While the B’s have outscored the Stars 14-4 in the last three meetings between these teams, the score has sometimes been the undercard to the brawls down on the ice.
The two teams have a history of violence, as evidenced by the 243 penalty minutes the teams have combined for over their last three games, setting the stage for what could be a chippy affair Saturday night.
The Bruins certainly haven’t shied away from fighting this season: they are currently third in the league with 25 fighting majors, the most recent one coming at the hands of Adam McQuaid in retribution for a questionable hit by Raffi Torres.
Dallas, on the other hand, still has enforcer Steve Ott rattling around the locker room, but haven’t shown much of a proclivity for dropping the gloves this season. The Stars are in the middle of the league standings for fighting majors, sitting in 17th place with only 14.
The last time these two teams faced off, however, the fists were flying early and often. Gregory Campbell dropped the gloves on Ott one second in to the affair while Shawn Thorton and McQuaid followed within seconds to break a couple of Dallas orbital bones. The three fights in four seconds springboarded the Bruins to a 6-3 win in the TD Garden to the delight of the home crowd.
While the Bruins rallied around fights against the Stars in the past, the current hot streak the team is riding seems to need no extra fire below to keep it going. But whenever Boston drops the puck against Dallas, it seems like a very good possibility they”ll be dropping the gloves shortly thereafter.
How many penalty minutes will there be in the Bruins-Stars game on Saturday?
