After four days off, the Bruins are back in action tonight hosting the Maple Leafs for the second time this season. The Bruins are coming off a great game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday (to be featured in a "Better Late Than Never" post later). One point separates the Bruins (15 points) and Leafs (14 points) in the Northeast Division.
The Bruins are hosting Bru Fest before the game. A ticket cost $45 and includes admission to the Bru Fest party, voucher for one free beer (or soda if you prefer), discounted concessions and a ticket to the game. The outdoor festivities start at 5.
Goalies: Starters in bold. (Not confirmed from anywhere I can see.)
TORONTO: Curtis Joseph (0-2-1, 3.91 GAA, .862 SV%), Vesa Toskala (5-2-3, 3.00, .887 SV%)
BOSTON: Tim Thomas (4-2-2, 1.83 GAA, .944 SV%), Manny Fernandez (2-1-1, 2.95 GAA, .892 SV%)
Previous Matchup: The Bruins lost the first game of the season series 4-2 on October 23rd. It was Boston's only loss of the season by more than one goal. Blake Wheeler and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins. Toronto scored two goals on the power play. The fourth goal was an empty netter.
Who's Hot: Marco Sturm scored two goals on Saturday against Dallas. Hopefully that gets him scoring more consistently... Marc Savard has six assists in his last five games. Blake Wheeler has three points in his last two games.
Who's Not: P.J. Axelsson is still looking for his first goal of the season... Petteri Nokelainen hasn't recorded a point this season.
Injuries: Chuck Kobasew, leg fracture, might return tonight... Mark Stuart, flu, day-to-day... Shane Hnidy, undisclosed, day-to-day.
Streaks and Milestones: Marc Savard has a five game assist streak... Patrice Bergeron has a two game goal scoring streak... Andrew Ference needs one assist for his 100th NHL assist... Zdeno Chara is playing in his 700th NHL game tonight.
The Bruins need to be prepared for the Leafs despite their 5-4-4 record. The Leafs have come back from 2-0 deficits five times in their last eight games. After being down 2-0, the Leafs have posted a 3-0-2 record. The last game against the Bruins is included in that, as the Bruins held a 2-0 lead and the leafs scored 4 unanswered goals.
The Leafs have the most blocked shots (217) in the NHL and have outshot their opponent in nine consecutive games. The Leafs shouldn't be taken lightly, and if the Bruins get a lead tonight, they must stay on their toes and not sit back. I hope the Bruins are on the winning side tonight.
4 Comments
Bergeron scored in the last meeting vs Toronto, not Kessel
1. Posted by Nicholas Andries | November 6, 2008 1:08 PM
Hopefully we can expect a better performance than 2 weeks ago. If the B's take the lead... I hope they'll keep it.
I'm always afraid about these games, after a long break... they haven't played since last Saturday.
2. Posted by yves | November 6, 2008 1:58 PM
Whoops! (I'll fix it later.)
Same here yves. Hope it's a good start and the Bruins don't wait to see how the game goes. And if they get the lead, not to sit on it.
3. Posted by Jaci | November 6, 2008 2:57 PM
Your blog was updated at 12:50, but google reader didn't put you in until just now. Any idea why that is?
4. Posted by Cornelius Hardenbergh | November 6, 2008 4:18 PM