After three straight brutal losses, the Boston Bruins (14-4-3) return to TD Garden on Thursday night (Nov. 30) to face off against the San Jose Sharks (5-15-2). The Bruins were successful in their first matchup against the Sharks on Oct. 19 this season, defeating the Pacific Division club by a 3-0 final score. Now, they will look to be victorious again and end their losing streak in the process.
While the Sharks have had a terrible start to the season, the Bruins cannot take them lightly. They have been trending in the right direction as of late, winning each of their last two games. As a result, they are entering this game with more confidence, and the Bruins cannot allow this contest to become a trap game, just like they did against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Let’s now discuss players and storylines to watch during the game.
Bruins to Watch
David Pastrnak
One player to keep a very close eye on during this contest is superstar winger David Pastrnak. Much like the Bruins as an entire team, the 27-year-old has cooled off lately, posting one goal, one assist, and a minus-6 rating over his last four games. This is very low production for Pastrnak’s standards, and he will look to heat back up against the Sharks.
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When noting that the Sharks are one of the bottom teams in the NHL, this is a grand opportunity for Pastrnak to have a big night. The Bruins certainly need him to get his scoring back up, as he is the most important part of their offense and a huge reason for their overall success. Let’s see if he puts an end to his cold streak in this one.
Charlie Coyle
A big question heading into the season was if Charlie Coyle would be able to handle playing top-six minutes down the middle. So far, he has answered the bell marvelously and is on pace to have the best season of his career. In 21 games this campaign, the Massachusetts native has nine goals, 19 points, and a plus-3 rating. With that, he has been heating up as of late, as he has seven goals and four assists over his last nine games.
As a result of his hot stretch of play, he is a clear player to watch against San Jose. He has emerged as one of the Bruins’ top forwards this month, and it will be intriguing to see if he can put up another strong effort against the Sharks.
Sharks to Watch
Tomas Hertl
A big reason for the Sharks’ recent success is because of Tomas Hertl’s play. The 30-year-old has four assists over his last two games and is starting to improve his play after a slow start to the season. Therefore, he is an offensive threat that the Bruins must defend carefully in this contest.
In 21 games this season, Hertl has four goals to go along with 16 points. For his standards, this production is low, but he has been heading in the right direction, and he will look to continue his hot streak against the Bruins from here.
Fabian Zetterlund
Fabian Zetterlund is another Shark who has been feeling it as of late. The 24-year-old winger has scored a goal in each of San Jose’s last two games and is looking to keep his goal streak going because of it. While he may not be the biggest name on the Sharks’ roster, he is a young forward with promise, and he is starting to show signs of improvement. Because of this, the Bruins will need to watch out for him.
Storylines to Watch
After being pulled in the Bruins’ last contest against the Blue Jackets, Jeremy Swayman is expected to start for the Bruins against the Sharks. The Alaska native will be looking to have a much-needed bounce-back performance against San Jose. His last win came on Nov. 18, and he has under a .900 save percentage (SV%) in four out of his last five starts.
The Bruins’ forward lines could see some pretty intriguing changes for this contest. During the club’s last practice on Wednesday (Nov. 29), Jake DeBrusk was moved up to the top line, while Brad Marchand was demoted to the third line. Given the way the Bruins have played as of late, it makes sense that head coach Jim Montgomery is testing out new lines. Perhaps this change could get DeBrusk and Marchand going again.
Lastly, all eyes should be on the Bruins’ defense and goaltending against San Jose. It is clear that the Bruins have been very sloppy in those areas during their losing streak, but now they have the opportunity to turn things around.
We will now need to wait and see if the Bruins can finally put an end to this grueling losing streak and secure two points against the Sharks. This is a winnable game for the Black and Gold, but if they take San Jose too lightly, another loss could be on the way.
