The Boston Bruins start a back-to-back Friday night with their final regular-season game against the New Jersey Devils.
Boston has won both of its previous games against New Jersey this season and desperately needs another victory to maintain its lead for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have just a two-point advantage over the Florida Panthers.
The Devils have won four of their last five games, which temporarily put them back into the playoff race. New Jersey’s ability to seriously contend for a playoff spot took a hit Thursday when it traded leading scorer Jaromir Jagr to the Panthers for two draft picks. The move will allow the Devils to see what they have in younger players and/or veterans who might also be dealt before the March 2 NHL trade deadline.
Here’s a quick preview of Friday night’s game.
TV, Radio Information: NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub
Season Series: 2-0 Bruins (Boston won 4-2 on Nov. 10 and 3-0 on Jan. 8, both at TD Garden)
Record: Boston (29-22-9, fourth in Atlantic), New Jersey (25-27-9, sixth in Metropolitan)
Bruins Player To Watch: Patrice Bergeron owned the faceoff dot Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks with an 81.5 percent success rate (31-for-38). The Bruins center ranks second among all forwards in faceoff percentage and faceoffs won. He gives the Bruins a strong advantage over a Devils team that ranks 27th in faceoff percentage. Bergeron also has tallied nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last 10 games.
Devils Player To Watch: Cory Schneider will start in net for the Devils, per Tom Gulitti of The Record. The former Boston College star has played in 53 games this season, tied for the most of any goaltender and two more than Bruins starter Tuukka Rask. Schneider is 22-23-5 with a 2.22 goals against average and a .926 save percentage this campaign. He’s 0-2-0 with a .907 save percentage in two starts versus Boston.
Key Stat For Bruins: Boston has dominated puck possession with a 54.8 Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5 over the last five games. As a result of controlling nearly 55 percent of even-strength shot attempts, the Bruins are creating more than enough scoring chances to score goals. The problem is a lack of finish, which was the sole reason for Tuesday’s loss to the Canucks.
Key Stat For Devils: New Jersey ranks 28th in goals scored at 2.2 per game. Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique lead the Devils in scoring with just 31 points each, and the Devils have scored two goals or fewer in six of their last nine games.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
