Oh goody…ANOTHER back to back!
Just the facts
When: Today, 7:30 PM
Where: UBS Arena — Elmont, NY
How to follow: NESN, 98.5 FM
Opposing perspective: Lighthouse Hockey
Know your enemy
- 14-7-7, 35PTS, 2nd in Metropolitan Division
- Mathew Barzal: 10G-20A-30PTS; Noah Dobson: 5G-24A-29PTS; Bo Horvat: 10G-16A-26PTS
- Ilya Sorokin: 8-4-6, 3.11 GAA, .914 save percentage; Semyon Varlamov: 6-3-1, 2.60 GAA, .941 save percentage
Game notes
- The Boston Bruins come into tonight absolutely jonesing for a full 60 minute effort against a team that feels like an enigma.
- Bad news! Charlie McAvoy and Pavel Zacha are both on IR. McAvoy’s is retroactive to the 8th, making him eligible to come back tomorrow against the Rangers, but my guess is he’s held out until the game against the Wild on the 19th. Patrick Brown and Parker Wotherspoon have been recalled, and my guess is we’ll see Brown and Boqvist this time around.
- After turning to Jeremy Swayman in New Jersey, Linus Ullmark should be in rotation to start against the Islanders.
- Who are the Islanders? One month, they’re calling for Lane Lambert’s head, and the next, they haven’t lost a game in regulation? I feel like I’d have an anxiety attack watching them consistently this season. Unluckily for the Bruins, they play the Isles at a time when they’re on a hot streak.
- Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat are combining with a lot of natural chemistry as some brand spanking new (and expensive) extensions kick in to put each of them on pace for career highs.
- This will be the second time the Bruins face the Islanders this season! Last time, it was the Charlie Coyle Show in Boston as the B’s thrashed the Isles, 5-2 in a very convincing victory. These are both very different teams than when they last met on November 9th.
- The Bruins and Isles face off one more time at “The Bank” (not TD Bank, UBS Bank) on March 2nd to conclude the season series.
- This is also the start of yet another back-to-back for the Black and Gold, as they turn tail back to TD Garden tomorrow night to face the Rangers.