Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
The Boston Bruins are just two games away from the All-Star break. They’re a single point from second place in the Atlantic (both the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, with 56 points each, have a one-point edge on the B’s with more game played), while the Bolts and Wings have just one more game to play versus the B’s two. In essence, if the Black and Gold play their cards right (and win two games they probably should), they could head into the long weekend break second to only the Florida Panthers.
Given everything the Bruins have dealt with -- from inconsistencies to injuries to near nightly changes to the lineup -- it’s far from the worst situation that the club can put themselves in.
But the Bruins have been here before. Remember that near two-week stretch that came with constant chances to move into first place or leapfrog your competition? And remember how the Bruins dropped the ball almost every single time? For Boston, it comes back down to executing in these moments.
It’s been the talk of the season for coach Claude Julien, too, who has constantly emphasized his team’s ability (or inability) to stick to the gameplan and capitalize on their chances, and will once again be the focus in tonight’s showdown against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.
In their season series finale with the Flyers, who have won both of the prior head-to-heads with Boston, the Black and Gold are expected to once again toy with something different, and that’s Ryan Spooner on the wing instead of the center position he’s played almost his entire life.
Spooner played on the right wing of Boston’s first line on Sat. night on the right wing opposite Brad Marchand and centered by Patrice Bergeron, and finished the night with one assist and two shots in 19:56, but was shifted to the David Krejci line opposite Loui Eriksson at today’s morning skate in Philly.
“It was a new experience for him to play on the right side,… Julien said on Saturday of Spooner playing the wing. “But at the end of the day he’s still a centerman. And, as you know, so far this year we’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with certain things against certain teams. Certainly looking to hopefully get some stability here down the road, but right now we’re just looking at our options.…
In his first game on the right side, Spooner seemed … willing .. to play wing over center.
“I don’t really care. If they want me to play on the wing then I’ll play there,… Spooner said of the switch. “I don’t mind it; I haven’t played there in, I think, twenty games, but it’s something I think will help me if I can play center and on the wing. So, I don’t really care.
“It’s his job. If he wants to keep me on the wing that’s fine with me. If he wants to move me back then it’s his call, too. I don’t really say much; I just kind of do what – I guess I just do what he wants me to and I just go out there and play.…
With Spooner on the wing yet again, Joonas Kemppainen appears set for another night as the third-line center while Max Talbot continues to pivot the middle line.
A Philadelphia win would give the Flyers their first season series sweep over the B’s in franchise history.
After a last-second scratch from his scheduled start last Saturday, Tuukka Rask is expected to take the crease for tonight’s tilt with Philadelphia. Rask was unsuccessful in his last start, a 23-of-26 defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 21, and has failed to secure two points against the Flyers in either of his prior matchups with the Flyers this year, allowing eight goals on 58 shots. Despite the 2015-16 struggles, the 28-year-old has strong career numbers against the Orange and Black, with nine wins (one shutout) and a .925 in 13 career starts against Philadelphia.
The Flyers counter with Michal Neuvirth. The 27-year-old stopped 29-of-30 in his last start, a 2-1 shootout win over the Red Wings on Jan. 17, and enters play with 10 wins (including three shutouts) and a .936 save percentage in just 17 starts this season. Neuvirth’s success at home has been a thing of beauty, too, as he’s won six games and has posted a .942 save percentage in eight games at Wells Fargo this year. Neuvirth stopped 10-of-12 against the Bruins before Steve Mason came in in relief, and has just one win and an .858 in seven career games against the B’s.
- B’s winger Brad Marchand has scored goals in four straight games.
- Kemppainen has gone without a point in 14 consecutive games.
- Boston captain Zdeno Chara has four goals and 16 points in 22 away games this season.
- Wayne Simmonds has three goals and seven points in his last 10 games played.
- Flyer d-man Mark Streit has two goals and 31 points in 42 career games against Boston.
Other news and notes
According to the morning skate, it would appear that Jimmy Hayes will skate on the fourth line with Talbot and ex-Flyer Zac Rinaldo while second-year pro David Pastrnak looks like a fit for the third line with Matt Beleskey and Kemppainen. If those lines hold, forwards Landon Ferraro and Tyler Randell will be the healthy scratches up front while defenseman Colin Miller continues to sit.
Adam McQuaid (upper-body) remains on the injured reserve for the Bruins.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.