Providence, Boston College Face Off In Huge Hockey East Clash On NESN

After an extended layoff, Providence returns to the ice to face Boston College at Conte Forum on Saturday, with the showdown hosted on NESN.

The No. 9 Friars are coming off a split series against Arizona State in late November and are fourth in Hockey East. The No. 2 Eagles are second in Hockey East following a split series against Northeastern last weekend.

It will be a strength-versus-strength battle in Chestnut Hill with Boston College third in Hockey East in goals and Providence as the best defensive team in the conference. That defense is led by goaltender Philip Svedebäck, who has allowed 1.94 goals per game with a .930 save percentage heading into Saturday's matchup. The defense has an 88.2% penalty kill rate, which is good for seventh-best in the NCAA.

The Friars defense will have their hands full against the quartet of Lane Hutson, Gabe Perreault, Will Smith and Cutter Gauthier, who are top four in Hockey East in points. Gauthier and Ryan Leonard are tied for fifth in Hockey East in goals scored at five through eight games. The Eagles offense has the sixth-best power-play unit scoring 26.2% of the time with a man advantage.

The Eagles also have the best penalty kill in the country with a 93.5% kill rate. Freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler has a 2.04 goals against average and a .929 save percentage, which are top-15 marks in the country.

Saturday will be the first of three matchups between Providence and Boston College this season. The sides have gone to a shootout in three consecutive meetings.

Puck drop for the matchup is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET, and you can catch it live on NESN or NESN 360.