Do or die…AGAIN.
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 7 PM
Where: TD Garden — Boston, Mass.
How to follow: TNT, truTV, MAX, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: Litter Box Cats
Know your enemy
- 7-3, lead the series 3-2
- Aleksandr Barkov: 5G-8A-13PTS; Matthew Tkachuk: 4G-9A-13PTS; Carter Verhaeghe: 6G-4A-10PTS
- Sergei Bobrovsky: 7-3-0, 2.51 GAA, .896 save percentage
Game notes
- It’s Game 6 and much like Tuesday, the season remains on the line for the Boston Bruins as they fight to stay alive and force a Game 7 in this second-round series against the Florida Panthers.
- “We see ourselves getting better,” Jim Montgomery said after yesterday’s skate. He thought last game was his team’s best of the series and said his team started getting better in Game 4 even though they lost. That included Charlie McAvoy’s game-winning goal. His goal and assist were his first points this series.
- The captain could be back after missing Games 4 and 5 with an upper-body injury. Brad Marchand was practicing yesterday with the team and said he’s hopeful he’s able to enter back into the lineup tonight. More on his status will likely be available following morning skate.
- Per WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin, Marchand was skating with Coyle and Frederic.
- While the Bruins had more shots on net last game, they are still dropping off in production in the final period. In Game 5, the Bruins had six shots on net to Florida’s 10. Besides the first period, Florida outshot them 25 to 15.
- The Bruins will continue to need to play that desperate hockey which they started Game 5 with — and keep having guys crash the net. Even though they won, they haven’t been able to score more than two goals in a game since Game 1.
- The power play also needs a reboot after going 0 for 3 in Game 5. In the series, the Bruins power play is only 1 for 14. Florida didn’t score either on any of their four power plays in Game 5. They are 6 for 24 on their man advantage with four of those goals coming from Game 3 alone.
- Montgomery said he gave the power play feedback during practice and thought they looked better because of it.
- And unless anything catastrophic happens, it’s a sure bet Jeremy Swayman is in net. My predictions is this is going to be another one-goal game and the Bruins will need his laser focus between the pipes.
- See ya tonight!