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This is weird. For the first time since the end of the 2006-07 season, the rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will not feature the Montreal-loathed Milan Lucic. Nor will it feature imposing Boston captain and the equally -- if not more -- hated Zdeno Chara, who remains an unlikely fit for tonight’s game with a nagging upper-body injury. Again, this is weird.
Of the two, the loss of Chara looked to be the true killer to the B’s in their Opening Night blowout loss to the Jets. While the Bruins had a strong first period, it was the second and third period that exposed some of the B’s defensive woes. When the Jets broke through with one, they broke through with three. It just didn’t seem as if the Bruins had that calming presence to settle things down when they needed to. That’s the role that Chara has perfected in the Hub over the last near decade of hockey in the Hub.
To address that, the Bruins are going with -- more youth.
Defenseman Colin Miller is expected to make his NHL debut tonight. Miller has yet to play in an NHL game, but had 19 goals and 52 points in 70 games for the Manchester Monarchs (AHL) last season, and had three assists in five preseason tilts this fall. With Miller in the lineup, the Bruins are expected to scratch Zach Trotman, who was a minus-2 in 13:29 on Thursday.
Miller’s upside is obvious, with a booming shot and a strong stride, but against a Montreal club the Bruins have beaten just twice in their last 12 head-to-heads, the Bruins will need more than just Miller.
When you look at Thursday’s loss, the positives could be found in the Boston top line of Matt Beleskey, David Krejci, and winger David Pastrnak, a trio that combined for a strong showing against the Jets, particularly in the offensive zone. Beleskey was a banger that created space for the Bruins’ Discount Double Czechs (pay me), and that should continue with last change.
But, again, the Bruins will need more. With the Bergeron line expected to be matched up against the Habs’ top line all game long, this would be a game where the Black and Gold could use some production from the third line of Brett Connolly, Jimmy Hayes, and center Ryan Spooner. This is a line that’s been together since Day 1 of Training Camp, yet, every shift has looked like it's their first together. Their breakout through the neutral zone has been rather jumbled at times, and although they’ve struggled thus far, there’s serious potential there when you look at what all three bring to the table.
Connolly has a hard shot that can get on net, while Hayes has become an NHL commodity by way of his ability to clean up via garbage goals in front of the net. Spooner, of course, is the line’s speed and disher.
Given how legitimately impossible it seems to score against Price, goals like the ones Hayes scores could prove to be the ultimate gamebreaker in the first head-to-head meetings between these two.
As you would expect, the Habs will give the nod to Carey Price. The defending Vezina winner rolls into the Hub on the heels of a 36-of-37 showing against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, and has 21 wins and a .923 save percentage in 31 career games against the Bruins. Price was especially dominant against the Bruins a season ago, too, with four wins and just six goals allowed and a .950 save percentage in four games against the Black and Gold in 2014-15.
Boston counters with Tuukka Rask. The 28-year-old took a hard-luck loss in a Thursday night whopping courtesy of the Winnipeg Jets, allowing five goals on 31 shots against. It was the defense that failed Rask for the much of the night, though, as Rask’s in-game performed was certainly better than those numbers would indicate. But like the defense on Thursday, history is not kind to Rask, as he comes into tonight’s game with just three wins and a .905 in 19 career starts against Montreal. Stats of Note
- Zac Rinaldo has 17 penalty minutes and 35 hits in 10 career games against the Canadiens.
- Boston center David Krejci has four goals and 23 points in 37 games against Montreal.
- Six of David Pastrnak’s 11 career goals have come at home.
- Montreal captain Max Pacioretty has 12 goals and 22 points in 26 games against the Bruins.
- PK Subban has three goals and seven points in 12 career games at TD Garden.
Other news and notes
Forwards Tyler Randell and Maxime Talbot are expected to remain the healthy scratches up front for the Bruins. Seth Griffith (knee) remains out of action, along with defensemen Zdeno Chara (knee) and Dennis Seidenberg (back surgery).
Montreal forward Zack Kassian remains out of action for the club.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League 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