It’s two Original Six teams going tonight as the Boston Bruins head to famed Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers. There are only two games on the NHL schedule as two more Original Six teams go with Montreal and Toronto playing each other.
Editor’s Note: The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers face off Wednesday on NBCSN starting at 7:00 pm ET. Livestream all the action here.
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BOSTON AT NEW YORK RANGERS
The Boston Bruins are atop the East Division standings with 18 points, the same as the Philadelphia Flyers but with a pair of games in hand heading into action Wednesday.
The Rangers are at the bottom of the standings but only two points out of a playoff spot.
Boston has the top line in the NHL with Patrice Bergeron centering Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Pastrnak was tied for the NHL lead in goals scored last season with Alex Ovechkin at 48 but missed the start of the season due to off-season hip surgery. He has returned with a vengeance as he was named the NHL’s first star of the week, last week, scoring five times and assisting on two others in only three games. Pastrnak returned to action on Saturday January 30 and has eight points in four games.
Bergeron and Marchand are tied for the team-lead in points with 15 apiece. Bergeron is one of, if not the best, defensive centers in the league while Marchand is one of the chippiest players. Don’t be dissuaded by his meager penalty minute count of two, as Marchand is capable of getting into a fight and then compounding matters with a misconduct at any time.
The Bruins picked up Craig Smith in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent and he fills out a needed spot on the roster as a middle-six forward. Nick Ritchie is off to a great start with four goals (all on the power play) and five assists in 11 games.
Jake DeBrusk is expected to play after missing five games with a lower-body injury.
The blueline was hurt by the free agent losses of Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara but the Bruins had Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk ready to go and they haven’t disappointed, although Grzelcyk has missed six games via injury. Nevertheless, McAvoy has been a stud offensively with a goal and 10 points in 11 contests.
The goaltending is led by Tuukka Rask who is expected to get the start in goal Wednesday. He is 5-1-1 with a 2.36 goals-against-average and a less-than-average .898 save percentage.
The Rangers were expected to be more competitive this season as they had Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad to lead them offensively. Panarin had 32 goals and 95 points last season in 69 games to finished tied for third in NHL scoring with Pastrnak of the Bruins, while Zibanejad had 41 goals and 75 points despite missing 12 games and playing in only 57. While Panarin has fulfilled his duty this season with 15 points in 11 games, Zibanejad has been slumping all season with only a goal and two assists in 11 games and only one point in his last eight contests.
The Rangers were hoping to be bolstered by the first overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Alexis Lafreniere, but he has had a tough go of it thus far with only one goal in his first 11 games. He has played on the top three lines at various times this season and is currently back on the third unit with Brett Howden and Phil Di Giuseppe. Kaapo Kakko is another highly regarded prospect as he went second overall in 2019, but he as well is having a tough time scoring with two goals and three points in 10 games.
The blueline is led by Adam Fox who has a goal and seven points while quarterbacking the power play. Rookie K’Andre Miller has plenty of upside but is still getting used to life and play in the NHL while Jacob Trouba is not the offensive defenseman he was in Winnipeg, but has been a steadying influence on the blueline.
The Rangers will go with backup Alexandar Georgiev to face the Bruins as regular starter Igor Shesterkin gets the night off. Georgiev is 1-2- with a 3.27 goals-against-average and a .886 save percentage and that includes a shutout in his first start, a win over the Islanders. He has given up 12 goals in his last eight periods and needs to turn his game around quickly.
Probable Boston Lineup
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak
Nick Ritchie-David Krejci-Craig Smith
Jake DeBrusk-Charlie Coyle-Anders Bjork
Trent Frederic-Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner
Probable New York Rangers Lineup
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
Artemi Panarin-Ryan Strome-Kaapo Kakko
Alexis Lafreniere-Brett Howden-Phil Di Giuseppe
Brendan Lemieux-Kevin Rooney-Julien Gauthier
K’Andre Miller-Jacob Trouba
