Bruins Focus: Boston Looks To Carry Momentum Vs. Maple Leafs, Devils
The B's kick off their week with a game against a rival
The Bruins have won four straight games and 14 of their last 17 and look to carry that momentum into a new week of games.
Boston is coming off a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon and is preparing to welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to TD Garden as the Bruins’ homestand continues.
Both the B’s and Maple Leafs are fighting for third place in the Atlantic Division as the race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins to heat up with a month left in the 2021-22 NHL season.
Let’s take a look at the schedule for the week:
Tuesday, March 29 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET
Thursday, March 31 vs. New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 2 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. ET
What Bruins fans need to know
Toronto has won three of its last five games and is 6-3-1 in its last 10. The Maple Leafs do sport a better goal differential, but the Bruins boast stronger goaltending as Jeremy Swayman continues to string together solid performances between the pipes. It likely will feel like a playoff game considering both teams are fighting for better positioning in the Atlantic.
The Devils, meanwhile, don’t have much to play for these days sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with a 24-37-5 record.
Columbus has lost its last three games and, much like the Devils, are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.
Who Bruins need to watch out for
Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs) — Matthews is tied with Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl for first in the NHL with 48 goals. Despite the Montreal Canadiens beating Toronto 4-2 over the weekend, Matthews still potted a goal before scoring two more in a win against the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs and Bruins have not met since Nov. 6 when Boston lost 5-2 with the help of two goals from Matthews.
Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt (Devils) — The duo are the top two when it comes to goals, assists and points and also have amassed points in New Jersey’s last four games. They have proven to be bright spots for the Devils during an otherwise lackluster season.
Jakub Voracek (Blue Jackets) — Voracek had a two-point night against the Bruins in their March 5 meeting. Even though it wasn’t enough to lift Columbus to victory, Voracek was a force on the ice and kept his team in it. The forward’s 43 assists lead the Blue Jackets as does his 21 points on the power play.
Odds
The Bruins are the -150 favorites to beat Toronto on Tuesday night, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Craig Smith, who opened the scoring Saturday afternoon, is +2000 to score the first goal of the game, while Matthews is +850.
