But in their first meeting with the Thrashers in Atlanta last month, the Bruins sure had trouble keeping track of the big blueliner. Byfuglien factored in all four Atlanta goals as the Thrashers rolled to a 4-1 victory that night.
Of course, the Bruins are far from the only team that had trouble stopping Byfuglien. He had 11 goals in 22 playoffs games in Chicago's run to the Stanley Cup last spring, but he did that while playing forward.
Former Bruins assistant Craig Ramsay, who was hired as Atlanta's head coach this summer, switched Byfuglien back to defense this year. Byfuglien had played on the blue line for most of his career, and the move to defense hasn't curtailed his offense, as he leads all NHL defensemen in both goals and points with 12-24-36 totals in 36 games.
"He's a defenseman, but he plays more like a forward," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. "He's not afraid to jump up in the play and join the rush and be up there all the time. Whoever is on the ice against him has to be aware of him. We have to take time and space away from him."
Byfuglien can create his own space, though. He leads the Thrashers with 63 hits and has 39 penalty minutes. He has an imposing shot from the point, having won the hardest shot competition in the 2007 AHL All-Star Game. That's helped him score four power-play goals, and he's also proven quite clutch with five game-winners.
"His skill set is pretty remarkable," said Bruins forward Shawn Thornton, who played with Byfuglien in Norfolk in the AHL in 2005-06. "I thought he would have had to get in better shape to play in the NHL, but I guess he's comfortable at that weight. It seems to be working for him. He's definitely strong, good skater and he's got a big shot. I think everyone knew when he wanted to, he could control a game."
The Bruins don't want him to control Thursday's game. But how do you contain a player like Byfuglien?
"I guess just try to keep the puck away from him as much as possible," said Thornton. "That's probably the easiest solution. But he's a very dynamic player, so it's not easy to do that. There isn't an easy solution to shut those kinds of players down or everyone would do it, right?"
The Bruins won't be able to keep the puck away from Byfuglien all game. But there are things they can do to limit the damage he can inflict when he does possess the puck.
"You're going to have to play him hard," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "He's one of those guys that you don't want to let him get wound up. You've got to keep an eye on him. He jumps into the attack at different times and he's not afraid to go up there and stay up there. He's got the green light and he's had success doing that."
But Byfuglien also opens himself up to counter-strikes when he jumps up in the attack, and the Bruins will try to take advantage of his aggressive nature.
"You have to work back hard, but I think as forwards we have to look at that as an opportunity, too," said Bruins winger Blake Wheeler. "If he's up in the play and you're being responsible and coming back hard on the defensive end, you're going to get some opportunities, maybe have some odd-man rushes out of it. It's one way to look at him as being a factor offensively, but I think he's a guy that might be up in the play a little too much and maybe we can take advantage of it."
