Final, Ducks 5-2: The Ducks still haven’t lost in regulation at home, and they have themselves a pretty impressive win in this one.
The Ducks cruised to a 5-2 win behind impressive special teams and dazzling play from Jonas Hiller.
Third period, 17:29, Ducks 5-2: If you’re still up, it’s OK to go to bed now.
Mathieu Perreault just ripped his second goal of the game by Tuukka Rask, and the Ducks have themselves a three-goal lead now.
Third period, 14:23, Ducks 4-2: The special teams issues for the Bruins tonight have been undeniable. They have also cost the B’s the game.
In the abbreviated power play following 4-on-4 play, the Bruins forgot about Nick Bonino in the slot, and he scored the Ducks’ third power-play goal of the evening.
This one is just about over now.
Third period, 12:35, Ducks 3-2: So much for that. Brad Marchand was just called for interference, and the Bruins’ power play is over after just 28 seconds.
Third period, 12:07, Ducks 3-2: It’s been a rough night for the Bruins’ special teams, but they’ll get a chance to tie the game on the power play here.
Saku Koivu caught Torey Krug with a high stick, and the Bruins get their third power play of the evening.
Third period, 10:20, Ducks 3-2: The Bruins are buzzing in a big way here in the third period.
David Krejci just had a very juicy opportunity in front of the Anaheim net, where he picked up a rebound, turned and fired on Jonas Hiller. The Ducks goalie made the save and covered up, however.
Third period, 7:19, Ducks 3-2: The Bruins are still alive.
The B’s finally got some traffic in front, and it pays off for the Bruins. With bodies flying in front of the net, Dougie Hamilton pounced on a loose puck near the right faceoff circle hash, and he blasts it by Jonas Hiller.
Third period, 5:15, Ducks 3-1: The Bruins are lucky it’s not 4-1 in favor of the Ducks.
Johnny Boyhcuk was just beat to a puck in the Boston end by an Anaheim forward who got the puck back into the slot. That’s where Corey Perry came speeding into the zone and jumped on the puck. However, his shot was blocked in front, and the scoring chance was gone.
Third period, 3:14, Ducks 3-1: It’s been a pretty solid start to the period for the Bruins. Bruce Boudreau is going to burn his timeout after an icing leads to a faceoff in the Ducks’ zone.
Third period, 0:01, Ducks 3-1: The third period is underway.
End second period, Ducks 3-1: The second period comes to an end, and despite the late goal, it wasn’t a good one for the Bruins. They now trail 3-1 after 40 minutes.
Second period, 19:45, Ducks 3-1: The Bruins will go into the dressing room with some momentum.
Daniel Paille just burst into the zone and beat Jonas Hiller with the backhander through the goalie’s legs. Hiller got a piece of it, but not quite enough.
Second period, 19:02, Ducks 3-0: Adam McQuaid trying to get the Bruins engaged here in the second, as he just fought Patrick Maroon.
Second period, 17:10, Ducks 3-0: This isn’t the Bruins’ night.
Reilly Smith misplayed the puck in his own zone in the midst of an ugly power play, and the Ducks took full advantage.
Andrew Cogliano ended up benefiting the most, as he took a pass in front and beat Tuukka Rask for the shorthanded goal that pushes the lead to three.
Second period, 14:57, Ducks 2-0: The Bruins are going to get a chance to get within a goal before the period ends.
Corey Perry was called for high sticking, and the B’s get another chance on the power play.
Second period, 12:40, Ducks 2-0: The Bruins have run into a really hot goalie.
They finally got the puck out of their zone, and Daniel Paille fed it to Gregory Campbell, who was flying down the slot. Campbell redirected the puck on net, but Jonas Hiller made the blocker save.
Second period, 11:46, Ducks 2-0: The Bruins’ fourth line was just hemmed in deep in its own zone for a long time. They finally just iced the puck, and that led Claude Julien to take his timeout.
Second period, 8:29, Ducks 2-0: Things were going very well for the Bruins about 10 minutes ago. Now they are not going well at all.
Corey Perry just scored on the power play, as he cleaned up a puck in front of the net before beating Tuukka Rask on the forehand to take the 2-0 lead.
Second period, 8:19, Ducks 1-0: Anaheim is getting another power play here midway through the second.
Johnny Boychuk was just called for hooking, and the B’s will try to kill off this penalty after the Ducks took the game’s first lead on their last power play.
Second period, 5:53, Ducks 1-0: The Bruins have dominated much of this game so far, yet the Ducks have the game’s first goal.
Mathieu Perreault just scored a power-play goal from right in front after a nice centering pass from Teemu Selanne to give the Ducks the lead.
Second period, 4:41, 0-0: Now the Bruins are going to have to kill off a penalty.
Dougie Hamilton is going to the penalty box for holding.
Second period, 2:30, 0-0: The Bruins are certainly enjoying some good fortune so far as well.
Nick Bonino just ripped a shot from the slot that beat Tuukka Rask to the goalie’s left, but the puck hit the inside of the post and somehow didn’t fall over the goal line.
Second period, 0:01, 0-0: The second period is underway.
End first period, 0-0: The first period just came to an end, and we still have no score. That’s thanks in large part to Jonas Hiller, who stopped all 16 shots he faced.
Boston is outshooting the Ducks 16-3 through the first 20.
First period, 17:36, 0-0: Jonas Hiller just robbed Brad Marchand.
The Bruins winger had a gorgeous chance in front of the net after a beautfiul pass from Patrice Bergeron, but Jonas Hiller gloved it to keep the game scoreless.
First period, 15:00, 0-0: The Bruins are still making it difficult for the Ducks to get anything going. The B’s are doing a nice job of taking away the transition game for Anaheim, which is having problems getting the puck into the attacking zone.
