Bruins at Canadiens preview: With the playoff race in full swing, Original Six rivals lock horns
Adding more fuel is both teams lost valuable points in their most recent game.
The Bruins enter the second game of a back-to-back after slipping 4-3 in overtime to the Devils on Monday in Newark, N.J.
“It’s frustrating because we played such a good first period [taking a 2-0 lead], and the way we came out in the second, that’s night and day for me,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “If you play like that, that’s what you get.”
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Boston is 1-3-5 in its past nine road games, though defenseman Charlie McAvoy has recorded a point in eight straight away from home.
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal
TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Montreal -170. O/U: 6.5.
BRUINS
Season record: 37-23-7. vs. spread: 42-25. Over/under: 36-30, 1 push
Last 10 games: 5-3-2. vs. spread: 5-5. Over/under: 3-7
CANADIENS
Season record: 36-20-10. vs. spread: 38-28. Over/under: 40-24, 2 pushes
Last 10 games: 5-3-2. vs. spread: 5-5. Over/under: 6-4
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: Boston 219, Montreal 231
Goals allowed: Boston 208, Montreal 215
Power play: Boston 23.8%, Montreal 24.2%
Penalty minutes: Boston 863, Montreal 649
Penalty kill: Boston 77.6%, Montreal 76.9%
Faceoffs won: Boston 52.4%, Montreal 51.0%
Stat of the day: The Bruins hold a 2-1-0 edge over the Canadiens entering the finale of the four-game season series.
Notes: Despite Monday’s loss, the Bruins have Pastrnak riding high again. The winger’s point streak reached six games (four goals, five assists) after a two-goal performance against the Devils. He reached the 25-goal plateau for the fifth straight season. … The effort came as Pastrnak reunited on a line with Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten, a combination that worked well earlier in the season. “I felt like there was something missing as a group,” Sturm said before the Monday game. “That’s why I went back to the ’kid line.’” … Tuesday’s contest will be a major bounce-back opportunity for Montreal, which had a four-game points streak (3-0-1) snapped with consecutive home losses to the Sharks and Ducks over the weekend. … Montreal lost forward Kirby Dach to an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Anaheim’s Jeffrey Viel in the first period. Dach’s status for Tuesday remained undetermined, though general manager Kent Hughes did not expect it to be a long-term issue. … Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist to lead the Canadiens against the Ducks, giving him points in three straight and seven of his past eight games. Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield also lit the lamp.
Cam Kerry can be reached at [email protected].
