The Bruins come into the game on the heels of a dramatic 2-1 overtime win in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. They are riding a two-game winning streak after losing four in a row. Meanwhile, the Rangers come in after losing 2-1 in overtime to the Hurricanes at home.
When and Where
Monday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m. (Versus)
Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Records
Bruins (21-12-7, 49 points, second place in Northeast Division, fifth place in Eastern Conference)
Rangers (19-17-5, 43 points, third place in Atlantic Division, eighth place in Eastern Conference)
Head to Head
This is the second of four meetings between these Original Six clubs. Last time out, Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves to earn his 21st career shutout and 150th career win, and Marian Gaborik was the only one to beat Tim Thomas the last time these two teams met.
The two teams will meet again this Saturday at the TD Garden and then again in Boston on March 21.
The Bruins lead the all-time series 281-233-97-6.
Skinny
The Bruins may be playing better as of late, but they’re still struggling to score. They are 26th in league scoring, averaging 2.50 goals per game and have 100 goals in 40 games. That may be why they decided to sign unrestricted free agent Miroslav Satan who has lit the lamp 354 times in 1,012 NHL games.
“Obviously he’s a skill guy that’s been in the league a long time, and we felt like we needed to increase our depth at forward — and our skill,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “He can make plays and he can shoot. He has always been in very good shape.”
The Rangers are 1-1-1 in their last three games. After a recent 6-0 loss to the Flyers last Wednesday, the usually bombastic John Tortorella was surprisingly subdued and appeared at a loss for words to address his team’s struggles. “No,” Tortorella told the New York Post when asked if it appeared his team cares about winning right now.
“But I believe they do,” he added. “I think I have a good understanding of the people in that locker room, but the way we played. I’m stumped how we played that game.
“That first period was a period I could not understand. The soft passes, the turnaways, the turnovers, the coverages, right on through. I’m being honest — I don’t know why we played the way we did. We just have to start over.”
Projected Lineups
Bruins
Forwards
Steve Begin–Marc Savard–Marco Sturm
Daniel Paielle–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Michael Ryder
Shawn Thornton–Vladimir Sobotka–Byron Bitz
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Dennis Wideman
Andrew Ference–Johnny Boychuck
Matt Hunwick–Derek Morris
Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Rangers
Forwards
Brandon Dubinsky–Erik Christensen–Marian Gaborik
Christopher Higgins–Chris Drury–Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery–Artem Anisimov–Ales Kotalik
Aaron Voros–Brian Boyle–Enver Lisin
Defensemen
Marc Staal–Michal Rozsival
Dan Girardi–Michael Del Zotto
Wade Redden–Matt Gilroy
Goaltenders
Henrik Lundqvist
Matt Zaba
Goaltender Matchup
Bruins
Tim Thomas made 24 saves in the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime win over the Flyers in the 2010 Winter Classic Friday. Thomas is now 11-9-5 with a 2.36 GAA and .920 save percentage. Thomas has four shutouts.
Tuukka Rask is 10-3-2 with a 1.85 GAA, .935 save percentage and one shutout. Rask leads the NHL in GAA and save percentage.
Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist is 17-14-5 with a 2.43 GAA and .920 save percentage. Lundqvist has one shutout. Lundqvist has started 15 straight games.
Matt Zaba has not played an NHL game.
Stat Sheet
Bruins
Patrice Bergeron assisted on Marco Sturm’s overtime winner in the Winter Classic and now has a two-game scoring streak going and leads the team in points (11-20-31). Bergeron has seven points in his last eight games.
Zdeno Chara also assisted on Sturm’s overtime winner and now has five helpers in his last six games. Chara leads the team in assists with 22 and is second in points with 25. Chara also leads the defense in assists and points.
Marco Sturm has scored a goal in four straight games, including the overtime game-winner in the Winter Classic. Sturm has five goals in his last six games and leads the team with fourteen lamplighters. He has 22 points.
Mark Recchi scored the game-tying goal in the Winter Classic and now has a two-game point streak going with a goal and an assist during that span. Recchi now has eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points this season.
