Celebrini is fifth in the NHL in points this season. Teammate Will Smith, a former rival at Boston College, has 45 points in 49 games this season.
Puck drop on Thursday is set for 7 p.m. at TD Garden and on NESN. Here’s a preview.
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Boston -160. O/U: 6.5.
SHARKS
Get Starting Point
Season record: 30-26-6. vs. spread: 40-22. Over/under: 30-30, 2 pushes
Last 10 games: 3-5-2. vs. spread: 5-5. Over/under: 4-6
BRUINS
Season record: 36-22-6. vs. spread: 40-24. Over/under: 35-28, 1 push
Last 10 games: 5-2-3. vs. spread: 6-4. Over/under: 5-5
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: San Jose 190, Boston 212
Goals allowed: San Jose 217, Boston 198
Power play: San Jose 20.0%, Boston 24.9%
Penalty minutes: San Jose 536, Boston 821
Penalty kill: San Jose 79.1%, Boston 77.4%
Faceoffs won: San Jose 47.6%, Boston 52.2%
Stat of the day: Celebrini has 90 points in 62 games. Only Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby have reached that mark faster as teenagers in a single season.
Notes: Boston earned a 2-1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday courtesy of a winner from Charlie McAvoy, who lost some teeth during the win. “I wish the hits would stop coming, honestly. It’s tiring,” said McAvoy, who missed several games after breaking his jaw earlier in the season (among other recent shots to the head). “I just need to get some rest and I’ll be better on Thursday. We’ve just got to keep this thing going.” … Boston is 2 points ahead of Columbus for the final wild-card spot. “For us, the playoffs already started a long time ago,” coach Marco Sturm said. “It’s helping us move forward in playing those types of games. It’s not just us. It’s a one-goal game most of the time.” … Celebrini scored for a fourth straight game Tuesday (and now has points in six straight), but it wasn’t enough in a loss to the Sabres. San Jose has struggled to get scoring out of players other than Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood. “Obviously, we know the skill of Mack … but it’s got to be a team effort,” said Sharks forward Alexander Wennberg. “It’s up to everyone on the team. We can’t just rely on those guys to score.”
Amin Touri can be reached at [email protected].
