The 36-year-old Jarome Iginla has played 608 career games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. But tonight, for the first time in his 17-year NHL career, Iginla arrives to the rink he called home from 1995 to ‘13 as a visitor. And that's kinda weird.
In his first year donning the Boston version of a Black-and-Gold sweater, ‘Iggy’ has been a perfect fit for a Bruins club more-than-thin on the right wing. He hasn’t lit the world on fire -- Iginla’s tallied six goals and 17 points through 30 games -- but he’s reminded everybody of the legendary Mark Recchi with the way he’s led and accepted his role with Boston.
That’s not to say that the Bruins, who enter tonight’s contest with a makeshift third line and without Danny Paille (upper-body/flu/who knows anymore?), wouldn’t like to see Iginla treat the Saddledome crowd to a familiar sight and light the lamp for a goal (or two) in Calgary.
They might actually need it, too.
Little by little, the beloved depth of the Bruins has deteriorated.
It began with the loss of Loui Eriksson to yet another concussion. his second in a month and a half, and worsened with Shawn Thornton’s match penalty (and subsequent and still pending suspension).
The Bruins’ losses seemingly hit a critical stage with Chris Kelly suffering a broken fibula in the second period of last Saturday night’s game against Pittsburgh, but only got worse when Dougie Hamilton left Sunday’s game early with a lower-body injury (he’s now slated to miss two to four weeks), and now with the flu hitting the Bruins hard, it looks like the multidimensional Paille will be out of action for tonight’s contest.
That leaves the Bruins with a third line of Carl Soderberg, and Providence callups Ryan Spooner and Matt Fraser, and a fourth line centered by Gregory Campbell and with Jordan Caron and the freshly called up Nick Johnson on the wings. Take Campbell out and the other five members of the Bruins' bottom six enter tonight's game with a combined 40 games played this season, with the 28-year-old Soderberg accounting for 24 of that 40.
You can't really hold that against 'em though. At the time of his call up, the 6-foot-2 Fraser was second among AHL skaters with 16 goals on the year. Spooner returned to Boston with two points in two NHL games this year, and Johnson comes to the big Bruins with 11 goals and 20 points in just 23 games this season. They can chip in, but they're still fill-ins.
Right now, this is one insanely top-heavy Bruins club.
But maybe that's what Iginla, who scored in the Bruins' win on Sunday, needs to spark him.
While tonight's going to be all about Iginla and his near two-decade long contribution to Calgary Flames hockey, tonight's game will also mark the return of Johnny Boychuk, who missed this weekend's games after a scary-looking injury sustained in last Thursday's loss in Montreal. Boychuk, who left the ice on a stretcher but walked away with a 'mild' back sprain, steps in for Hamilton, and just in time for a battered blue-line.
After sitting out Sunday night's game against Toronto, the Bruins will give the nod to Tuukka Rask. The 26-year-old Rask has faced Calgary just once in his career, stopping all 25 shots thrown his way, and enters play with five wins and a .924 save percentage in nine road games this season.
He'll be countered by Calgary's Reto Berra.
Berra has four wins and an .894 save percentage in 12 games this season.