The Boston Bruins are red-hot and hope to keep racking up the points in a crucial three-game week that includes a matchup with the Atlantic Division’s first-place team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Boston is coming off a five-game road trip in which the club picked up nine out of a possible 10 points. The B’s lost their last game of the trip Saturday afternoon in a shootout to the St. Louis Blues, but that was the lone contest that didn’t see the Bruins secure two points.
The Bruins also got their first look at their newest member, Charlie Coyle, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Ryan Donato and a draft pick. Coyle, a Weymouth, Mass., native, did not register a shot on goal, but he did have a hit and impressed head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Saturday’s loss also saw Torey Krug suffer a lower-body injury, but Cassidy seemed optimistic it was nothing too serious. Krug, who accounted for an assist on Boston’s lone goal, missed the overtime period and shootout in the loss.
Let’s take a look at the Bruins’ week ahead:
Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. San Jose Sharks, 7 p.m. ET
Boston began its road trip with a 6-5 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks last week, and now will welcome Joe Thornton and Co. to TD Garden for a rematch.
San Jose is second in the Pacific Division and is one of the league’s hottest teams. Before the loss to the B’s, the Sharks had won seven of their last eight and scored 34 goals during that stretch. They’ve now won two of their last three.
Both Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns have points in four of the Sharks’ last five contests. Pavelski notched a hat trick in his team’s 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, while Burns had a goal and an assist. The duo combined for four points in San Jose’s last meeting with Boston, while Thornton notched his first hat trick in eight-plus years against his former team.
The Bruins have been able to score goals and win games in the absence of top-line winger David Pastrnak, who’s recovering from thumb surgery. Jake DeBrusk has been a force the Sharks know they will need to try to contain after his one goal, two assist outing against them.
Thursday, Feb. 28 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a comfortable 18-point lead ahead of the Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division and have an eight-game winning streak heading into their Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
Boston lost its only meeting with Tampa Bay in December, 3-2, but the B’s have caught fire since then. This is sure to be an entertaining matchup between division enemies with a crucial two points on the line for the Black and Gold.
Tampa Bay is stacked with talent the Bruins certainly will need to try to contain. Ryan McDonagh has points in three of his last four games, while the Lightning has scored at least five goals in six different contests over their winning streak. Their offense will put a lot of pressure on the goalies, but Tuukka Rask has been stellar in his last 15 outings, posting a 12-0-3 record, while Jaroslav Halak stood tall between the pipes during the B’s road trip.
Saturday, March 2, vs. New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
The Bruins close out their week against the Metropolitan Division’s eighth-place team, New Jersey Devils.
The Flames have tough matchups against the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers before paying the Bruins a visit at TD Garden. The Devils are 4-4-0 in their last games, including a 4-0 shutout of the Ottawa Senators. But after a 5-2 steamrolling at the hands of the New York Rangers, the Devils will look to regroup, but it certainly won’t be easy with their schedule.
New Jersey has struggled a bit on offense and has just one player on its roster who’s amassed 20 goals. Kyle Palmieri is pacing his team with 26 goals and leads the way with 48 points, so he’ll likely be taking shots on net to help propel his team to victory.
But going up against a team that’s catching fire and shows no signs of slowing down will be no easy task for New Jersey, as Jake DeBrusk, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron look to remain integral contributors for the B’s.