For the first time in five games, Marc Savard was held without a point Friday. Savard had a goal and seven assists in his previous seven games and now has nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points this season.
The Bruins killed off both Flyers power plays Friday and have now killed off 30 of the last 31 power plays faced. They have allowed only 17 goals on 142 power plays faced and lead the NHL with an 88.0 percent success rate.
The Bruins’ power play has been better as of late going 5-for-18 in their last five games. But there is still room for improvement as they are 25-for-140 with a 17.9 percent rate.
The Bruins are 8-6-4 on the road and 3-4-4 overall against the Atlantic Division.
Rangers
Marian Gaborik leads the NHL in goals with 27 and is third in points with 52. He also leads his team in points and goals. Gaborik has a goal and two assists in his last two games.
Brandon Dubinsky has a goal and an assist in his last two games and seven points in his last six games. He has 11 assists and 18 points this season.
Erik Christensen has a goal and two assists in his last two games.
Gaborik, Christensen and Dubinsky, combined as a line, have eight points in their last two games playing together.
Michael Del Zotto leads the Rangers’ blue line with 15 assists and 20 points. He is second in points amongst NHL rookie defenseman.
The Rangers have the fifth-best penalty kill with an 85.2 percent success rate. They have allowed only 25 goals on 169 power plays faced.
The Rangers’ power play is ranked 11th in the NHL with a 20.4 percent success rate. They’re 31-for-152.
The Rangers have struggled at MSG going 8-10-3 but they have been strong against the Northeast Division with a 6-1-1 overall record.
Black and Blue
Bruins
Mark Stuart (broken sternum) and Milan Lucic (high ankle sprain) are both on injured reserve. Stuart is expected to miss another month and Lucic will miss at least this two-game road trip at New York and Ottawa on Tuesday.
Rangers
Vinny Prospal underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Dec. 28 and will be out until at least mid-January.
This Date in Bruins History
On Jan. 4, 1944, Bill Cowley notches two assists to become the NHL’s all-time assist leader in a 6-4 win vs. Chicago.
On Jan. 4, 1973, Bobby Orr scores the 163rd goal of his NHL career, breaking the record by a defenseman, which was held by Red Kelly at the time. Kelly set the record in 846 games while that Orr’s 428th game.
On Jan. 4, 1974 Orr scores his 200th NHL goal in a 4-2 over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
On Jan. 4, 1986 Pat Riggin shuts out Buffalo in a 4-0 win.
Overheard
“I think it made sense for the team and it made sense for me also. This is a team that’ll have a chance to go deep into the playoffs, and the way the team is built it could use a player like me. There are a lot of different reasons, and after thinking about it I just wanted to get back on a team. I just wanted to play hockey again.”
–Newest Bruin Miroslav Satan, on why he signed with the Bruins.
Press Box
Bruins
Signing Miroslav Satan can only help.
Milan Lucic is getting closer to returning, while Mark Stuart is skating but still a month away.
Bruins prospect and current Boston College defenseman Tommy Cross is realizing his potential and is set to skate on Fenway ice.
Rangers
The Rangers are changing their travel plans to try and unite as a team.
Here’s a great Rangers blog.
Could the next Winter Classic feature the Rangers and Islanders at Citi Field?
NHL
Did the Oilers really skip out on their New Year’s Eve dinner tab?
Some are wondering if there was some anti-Habs conspiracy involved in Brian Burke’s selection process for Team USA.
Team Canada selections are also being called into question.
Outlook
The key for the Bruins will be to put the drama and overall experience of the Winter Classic behind them. If history means anything, the last two winners of the Winter Classic (Detroit in 2009 and Pittsburgh in 2008), went on to win their next game. If they can succeed at this, they should be able to jump out on a fragile Rangers squad which right now, almost halfway through the season, is still looking for an identity.
The Bruins are 13-2-1 when scoring the first goal and 7-10-6 when allowing the first goal, so scoring first could be huge and beneficial. Five of the last nine games between the Bruins and Rangers have also been decided by one goal. The Bruins need to set the tempo from the opening faceoff.
