The Bruins begin a three-game road trip in Chicago as they take on the upstart Chicago Blackhawks in an Original Six matchup at the United Center.
The Blackhawks are the cream of the crop in the Western Conference now after a run to the Western Conference finals last season. They carry a seven-period shutout streak into Friday’s game as the stingiest team in the NHL and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are trying to bounce back from a blown opportunity and 3-1 loss to the Flyers. Overall, they have been playing great, posting a 6-2-2 record in their last 10 games, but they are struggling to score. Facing a defensive-minded squad like Chicago will be a huge test.
When and Where
Friday, Dec. 18, 8:30 p.m. (NESN)
United Center, Chicago, Ill.
Records
Bruins (16-10-6, 38 points, second in Northeast Division, sixth in Eastern Conference)
Blackhawks (21-8-3, 45 points, first in Central Division, second in Western Conference)
Head to Head
This is the first of two meetings between the two Original Six clubs. The Bruins will host the Blackhawks on Jan. 7.
The Bruins were 2-0-0 against the Blackhawks last season, beating them 2-1 in a shootout at Chicago and then 5-3 at the TD Garden.
The Bruins lead the all-time series 259-234-79-2.
Skinny
The question is sure to arise on Friday night: Are we watching inefficient power plays or highly effective penalty kills? Both teams convert less than 20 percent of their chances with a man advantage, with the Hawks scoring 19.7 percent of the time (14th in the NHL) and the Bruins finding the net on just 17.4 percent of their chances (tied for 23rd).
Both penalty kills are excellent, however, with the Bruins leading the NHL with an 86.2 percent effectiveness and the Blackhawks just behind with an 85.4 percent rate (tied for second).
The Bruins will also want to make the most of their opportunities, as the Blackhawks allow the fewest shots per game in the NHL (24.3).
Projected Lineups
Bruins
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Marc Savard–Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Byron Bitz
Steve Begin–Vladimir Sobotka–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara — Johnny Boychuk
Andy Wozniewski — Andrew Ference
Matt Hunwick — Adam McQuaid
Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Blackhawks
Forwards
Patrick Sharp–Jonathan Toews–Marian Hossa
Dustin Byfuglien–Kris Versteeg–Patrick Kane
Andrew Ladd–John Madden–Troy Brouwer
Ben Eager–Colin Fraser–Jordan Henry
Defensemen
Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell–Cam Barker
Niklas Hjalmarsson–Brent Sopel.
Goalies
Antti Niemi
Cristobal Huet
Goaltender Matchup
Bruins
Tim Thomas is 7-8-4 with a 2.48 GAA and .914 save percentage. Thomas has three shutouts.
Tuukka Rask is 9-2-2 with a 1.97 GAA and .932 save percentage. Rask has one shutout.
Blackhawks
Cristobal Huet is 15-7-2 with 2.09 GAA and .913 save percentage. Huet has two shutouts.
Antti Niemi is 6-1-1 with a 1.50 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Niemi has three shutouts.
Stat Sheet
Bruins
Patrice Bergeron leads the team with 24 points. He has eight goals and 16 assists.
Captain Zdeno Chara leads the blue line with 17 assists and 19 points.
Vladimir Sobotka is starting to come alive with a goal and an assist in his last two games. He has six points this season.
The Bruins' power play went 0-for-3 on Monday night. They’re 20-for-115 overall with a 17.4 percent success rate.
The Bruins' penalty kill has allowed only 16 power-play goals on 116 attempts and is ranked first overall in the NHL with an 86.2 percent success rate.
Blackhawks
Patrick Kane leads the team in points (33), goals (10) and assists (23). Kane had three helpers in a 3-0 shutout win on Tuesday and has six assists and seven points in his last five games.
Duncan Keith leads the Chicago blue line with 20 assists and 25 points.
Patrick Sharp is third on the team in points with 24 points. He has nine goals and 15 assists.
The Blackhawks' power play is 23-for-117 with a 19.7 percent success rate.
The Blackhawks have the second-best penalty kill. They have allowed only 16 goals on 110 attempts with an 85.4 percent success rate.
Black and Blue
Bruins
Milan Lucic is on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain. He is expected to return by the end of this month.
Dennis Wideman is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Mark Stuart is out four to six weeks with a broken sternum.
Blackhawks
Adam Burish (right knee surgery) is out indefinitely, as is Dave Bolland (back surgery).
This Date In Bruins History
On Dec. 18, 1986, Charlie Simmer has three goals and two assists in a 6-5 loss to Hartford.
Overheard
“When you’re playing with other people, you always need to learn their tendencies and what they like to do on the ice. Sometimes it might take a little longer in practice to get used to each other.”
–Michael Ryder, on the Bruins switching up the lines
Press Box
Bruins
Michael Ryder and Marc Savard will try to find some magic.
The Bruins will be without Mark Stuart for a while.
Tuukka Rask is getting the job done.
Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have several Olympic candidates.
The Blackhawks' defense is dominating.
Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane can relate to the adversity Tiger Woods is facing.
NHL
The Flyers don’t need to make a panic trade.
Are concussions becoming a deadly problem in the NHL?
The Red Wings suffered another major blow Thursday night.
Outlook
The Bruins need to set the tempo early in what promises to be a raucous United Center in Chicago. The Blackhawks are one of the best home teams in the league with a 14-3-1 record in their barn, and it will be imperative for the Bruins to take the crowd out of it early.
The Bruins can also ill afford to take a period off as they did in the third period of Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Flyers. They can't blow any leads or allow the Blackhawks to gain momentum, or the B's could be faced with a three-game winless streak.
