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A five-game homestand is an often relieving sight for the eyes of an NHL club. But for the Boston Bruins, a team that’s started the year with just one win in six home contests, it’s about rising to the challenge of making the TD Garden, where the boo-birds have nested, a tough place to play.
The homestand could kick off with a major return, too, as Boston defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, sidelined since Sept. 24 following back surgery, is a gametime decision for the club for their Thursday night showdown with Carl Soderberg and the Colorado Avalanche.
The 34-year-old will meet with the coaching and training staff before tonight’s tilt, and based on how he’s feeling (Seidenberg noted that a toe-stand will tell him how the nerves in his back, one of the bigger issues he’s dealt with in his recovery, are reacting), could be a go for tonight’s affair.
Along with Seidenberg, defenseman Torey Krug, who has missed the last two days of practice with what the team has termed ‘maintenance days’, is a game-time decision for the Bruins.
Krug is one of three Boston defenders to play in all 14 games this season (Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller are the other two), and is tied with David Krejci for the team lead in assists (10).
The Avs come to town with starter Semyon Varlamov battling a groin injury, so the start goes to backup Reto Berra. In spite of an impressive .952 save percentage to his name this season and a 25-save shutout on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, the 28-year-old Berra comes into play with just two wins six games (five starts) on the year. Berra career figures against the B’s, however, are quite strong, with one win and a .943 save percentage in three starts against Boston.
Following a 36-of-37 road showing against the New York Islanders on Sunday, inarguably his best performance of the season, Boston counters with Tuukka Rask. Sunday’s win bumped Rask’s save percentage on up to .891 for the year, and showed signs of his return to normalcy (an elite goaltender in this league). The 28-year-old comes into tonight’s game with zero wins in four career starts against Colorado despite a 1.98 goals against average and .935 save percentage.
- The Bruins have scored a power-play goal in 11 of their 14 games this season.
- Boston has a 4-0-1 record in 2015-16 when Zdeno Chara records a point.
- David Krejci has just two points in his last five games played.
- Colorado’s Matt Duchene has five goals and six points in his last four games.
- Jarome Iginla has eight goals and 16 points in 22 career games against the Bruins.
Other news and notes
Boston forward David Pastrnak remains out of the lineup with a non-displaced fracture in his foot. Forward Tyler Randell was one of the B’s healthy scratches in their last game, but with Max Talbot returned to Providence earlier this week, it appears that he’ll suit up tonight.
Defenseman Joe Morrow is the likely scratch for the Black and Gold.
Colorado coach Patrick Roy expects John Mitchell (oblique) to play for the first time since Nov. 1. And B’s throwback defenseman Brad Stuart has a back issue and has flown back to Denver, which will put Nate Guenin back in Roy’s lineup for the Avs.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.