Ty Anderson
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Game-day in Winnipeg comes with a dose of bad news. By dose, I mean cup. Boston winger Rich Peverley will be out for the next four to six weeks with a 'third degree' MCL sprain. The injury came on an uncalled knee-on-knee hit from Montreal's (who was traded to Nashville as I wrote this) Hal Gill.
Adding to the Boston woes headlined by the concussion to Nathan Horton, the loss of yet another right-winger will force Josh Hennessy into the B's line-up for his first NHL game since Dec. 2009. With just one goal/point in 20 career games at the NHL level, the 27-year-old forward is slated to center Boston's fourth line tonight as Claude Julien's shuffling act continues.
As Hennessy moves to the fourth line, winger Danny Paille will move to the third line with Jordan Caron and Chris Kelly. Leaving the Bergeron line untouched while Benoit Pouliot jumps to the Bruins' first line, this is yet another devastating blow to Boston's already thin depth on the wings.
Prior to the injury, the 29-year-old Peverley had nine goals and 38 points in 49 games, putting him on pace for a near 60-point campaign, something Peverley's never reached in his five-year NHL career.
Heading to Winnipeg for the final time this year, the Bruins will be led onto the ice by Tuukka Rask for the first time in nine days. Held out of game action since Feb. 8's disaster in Buffalo, where the 24-year-old allowed three goals on just 10 shots before being pulled, Rask rolls into the 'Peg with redemption on his mind. Despite a 5-2-0 record against the Atlanta/Winnipeg hybrid, Rask was the victim of a frustrating 33-save loss at MTS Centre back on Dec. 6.
Losing four straight with an uncharacteristic .833 save-percentage over that stretch, Rask's start will be squared off with Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec yet again. Winning just one of his three starts against Boston on the year, 2012 hasn't been too kind to the Czech-born goaltender, with just six victories in 16 starts since the start of January.
Game-Changers
Don't make the joke, please for the love of God, don't make the joke when I state this: The Bruins need a strong night from Tyler Seguin here in Winnipeg. Down two right-wingers, Seguin comes into tonight with just one goal in his last eight games, but should see a ton of ice-time tonight as the Bergeron line has essentially become the only line Boston can count on these days.
Evander Kane likes scoring goals. But his teammates like seeing him score goals as well. The Jets come into play with a 13-2-0 record on the year when the 20-year-old Kane has a goal. On the heels of a three-point night last night in Minnesota, Kane has four goals in nine career games against the Bruins, and has 18 points in 25 home games this year.
Stats of Note
- B's winger Milan Lucic has six goals and 14 points in 17 career games against the Jets/Thrashers.
- Defensemen Joe Corvo has four points in the last 22 games. Yikes.
- Boston's 9-0-0 this year when Benoit Pouliot has a goal, 15-1-0 when he has a point.
- Winnipeg defensemen Dustin Byfuglien has two goals and four assists in his last four games with a minus-4. Huh?
- Jets forward Nik Antropov does not have a single point in eight games this month.
- Blake Wheeler is a point-per-game player in the Jets' wins with 26 in 26.
News and Notes
Expect Andrew Bodnarchuk to be the lone healthy scratch for the Bruins tonight while Horton and Peverley will not be with the team for the rest of the road trip.
Winnipeg will also be without defensemen Zach Bogosian. Former Boston villain Randy Jones will skate in his place.