Preview: Bruins vs. Toronto, 1/14/23

    Following an uncharacteristic and unprecedented shutout loss on home ice to the invading Seattle Kraken, the Boston Bruins suit up against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs for a high profile Saturday night tilt.  

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In what may well be their flattest performance of the year, Boston failed to generate any significant offensive momentum against Seattle and were unable to beat former - albeit short tenured -  Bruins goalie Martin Jones.  Jones has been a key piece to the Kraken’s recent success; Seattle is currently riding a seven game win streak in which Jones has gone 6-0-0, and posted an impressive .946 save percentage and 1.33 GAA.  With the disappointment of losing their first home game in regulation behind them, Boston will surely look to remind the league why they have not lost two games in a row this year.

Boston has lost nine games so far this season: five in regulation, four in overtime or the shootout.  Following their first eight losses, Boston has gone a perfect 8-0-0 while outscoring opponents 24-9; Bruins goaltenders have combined for a .965 save percentage and a 1.11 GAA through these eight games as well.  Boston does not take losses lightly, and tonight they will make their poor play against the Kraken Toronto’s problem.  

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently 2nd in the Atlantic Division behind Boston, and 3rd in both the Eastern Conference and league standings with a 26-10-7 record, 59 points, and a +31 goal differential.  Only the Carolina Hurricanes, with a game in hand against Toronto, separate the Leafs from the Bruins in the non-divisional standings.   

Nine points, and two games in hand for Boston, currently divide the divisional rivals; If Toronto has any hope of catching up in the standings, they will surely need to beat Boston in all three of their remaining matchups.  An order perhaps too tall to be realistic.  Although, the Leafs are one of only five teams this season who can boast they’ve beaten the nearly bulletproof Bruins team in regulation.  In an early season 2-1 victory at Scotiabank Arena, superstar Auston Matthews’ pair of goals handed Boston only their second loss of the year.  The 25 year old sensation has missed the last two games due to a lingering ailment, but appears poised to return to the lineup tonight - Matthews has 8 goals and 8 assists in 13 games against Boston thus far in his career.  

Boston’s counter to Toronto’s offensive juggernaut in Auston Matthews is the fan favorite, and soon to be wildly rich, David Pastrnak.  Pastrnak currently leads all Bruins in goals (32) and assists (26), and is well on his way towards career highs in both. Pastrnak’s love for beating Toronto is well documented and well supported by his 15 goals and 11 assists through 21 regular season games against the club - and an additional 19 points in 14 playoff games.  Expect some sparks from the 26 year old winger, as he continues his campaign towards the 50 goal mark for the first time in his career - and expect a pretty sharp pregame suit as well.

Boston Bruins centerman Tomas Nosek has recently been battling through an undisclosed upper body injury which has left him unable to take faceoffs.  Nosek has not taken a single faceoff since December 27th: a span of 18 days and seven games, two of which Nosek was absent from the lineup entirely.   Coach Jim Montgomery announced Saturday morning that Nosek would be taking faceoffs during the evening’s game, and with the team’s second best win percentage, (third if you include Joona Koppanen’s single game record of 71.4%) Nosek’s return to the dot is a welcomed one.  Nosek has also been an absolute workhorse for the Bruins’ league leading penalty kill, averaging 2:39 time on ice short-handed per game - second among all forwards, only two seconds behind Charlie Coyle.  

Goaltender Matt Murray will be between the pipes tonight for Toronto.  Boston’s tender is unconfirmed, though Linus Ullmark was first to leave the ice at practice this morning, per Matt Porter, and is therefore believed to be the Bruins starter.  Matt Murray has been strong for Toronto this year with an 11-4-2 record, a .919 SV% and 2.48 GAA;  However, there are very, very few goaltenders in the world right now that can even begin to hold a candle to the dominance that is Linus Ullmark.  Ullmark comfortably holds the league’s top spots for both save percentage (.938) and GAA (1.88), and has two shutouts to his credit.  But most impressively, Ullmark boasts an absolutely staggering 22-2-0 record.  Coming off only his second loss of the season, surely Ullmark, much like the Bruins at large, will play with a chip on his shoulder and look to remind everyone there’s a reason that TD Garden has been almost nothing but a house of pain for visiting teams - unless you’re from Seattle.  

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This game has the makings to take on a playoff like intensity, despite being smack dab in the middle of the season.  A Saturday night matchup between two teams that genuinely dislike each other, pitting talents such as Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak in direct competition, on the hallowed ground that is TD Garden is as exciting as it gets.  Expect Boston to come out roaring and to force Toronto to play to their pace.  Sixty minute efforts have not been Boston’s forte lately, despite their 32-5-4 record, but it’s hard to imagine Boston will put up anything but that following their uninspired and exhausted performance against Seattle only two days prior.  The pendulum is swinging back around, and the Leafs have found themselves directly in its path.