece in the comeback win for the Devils, who extend their winning streak to eight straight games.

Overheard

"That was our worst game of the year. I can’t think of another one where we got blown out like that. Given how well we have been playing and everything that was going on, to come out with a performance like that. We knew they were going to come out flying and we just didn’t match it."
–Defenseman Dennis Wideman, in Saturday's Boston Herald, on the Bruins' loss to Montreal.

Press Box

Bruins
The Bruins lost to Montreal in rough fashion.

The B's are killing it.

Byron Bitz has served the B's well.

Maple Leafs
Phil Kessel is ready to return.

Kessel led the Leafs in Columbus.

It's all coming together for Toronto.

NHL
The Canadiens celebrated 100 years in style.

Teemu Selanne will miss four weeks.

Los Angeles will host the 2010 NHL Draft.

Outlook

For the Bruins, the task on Saturday night will be simple — set aside personal issues, focus on the task at hand and beat an inferior Toronto Maple Leafs team. The B's are the better team and they should prove it despite the homecoming of Phil Kessel on Saturday.