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North Station, arguably the epicenter of commuter travel into Boston and basement of TD Garden, is a ghost town. The oft-criticized MBTA, rocked by snowstorm after snowstorm, has suspended rail service (both subway and their longer distance cousin, the commuter rail) for all of today. But the Dallas Stars are in town, and without a clear makeup date available for either squad, the show must and will go on tonight.
From the Bruins:
NHL has advised that due to scheduling issues that don't allow for an alternate date, Stars-Bruins will be played tonight as scheduled. …¨…¨…¨TD Garden asks that you allow for extra time for safe travel to the arena. Please remember, MBTA and MBCR service is suspended for the remainder of the day. Due to snow removal, traffic on local streets around TD Garden has been impacted. …¨ …¨…¨ TD Garden doors will open early at 5:30 PM, game starts at 7:00 PM. …¨ …¨…¨ There is very limited parking available at the North Station Garage. Pre-paid parking is still available if you have already purchased. …¨
And for the second time since the now infamous trade, Tyler Seguin is back in Boston. The takes are piping hot when it comes to Seguin’s departure, especially with the 23-year-old rolling into the Hub with 29 goals and a league-leading 59 points this season, but the Bruins aren’t holding any grudges, it seems.
“I’ve actually moved on from that. I’ve told him that before,… Boston coach Claude Julien said after the club’s morning skate. “Nobody’s wishing anybody bad things. He’s a great person and he’s a good hockey player so there’s no issues we’ve just moved on. As long as he doesn’t do well against us I’m OK.…
The return the Black and Gold got for the ultra-talented Seguin will always be in question. Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Joe Morrow, and now-Oiler Matt Fraser will never have the star-power of a Seguin, or even come close to the 80-100-point per year talent Seguin is/will be.
But while Eriksson has finally appeared to find his niche with the B’s, the focus has turned to the struggles of Smith, a player that’s bounced around throughout the lineup all season long due to his inconsistencies.
“I think we’re seeing things from Reilly [Smith] that kind of gives you the impression that right now he’s not confident or second guessing or he’s just not feeling it,… Julien said of Smith, who comes into tonight’s game with just two goals in his last 22 contests. “We can only do so much. He’s got to find his game.…
From the looks of it, Smith will begin the night on his familiar spot on the right wing of the B’s second-line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but if he falters yet again, Julien and the Bruins won’t hesitate to bump Smith off that line, and promote Danny Paille up for the third-straight game.
Not that he’s had a ton of luck, either.
Paille, who must’ve had three golden scoring chances against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, and has done everything but score as of late, is mired in a woeful year that’s left him with just one goal on 45 shots.
“It’s encouraging to see him get those chances,… Julien admitted of Paille’s recent close calls with the red light. “It’s maybe frustrating more for him than it is for us to miss those opportunities because he’s had some really good ones and could have provided us with some important goals.
“Every player at some point in their career will have a tough year. We’ve all seen that. Right now for him, he could easily get close to those numbers if he got scoring. You look at the chances he’s getting, starts putting those in, he could climb up pretty quickly,… Julien added. “To me he’s got to stick with it. You’ve heard me say that often, when the chances are there it’s a good sign. When they’re not there you got a long way to go. He’s got some opportunities now he’s just got to make sure he works on burying them.…
Expect the Stars to give the start to Kari Lehtonen. Earning the overtime win by way of a 34-of-36 showing at Madison Square Garden, the 6-foot-4 netminder has wins in three of his last five, posting a .917 save percentage over that stretch. Lehtonen took the loss in his last start against the B’s, stopping 24-of-27 back on Jan. 20, and comes into play with seven wins and a .916 save percentage in 14 games versus Boston.
For the first time in forever, the Bruins will give the start to Niklas Svedberg. Putting an end to an 11-game start streak for Tuukka Rask, Svedberg returns to the Boston crease after a four-game conditioning stint with the Providence Bruins. The Swede won three of four during his AHL stint, posting a .911 save percentage, and will make his first NHL start since a 14-save shutout on Jan. 8. The 25-year-old has made 10 starts in total this season, with five wins, a .922 save percentage, and two shutouts to his name.
- Boston center David Krejci has been held without a point in five of his last eight games.
- Five of Chris Kelly’s six goals in 2014-15 have come on TD Garden ice.
- Torey Krug has two goals and nine points in Tuesday night games this season.
- Jamie Benn has nine goals and 24 points in 25 road games this season.
- Dallas forward Ales Hemsky has two goals and five points in his last six games.
Other news and notes
You can once again expect Boston Bruins forward Jordan Caron and defenseman Matt Bartkowski to serve as the healthy scratches. They may never play again, at this rate.
Forwards Travis Moen (lower-body), Valeri Niscushkin (hip), and Rich Peverley (heart) remain out of the lineup, while Seguin again will be a game-time decision.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com