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The Boston Bruins have a legitimate -- maybe even likely -- chance to return back to the Hub without a single win on their crucial five-game tour across western Canada, St. Louis, and Chicago.
They’ll do just that if they leave the United Center ice with less than two points in today’s showdown with the Blackhawks, too. In spite of their losses, the Bruins have found ways to record points though, with two points in four games on the swing thus far by way of their 0-2-2 record.
But that’s of little relief to a B’s club clinging to their lead on the second wild card by a single point over the Florida Panthers, while the Philadelphia Flyers have entered the mix, trailing the Black and Gold by just four points heading into today’s NHL slate (the Flyers are in action against the Capitals, too).
And to make matters worse, Boston will be without the services of top-line center David Krejci.
Injured in Friday night’s 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Blues, Bruins coach Claude Julien noted that they will not know the severity of Krejci’s injury, which appeared to involve his knee, until the club returns back home. Krejci has already missed 20 games this season with a hip ailment, with the Bruins posting a 8-9-3 record with 40 goals scored (2.00 goals per game) over that stretch.
His absence undoubtedly dramatically alters what the Bruins, who are already offensively inept to say the least (21st in the league coming into today), can do both at even-strength and on the power play.
It also puts Ryan Spooner, recalled yesterday, back in the NHL spotlight.
It’s Spooner’s first recall since being sent down to Providence after five games without a point to start the year, and gives the 5-foot-10 playmaker yet another chance to prove that he is a capable NHL player. And that’s what the Spooner dilemma has always come back down to: the Bruins want and need more from No. 51 at this level. Julien has always asked more out of him simply because they know they can get more. And it seems as if that message has been delivered to the 23-year-old, too, as Spooner has taken on more of a game-changing role with the P-Bruins as of late, arriving to the NHL with two goals and seven points (along with 16 shots on goal) in his last five AHL contests.
Spooner, whose last NHL game came back Oct. 15, has 11 assists in 32 career NHL games.
Yet, for as bad as things have been for the Bruins, the Blackhawks aren’t exactly blowing the doors off their opponents as of late. Since Jan. 1, Joel Quenneville's squad has won just 10 of 22 contests, and come into today’s game with four wins in their last 10 games. The biggest difference between the Bruins and Blackhawks, at least through their slumps though, is that Chicago had built themselves up into a position where they could afford a slight slide like the one they’re currently dealing with. And even at their worst, Chicago’s a team that can hang a four-spot on you if you’re asleep at the wheel.
Expect the Bruins to go back to Tuukka Rask. The 27-year-old’s workload has approached insane levels in 2015, appearing in all but one of the B’s last 26 contests, but with the possibility of the Bruins returning back to Boston without a win on this five-game road swing, the Bruins will need No. 40 in net against this starstudded Blackhawks squad. Rask relieved Malcolm Subban on Friday night, stopping 7-of-9 in 29 minutes of play, and takes to the ice with a 0-1-2 record and .856 save percentage in this road trip. In three career regular starts against the ‘Hawks, Rask has one win (a shutout), 1.69 goals against average, and .939 save percentage (92 saves on 98 shots against). The Blackhawks will counter with Corey Crawford. The Chicago netminder took the loss in his last outing, a 26-of-30 showing against Colorado on Feb. 20, and comes into today’s action with wins in two of his last five, posting a .917 save percentage over that stretch. The 29-year-old comes into play with one win and a .923 save percentage in four career regular season games against the Bruins.
- B’s winger Brad Marchand has two goals and five points in five career games against Chicago.
- Torey Krug has just one goal, two assists, and a minus-5 rating in his last eight games played.
- Reilly Smith comes into today’s game with a three-game point streak.
- Blackhawks winger Kris Versteeg has three goals in his last four games.
- Chicago is just 18-for-106 (17.0%) on the power play at home, 23rd in the league.
- Marian Hossa has 17 goals and 39 points in 48 career games against the Bruins.
Other news and notes
In case you missed it, the Bruins sent Malcolm Subban back to the AHL yesterday afternoon. Subban allowed three goals on six shots before being pulled from his NHL debut on Friday night.
Julien has confirmed that Spooner, who did not get to practice with the club yesterday after traveling to Chicago from the AHL, will suit up for today’s game. But where remains to be seen. Saturday’s practice did move forth with Chris Kelly skating in Krejci’s place with Milan Lucic and David Pastrnak on the wings. Like they did on Friday night, the Bruins will once again have two healthy scratches up front. Whether or not Craig Cunningham or Danny Paille draw back into the lineup over Jordan Caron or recent callup Brian Ferlin, again, remains to be seen.
I know what I’m about to say is crazy (and maybe grounds for termination), but do you think the Bruins would have any interest in putting in a waiver claim on Anaheim netminder Ilya Bryzgalov? The 34-year-old has without question had a nightmare of a year for the Ducks -- with just one win and .847 save percentage in eight games this year -- but has always been a steady system goaltender (in Phoenix and even last year, Minnesota). And if the Bruins don’t think that they can trust Niklas Svedberg to give Rask a breather here and there, which at this point appears to be a legitimate issue, it could be a worthwhile gamble. (Or at least bring some fun to a rather miserable season, right?)
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