The first matchup of the 2016-17 season for the Anaheim Ducks and Boston Bruins is on tap tonight at the TD Garden. Anaheim rarely has to visit the Garden, but they have had decent success there in the past. Both squads are coming off of a loss and will be looking to get back in the win column this evening.
The Ducks are going to want to jump on the Bruins early since the B’s played a hard overtime game last night against Pittsburgh. On the Boston side, the team will need to bring energy to the first period to avoid having to play from behind. It will be a long game if they go down early.
Anton Blidh has been recalled from the Providence Bruins, and it looks like he will be in the lineup tonight. The addition of Blidh gives Boston a little more grit against this big Ducks team. Kevan Miller was injured last night, so it could be even more difficult for Boston to stop Ryan Getzlaf who has 13 points in the same amount of games versus the Bruins.
Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins
TD Garden-7:00 p.m. E.S.T
Broadcast Channels-NESN, PRIME, 98.5 The Sports Hub
2016-17 Season Series: First Meeting of the Season
Anaheim Ducks-15-10-5- 35 Points
Road Record: 5-6-4
Hot Players: Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf
Key Injuries: Simon Despres, Clayton Stoner, Nate Thompson
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Rickard Rakell-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano-Ryan Kesler-Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie-Antoine Vermette-Ondrej Kase
Joseph Cramarossa-Stefan Noesen-Logan Shaw
Defense
Cam Fowler-Sami Vatanen
Hampus Lindholm-Josh Manson
Shea Theodore-Kevin Bieksa
Goaltender
John Gibson
[irp]
Boston Bruins-16-12-3- 35 Points
Home Record: 7-7-0
Hot Players: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand
Key Injuries: Matt Beleskey, John-Michael Liles, Frank Vatrano
Projected Lines:
Forwards
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Backes
Tim Schaller-David Krejci-David Pastrnak
Ryan Spooner-Riley Nash-Austin Czarnik
Anton Blidh-Dominic Moore-Noel Acciari
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Matt Grzelcyk-Colin Miller
Goaltender
Anton Khudobin
Game Notes
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]1)[/miptheme_dropcap] Anton Blidh should be returning to Boston lineup tonight after being recalled from the AHL. He has one point in four NHL games this season.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]2)[/miptheme_dropcap] Ryan Getzlaf has been a big problem for the Bruins. He has posted 13 points in 13 games against Boston and looks to add to that total tonight.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]3)[/miptheme_dropcap] Anaheim leads the all-time series against the Bruins with a record of 13-14-2-1. The last five contests between the two clubs have been wins for the Ducks.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]4)[/miptheme_dropcap] Tonight starts a three-game home stand in Boston, while the Ducks are in the middle of a long road trip that sees them away from home 11 times this month.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]5)[/miptheme_dropcap] David Pastrnak recorded another goal last night, bringing his total to 19 this season. He will try to stay hot and hit the 20-goal mark very early this season.
Both teams lost their last game and will be itching to get back on track with a win. Anaheim has had a lot of success against Boston, taking the last five games from the black and gold. These two teams appear to match up well on paper as they play similar styles. Goaltending and limiting mistakes will certainly be the keys to winning this game.
Anthony Pagliarulo is a Boston Bruins contributor for The Hockey Writers. He is a Massachusetts native and a Worcester State University alumni. You can follow Anthony on Twitter @APags87.