The Patrice Bergeron line is doing a good job all around so far. That line has been the Bruins’ best, which is what they need on a night where they’re down a top-six forward. The trio has combined for four shots on goal so far.
First period, 12:00, 0-0: The Ducks finally have a shot on goal in what has been a really slow start for them.
The Bruins continue to put the pressure on, and they’re not afraid to throw the body around right now. Adam McQuaid has brought the boom on a couple of occasions, and the B’s seems intent on matching the Ducks’ physicality in the early going.
First period, 7:54, 0-0: Jonas Hiller has been razor-sharp so far, and that’s the reason the Bruins aren’t blowing out the Ducks right now.
Hiller just stopped a Patrice Bergeron shot from right in front, and the goalie now has nine saves to begin the game.
First period, 6:30, 0-0: The Bruins’ power play was an effective one in terms of puck possession in the offensive zone, but the B’s weren’t able to get anything in terms of scoring.
The B’s first unit — featuring Brad Marchand in place of Milan Lucic — was on the ice for just about the entire two minutes. They were able to produce a handful of chances but couldn’t pot one.
Matt Belesky almost put the Ducks on top after coming out of the penalty box, though. He took a shot from just inside the blue line that beat Tuukka Rask, but the puck hit the crossbar and deflected away from the net.
First period, 3:53, 0-0: The game’s first power play belongs to the Bruins.
Matt Belesky was just called for high-sticking, and the B’s are up a man.
First period, 3:00, 0-0: It looks as if Carl Soderberg will be occupying the first-line left wing, which was vacated by Milan Lucic’s illness.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: And we’re off. The game is underway.
10 p.m.: The Bruins will be dressing 11 defensemen with the absence of Milan Lucic. That 11th D-man will be Kevan Miller, which means a blue liner could find himself on a wing for this one. The most likely option for that, in my opinion, would be Torey Krug.
On the other side of things, Dustin Penner is listed as a scratch on the roster report.
9:50 p.m.: Milan Lucic is out for this one. The Bruins just announced that Lucic is out with an illness and won’t be available against Anaheim.
9:40 p.m.: Milan Lucic is not on the ice for the Bruins during pregame warmups, according to reports out of Anaheim. It’s unclear what the issue might be. Lucic was at the team’s morning skate. We’ll keep an eye on the roster report for tonight’s game to see if he’s officially scratched and go from there.
Jordan Caron was not on the ice for the pregame skate, as he’s dealing with a back issue and won’t be in against the Ducks. So that means if Lucic isn’t in the lineup, the Bruins will likely have to go with 11 forwards. They do have an extra defenseman they could insert into the lineup, as they are traveling with seven D-men.
9:35 p.m.: Pregame warmups are underway, and it’s Tuukka Rask versus Jonas Hiller in net, as we expected.
9:20 p.m.: We’re just minutes from pregame warmups, where Jonas Hiller is expected to lead the Ducks out and make yet another start. That has been very good news for the Ducks as of late.
Hiller comes into this game having won his last 11 starts and is arguably the hottest goalie in the league right now. That 11-start winning streak is the longest in the NHL since Mike Smith won 11 in a row in February 2012. Hiller was named the NHL’s third star of December, thanks in large part to a 9-0-1 record to go along with a 1.96 goals against average and .929 save percentage.
So, yeah, he’s on kind of a roll.
5:50 p.m.: The Ducks are one of the best teams in hockey at the moment, and you don’t get to that point by taking anyone too lightly. They certainly won’t be taking the Bruins lightly when the two teams meet tonight in Anaheim.
Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau had some high praise for the Bruins following his team’s morning skate. Boudreau, who saw the B’s frequently when he was head coach in Washington, knows his team will be up against it when the puck drops in about four and a half hours.
“Right now, they’re the best club in the East,” Boudreau told reporters. “It’s going to be a real challenge for us to match their size and strength. When it comes to big games, Boston is always there. We’re coming off an emotional game, and hopefully we can get it back up to that level again.”
This will be the two teams’ second meeting of the season. They met on Halloween night in Boston in one of the best games of the first half of the season. The Bruins trailed that game late in the third period when Zdeno Chara scored the game-tying goal with 2:50 to play in the third. Boston would go on to win in the shootout.
4:30 p.m.: This Bruins road trip will not be an easy one for the Black and Gold.
The B’s are in California for a three-game swing, starting Tuesday night against one of the league’s best teams, the Anaheim Ducks. The three-game trip will present the Bruins with a difficult task, as they get set to take on the top three teams in the Pacific Division. Those three teams also happen to be some of the league’s best home teams. Anaheim has yet to lose in regulation at home (17-0-2), and the three California teams (the Ducks, the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings) have combined for 46-6-7 home record this season.
Tuesday’s game might figure to be the toughest test of the trip, with the Ducks coming in as one of the NHL’s hottest teams. The Ducks are tied for the league lead in points with the Chicago Blackhawks, two days after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime. The Ducks are now 9-1-0 in their last 10, and they have lost just once in regulation since Nov. 26.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are looking to build on a rather pedestrian road record. Boston is just 10-8-0 away from TD Garden. A good chunk of those losses have come recently, though, as the Bruins have lost three of their last four on the road. Those issues have coincided with injury problems, but the Bruins are getting healthier. Players like Dougie Hamilton and Daniel Paille have returned to the lineup. Winger Loui Eriksson isn’t quite ready to return from a concussion, but he is traveling with the team, which would seem to indicate he’s nearing his own return.
One player the Bruins will be without Tuesday is Jordan Caron. The fourth-line winger is still dealing with a back problem, which means Justin Florek will be in the lineup for the second consecutive game after making his NHL debut Saturday against Winnipeg.
Puck drop from the Honda Center is a late one for Bruins fans, with the game slated to begin at 10 p.m. ET.
