Bruins @ Kings - January 5th, 2023

        Take a nap and brew some coffee, because the Bruins are out West for another 10:30PM start.  With the fanfare of the Winter Classic settled, and an injured Jake DeBrusk emerging from the dust, Boston returns indoors to play the Los Angeles Kings for the second and final time of the season.  The Kings took two points over Boston in a shootout victory three weeks ago, giving the Bruins only their second OT loss of the season.  For those keeping score at home, the Bruins haven’t lost in regulation since 12/9 against Arizona - and even that required a more than questionable non-icing call with 14 seconds remaining.  

The Kings have been busy since they last saw Boston, winning six of their last eight.  Now officially halfway through their season, L.A. holds a 22-13-6 record good enough for 2nd in the Pacific Division, 3rd in the Western Conference, and 7th in the league.  Their recent success has been in no small part due to the quality goaltending of 30 year old Pheonix Copley.  Copley has gone 9-1-0 through his first ten games, with a .901 save percentage and a GAA of 2.52.  

        In the last meeting between these teams, Copley made 33 saves on 35 shots and was able to outlast the Bruins in a seven round shootout to secure a road win for Los Angeles.  The Bruins had taken a 2-0 lead halfway through the game off of a de facto power play goal from Taylor Hall and a vintage Brad Marchand snipe.  Two third period goals from Los Angeles center Adrian Kempe evened the score, with the tying goal coming from a lengthy 5-on-3 originating from Brandon Carlo and Connor Clifton stick infractions - the Clifton call being a tad questionable.  

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With Jake DeBrusk moved to the LTIR, and Chris Wagner recalled from Providence, Boston is now facing its greatest injury-induced challenge since opening the season without the likes of Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy.  DeBrusk has 30 points in 36 games this season, including two goals from an instantly iconic Winter Classic victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park.  DeBrusk suffered a fractured fibula during the game, though the exact moment is not entirely known, and is expected to miss four weeks.  With the All Star break happening in four weeks, DeBrusk will essentially have a bonus week to recover without missing any action for Boston.  While four (really five) weeks is not the longest recovery time, it’s enough for the top-line winger to miss fourteen games - including two against Toronto, and one against Montreal.  

Chris Wagner’s return to Boston will be his first NHL game since Round 1, Game 5 of the NHL playoffs this past season where he recorded 11:16 of ice time with four hits to his credit.  His last regular season game was 4/29/22 in a 5-2 loss to Toronto where he recorded 11 hits.  More recently, Wagner has put up 11 points in 27 games for the Providence Bruins this season, including the game winning goal against the Hershey Bears in a thrilling New Years Eve victory.  Though he’s not exactly an offensive weapon (34 points in 185 games since 2019-19), Bruins fans know Wagner to be a dogged, physical, grinder who may be able to give Boston’s fourth-line a much needed jolt of energy.  

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        With Vezina-level goaltending from Linus Ullmark, David Pastrnak’s quest for 50 goals/100+ points heartily underway, and a revolving door of offensive contributions, Boston has more than enough talent to remain the NHL’s most dangerous opponent through the next month of play.  That challenge begins tonight in Los Angeles - you always want a win, but especially when you’re staying up until 1:30AM to watch.  Look for Brad Marchand to create some sparks this game, as he has a history of doing so against the Kings, and hope for a sixty minute effort from Boston - something that has eluded the team lately.   


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