The Calgary Flames continue their six-game road trip tonight in Boston against the Bruins.
The Bruins are off to a respectable 11-9-0 start to the season but have dropped their last two games. They are also playing in the latter half of a back-to-back tonight and are without their captain in Zdeno Chara.
Chara may not be the player he once was but he still chews up a lot of minutes for this Bruins team and will be a big loss, especially considering their defense core isn't great to begin with. If there is any good time to play the Bruins it would be now.
In saying that they should still be a tough test for the Flames tonight. They have been fantastic in possession this season -- they currently rank 3rd in the league in 5v5 Corsi For% -- and have controlled an impressive 55.49% of the scoring chances. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins have bested the Bruins in the latter category thus far.
Their record may not show it but the Bruins are a very good team this season and have been one of the best teams in not just the conference, but the league.
Here are the expected line combinations for the Flames:
Sam Bennett - Sean Monahan - Troy Brouwer Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Hunter Shinkaruk - Matt Stajan - Alex Chiasson Micheal Ferland - Freddie Hamilton - Garnet Hathaway
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Dennis Wideman Brett Kulak - Deryk Engelland
Chad Johnson
And the expected lines for the Bruins:
**up in the air due to back-to-back
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak Matt Beleskey - David Krejci - David Backes Ryan Spooner - Riley Nash - Austin Czarnik Tim Schaller - Dominic Moore - Jimmy Hayes
John-Michael Liles - Brandon Carlo Torey Krug - Adam McQuaid Joe Morrow - Kevin Millar
Tuukka Rask**
A few notes:
1) The Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak has been one of the NHL's very best this season. With that trio on the ice, the Bruins are controlling 64.5% of the shot attempts and have an expected goals for% of 65.9. They're going to give the Flames all they can handle and more.
2) The Flames are scoring on less than 10% of their power plays while the Bruins are killing off almost 87% of their penalties. It could be another rough night for the power play.
3) Johnson will be making his sixth start in seven games for the Flames. He has allowed just six goals in the last five games and is giving the team a chance every night. As long as he keeps playing like this the job will be his.
Tonight's game is scheduled for 7:30 eastern and can be seen on NESN and Sportsnet-West.