With just four games remaining in regular season, the Boston Bruins head to Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Flyers for one last time this season. While the Bruins clinched the playoffs last week, the Flyers unfortunately won’t be fighting for Lord Stanley’s Cup this year. Sunday the Bruins were able to pick up a win from another team not in the playoffs aka the Florida Panthers and they are hoping they can do the same tonight in Philly. However they are going to have to get past a rival team that has had a recent resurgence of offensive wins.
B’s celebrate a goal from Sunday’s WIN! (Credit: Slidingsideways/ Flickr)
The B’s Slump is Over…Hopefully.
With a 3-0 win over the Panthers, the B’s avoided a four-game losing streak which would have been a season worst. That win helped the Bruins regain the top spot in the Northeast division. The Bruins are currently tied with the Montreal Canadiens for first with 59 points but the Bruins have a game in hand hence why they are number one. The win Sunday was especially necessary for Boston since it was the B’s first victory following the bombings. Hopefully that win was the sign of more to come as playoffs are right around the corner.
Tuukka Time:
Tuukka Rask picked up well needed victory for the Bruins shutting out the Panthers and stopping 28 shots on net. That’s the kind of performance the Bruins are going to need if they want to succeed in the playoffs. Now I’m unsure if Rask will get the start in net because I’m sure Coach Julien is thinking playoffs right now and resting his best. If that’s the case backup Anton Khubdobin will get the nod and get his 14th start of the season. Dobby is 9-3-1 for the B’s and will have no problem filling in in net.
Flyer Soar:
You would think a team that’s out of playoff contention would just be “ehh” when it comes to finishing the season. But that is far from the case with the Flyers. They have won their last three and have scored 16 goals within those three goals. In other words, the Bruins defense will NEED to be on it’s A-game if the B’s are trying to pick up two points. Bruins/Flyers to me is always a good matchup and with either team taking a victory so far it’s anyones game tonight.
Who’s Hot:
Brad Marchand has goals in two straight games, and five points in his last five. He’s currently leading the B’s in scoring with 18 goals. Jakub Voracek has three goals in the past four games for the Flyers. In 45 games this season, he has 20 goals.
Injury Report:
Nathan Horton did not make the trip to Philly due to an upper body injury and obviously will not be playing. I think this is another smart move by Julien to make sure his top guys are ready when playoffs come. Adam McQuaid is listed day-to-day with a lower body injury but could be back in the lineup tonight. The Flyers are missing forwards Zac Rinaldo (ankle), Maxime Talbot (leg), and Jody Shelley (hip), and defensemen Braydon Coburn (shoulder), Andrej Meszaros (shoulder), Nicklas Grossmann (concussion), Kent Huskins(concussion) and Bruno Gervais (torn stomach muscle).
Puck drops at 7:30 and you can check out all the action on NESN!
A Cup A Bruin 