The Bruins are coming off one of their most complete efforts of the season, a 5-1 win in Philadelphia, and will be trying to carry that confidence into the Bell Centre. A win would help them tie the Habs for seventh place in the conference playoff seeding.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, have won four straight games and will also be riding a wave of momentum. After beating the Bruins on March 2, the Habs took two of three out West and returned home to win two straight.
The stage is set for a playoff atmosphere, and combined with the fact it is St. Patrick’s Day Parade weekend in Montreal, the Bell Centre will be rocking for the final chapter in the 2009-10 regular season series between these Original 6 rivals.
WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, March 13, 2010, 7 p.m. (NESN)
Bell Centre, Montreal
RECORDS
Bruins (30-24-12, 72 points, fourth place in Northeast Division, eighth place in Eastern Conference)
Canadiens (34-29-6, 74 points, third place in Northeast Division, eighth place in Eastern Conference)
HEAD TO HEAD
This is the last meeting of the season between the Bruins and Canadiens. The Habs won the last affair 4-1 at the TD Garden and are 4-1-0 against the B's this season. They also lead the all-time series 163-132-56-2.
SKINNY
There is still plenty of focus surrounding the fact that Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard did not result in any discipline on Cooke and has seemingly knocked Savard out for the season. But while the media and fans may be looking ahead to next Thursday when the Penguins visit the TD Garden, the Bruins are keeping that one stored in the back of their minds and focusing on the task at hand.
"Oh, don't worry, that's in the back of our minds," Mark Recchi said, "but that can be addressed next week because right now, we have a big one here."
Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre returns from a four-game suspension for a hit-from-behind on Sharks forward Scott Nichol March 5.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Bruins
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Michael Ryder
Milan Lucic–Vladimir Sobotka—Miroslav Satan/Brad Marchand
Daniel Paille–Steve Begin–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Dennis Seidenberg
Mark Stuart–Dennis Wideman
Matt Hunwick–Johnny Boychuk
Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Canadiens
Forwards
Benoit Pouliot–Scott Gomez–Brian Gionta
Andrei Kostitsyn–Tomas Plekanec–Tom Pyatt
Travis Moen–Dominic Moore–Sergei Kostitsyn
Maxim Lapierre–Glen Metropolit–Mathieu Darche
Defensemen
Andrei Markov–Ryan O'Byrne
Jaroslav Spacek–Roman Hamrlik
Josh Gorges–Hal Gill
Goaltenders
Carey Price
Jaroslav Halak
GOALTENDER MATCHUP
Bruins
Tuukka Rask is 15-8-4 with a 2.11 goals-against average (first in NHL) and a .928 save percentage (third in NHL). On Thursday, Rask started his first game since injuring his knee against Montreal on March 2 and made 31 saves.
Tim Thomas is 15-16-8 with a 2.47 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Thomas has four shutouts and is 2-1-1 in his last four starts. He made 26 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss at Toronto on Tuesday.
Canadiens Carey Price is 13-19-4 with a 2.82 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Price, who is 9-2-2 lifetime against the Bruins and 3-0-0 this season, is expected start.
Jaroslav Halak is 21-10-2 with a 2.54 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Halak is 4-0-0 in his last four games and made 21 saves in a 5-4 shootout win over Edmonton on Thursday.
STAT SHEET
Bruins
Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists on Thursday and leads the team with 43 points. Bergeron has two goals and three assists in his last two games.
Marco Sturm scored his team-leading 21st goal and also added an assist on Thursday. Sturm has a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. He has 35 points this season.
Mark Recchi scored a goal on Thursday and has now scored in two straight games. He has four points in his last two games and 35 points this season.
David Krejci had a goal and an assist on Thursday and has four points in his last four games. Krejci has 35 points this season.
Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist on Thursday and has three points in his last three games.
Canadiens
Tomas Plekanec scored his 20th goal on Thursday to extend his consecutive-game points streak to four. He has three goals and an assist during that stretch and leads the team with 64 points.
Andrei Markov has a five-game point streak going. He had two assists on Thursday and has six points during the streak.
Scott Gomez has eight points in his last five games and is second on the team with 50 points.
Glen Metropolit has been a Bruins killer this season, with four goals and an assist against his former team.
BLACK AND BLUE
Bruins
Marc Savard could be out for the season with a concussion.
Miroslav Satan is day-to-day with a groin injury. He skated on Friday and is a game-time decision.
Canadiens
Marc-Andre Bergeron is day-to-day with a knee injury.
Mike Cammalleri (right MCL) is on injured reserve but could return next week.
THIS DATE IN BRUINS HISTORY
On March 13, 1999, Ray Bourque becomes the Bruins' all-time leader in games played when he appears in his 1,437th game, a 3-1 loss at Buffalo. Bourque broke the record held by Johnny Bucyk.
OVERHEARD
"We're psyched for this game because we know it's a four-point swing. That, combined with playing Montreal at the Bell Centre … if you can't get up for this one, you don't belong in this league."
–Bruins forward Mark Recchi, on Saturday's game
PRESS BOX
Bruins
Marc Savard's mother feared for his life when she saw her son get hit by Matt Cooke.
Will the Bruins become the Big Bad Bruins again next Thursday, when the team honors the 1970 Stanley Cup-winning team?
Canadiens
The Habs’ power play was 0-for-7 on Thursday and has been anemic since the Olympic break.
Habs forward Mathieu Darche is living the dream.
NHL
Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo was not suspended for physical contact with a referee in his team’s 5-1 loss to the Bruins on Thursday.
Could the NHL move back to Winnipeg?
OUTLOOK
The Bruins, with a call for more physical hockey from the fans, media and management, went out and took it to the Flyers on Thursday — and they need to do it again on Saturday against a smaller Canadiens squad.
Boston has shown before that the only way to slow the speedy Canadiens down is to take it to them along the boards, and the B's will need to do that against a group of forwards that is finding it's stride right now. It's time for a little old-time hockey in this classic Original 6 matchup.
