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Slowly, the Boston Bruins have been building to this point. They’ve encountered undeniable roadblocks along the way, but if there’s a weekend where the Black and Gold can stake their claim as being legitimate threats in the Eastern Conference, it’s this one.
Beginning with tonight’s Saturday night showdown with the New York Islanders, and continuing with tomorrow night’s season-series finale with the Montreal Canadiens, back-to-back wins against some of the East’s best will say more than any rah-rah postgame quote can.
And deep down, the Bruins know this.
It’s been a year of tests for the Bruins, and though a significant amount of faith has been restored in the club by way of a strong January and continued strong performances from some of the Bruins’ higher priced talents, a weekend sweep (or even three of four points) would give everyone an area of where this team is really at three weeks before the NHL Trade Deadline.
On the heels of a frustrating 3-2 defeat at Madison Square Garden, the Bruins are in a prime position to rebound. It sounds like Claude Julien is giving the second-pairing of Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg a chance to rebound from their frustrating night in New York, while a lineup of constantly shuffling forwards get another look at generating chemistry. (I think you’ve seen great things from Loui Eriksson on the Bergeron line and Reilly Smith with David Krejci and Milan Lucic.)
They'll try to do it against one of the East's best stories this season, and a team looking for a surge of their own.
Despite their hot start to the year as one of the league's best, the Islanders find themselves just three points out of the top-three in the Metropolitan Division, and yet just a single point away from the first-place Pittsburgh Penguins. They've been treading water for a bit, posting an 8-6-0 record since the start of the calendar year. In essence, they'd like to make a statement as well, and they, like most teams, look at a game against Boston as a measuring stick.
The Islanders will give the nod to old friend, Chad Johnson. In one year with the Black and Gold (2013-14), Johnson won 17 of 23 starts, and posted an impressive .925 save percentage. That success has not followed him to New York, however, as Johnson takes to the ice with just six wins, a 3.43 goals against average, and .865 save percentage in 12 games for the Isles this season. On the flipside, though, Johnson’s best start as an Islander came against, you guessed it, the Bruins, back on a 30-of-32 night on Oct. 23. This will be Johnson’s first start since last week’s 15-of-19 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Won’t know ‘til the pregame skate, but expect Tuukka Rask in net.
The 27-year-old has 22 wins in 41 starts this year, and has steadily climbed up in the save percentage ranks, coming into tonight’s contest with a .921 on the year. Rask took the loss on Wednesday night, surrendering three goals on 25 shots against, but will take to the ice with 15 wins and a .924 save percentage in 24 home games this season. The reigning Vezina winner has also won seven of 11 career starts against New York, including a stellar 43-of-45 night against the Blue and Orange back on Jan. 29.
- B’s winger Milan Lucic has two goals and five points in his last four games.
- David Pastrnak has been held without a goal in seven straight games.
- In just nine career games against the Islanders, Loui Eriksson has five goals and eight points.
- Islander captain John Tavares has five goals and 11 points in 10 games at TD Garden.
- The Islanders have the worst penalty-kill in the entire NHL.
Other news and notes
The B’s are not expected to make any significant lineup changes, meaning that both Jordan Caron and Matt Bartkowski are expected to serve as the club’s healthy scratches. Caron has not played since Jan. 20, while Bartkowski, who lasted played on Dec. 31, is still looking for his first game of 2015.
Some bad news for the Bruins-- Prospect Joe Morrow, a player that the Black and Gold could use as either in their lineup or on their second-pairing or as a potential trade chip, was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Manchester Monarchs forward Andrew Crescenzi on Friday night. Morrow has one goal and a plus-3 rating in 15 NHL games, and has two goals and four points in 14 games for the P-Bruins this year.
Morrow underwent an MRI on Saturday afternoon.
The Islanders will be without Kyle Okposo (eye), while both Matt Martin (broken nose) and Johnny Boychuk (knee) were full participants in Friday’s practice at Boston University, signifying that they’re both likely good to go for tonight’s tilt at TD Garden.
This will be the rubber match between the Bruins-Islanders. Both teams won in the other’s team building, too, with the Bruins taking the last meeting by a 5-2 win in Uniondale, N.Y. on Jan. 29.
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