The Vancouver Canucks roll into the TD Garden this afternoon to take on the Boston Bruins for the first time this season.
The Bruins posted a 6-3 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night under new head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy tweaked the Bruins offense by allowing his forwards to be more creative in the offensive zone and put emphasis on the team getting pucks to the front of the net. The new coach has also stated he wants the Bruins to play with more pace and the team has responded well so far.
Bruins are doing some things you just didn't see this yr before tonight. Up 5-2 on San Jose after 2 periods & showing no signs of letting up
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) February 10, 2017
On Thursday, the Canucks tallied a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets after dropping four straight contests. The Canucks are in the middle of a six-game road trip and have struggled on the road this season with a 7-16-3 record.
Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins
TD Garden-1:00 p.m. E.S.T
Broadcast Channels-NESN, SN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
2016-17 Season Series: First Meeting of the Season
Vancouver Canucks-24-24-6- 54 Points
Road Record: 7-16-3
Hot Players: Daniel Sedin, Jannik Hansen, Sven Baertschi
Key Injuries: Derek Dorsett, Erik Gudbranson, Anton Rodin, Sven Baertschi
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Loui Eriksson
Markus Granlund-Brandon Sutter-Jannik Hansen
Jayson Megna-Bo Horvat-Alexandre Burrows
Reid Boucher-Michael Chaput-Jack Skille
Defense
Alexander Edler-Troy Stecher
Luca Sbisa-Chris Tanev
Nikita Tryamkin-Ben Hutton
Goaltender
Ryan Miller
Boston Bruins-27-23-6- 60 Points
Home Record: 13-13-0
Hot Players: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak
Key Injuries: Austin Czarnik
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Backes
Peter Cehlarik-David Krejci-David Pastrnak
Frank Vatrano-Ryan Spooner-Matt Beleskey
Tim Schaller-Dominic Moore-Riley Nash
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Colin Miller-Kevan Miller
Goaltender
Anton Khudobin
Game Notes
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]1)[/miptheme_dropcap] Bruins forward Peter Cehlarik looks to be making his NHL debut this afternoon against the Canucks. Coach Bruce Cassidy has not confirmed if he will be in the lineup, but at practice on Friday, he was taking line rushes with the second unit alongside David Krejci and David Pastrnak. Cehlarik was recently called up from the Bruins’ AHL affiliate club in Providence where he has recorded 18 goals and 33 points in 40 games this season. Cassidy stated the 21-year old rookie, “Makes good plays with the puck and he protects it well. He’s a bigger body. He’s got good pace when he’s moving.”
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]2)[/miptheme_dropcap] Bruins’ captain Zdeno Chara looks to return to the lineup this afternoon after being sidelined last game and much of this week with an illness. Chara stated he is feeling better and should be ready to go for this matchup. The addition of Chara helps boost the Bruins’ defense as he averages 23:08 of ice time each game. This season the captain has recorded four goals and 15 points in 49 games.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]3)[/miptheme_dropcap] Canucks forward Loui Eriksson is returning to the TD Garden for the first time since leaving the Bruins to sign with the Canucks. Last season, Eriksson recorded 30 goals and 63 points with the Bruins, but this season he has struggled, registering 11 goals and 22 points through his first 54 contests. Eriksson broke an eight-game scoreless streak in his last outing against the Blue Jackets and will be looking to keep his momentum going against his former club.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]4)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Canucks are coming off an impressive 3-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Before the game against the Blue Jackets, the Canucks dropped four straight contests and will try to stay on the winning path against the Bruins. This is the third game of a six-game road trip for the Canucks before they head home for a four-game home stand.
The Canucks are sitting six points outside of the Western Conference playoff race, but a win could pull them within four points of the Los Angeles Kings and the final Wild Card spot. Recording wins on the road has been extremely difficult for the Canucks this season, but if they hope to climb in the standings, they will need to start stringing together some wins away from Rogers Arena.
Thursday night’s victory over the Sharks moved the Bruins back into the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and gave fans hope the team could make a run to secure a playoff birth for the first time in three years. If they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they will need to start this game off strong and keep their recent power play success going.