Bruins Focus: Boston Has Perfect Opportunity To Get Back On Track

The Bruins returned from their six-game road trip with all the momentum in their favor but couldn’t carry it over into Monday’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Boston gave up the game-tying goal late in the third period — a troubling trend that has been following the Bruins of late — and was unable to tie the Toronto Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Now, the Bruins have a perfect opportunity to end this week on a high note with games against the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, two teams that are at the bottom of the Central Division.

Let’s check out the Bruins’ schedule for the remainder of the week:

Thursday, March 10 vs. Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 12 vs. Arizona Coyotes at 7 p.m. ET

What Bruins fans need to know
The Bruins have been getting some secondary scoring of late, with hat tricks from Jake DeBrusk and Craig Smith in the last week. David Pastrnak continues to play at a high level after struggling to begin the season and has found great chemistry with Taylor Hall on the second line. The third line of Smith, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic also has been a force for Boston.

It has become glaringly obvious the Bruins need more help on the blue line. It doesn’t help that Matt Grzelcyk is dealing with an upper-body injury, but all signs point to the defenseman returning Thursday night.

The Blackhawks played a strong game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning over the weekend, but they unraveled in the last seven minutes, watched the Bolts score three goals in 32 seconds and ultimately lost. Chicago bounced back Tuesday night with an 8-3 win against the Ducks.

The Coyotes did just put eight goals on the Ottawa Senators — with Nick Schmaltz amassing seven (!) points in the game — before potting nine goals against the Detroit Red Wings. Schmaltz added another four points in the win over Detroit.

Who Bruins need to look out for
Lawson Crouse (Coyotes) — With the NHL trade deadline looming, it is a perfect opportunity for the Bruins to get an up-close look at Crouse to see if maybe he would be a good fit for Boston. Same with Jakob Chychrun.

Alex DeBrincat (Blackhawks) — DeBrincat also had a nice night against the Ducks, with a goal and three assists to add to his team-high goal total. He’s also +155 to score Thursday night against Boston.

Patrick Kane (Blackhawks) — Kane had a six-point night Tuesday that included five assists, and he leads the Blackhawks in helpers and points.

Odds
The Bruins are the -150 favorites to beat the Blackhawks on Thursday, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the moneyline at -275. Smith, who’s caught fire of late, is +285 to score at any point during the game and +1800 to score first.