Halloween Matinee: Bruins Host the Blackhawks, Looking to Snap a Two-Game Skid
Happy Halloween, Bruins fans. Get the candy bowl filled early, because this one starts in the afternoon. The Bruins host the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden with puck drop at 1 p.m. ET, and you can catch it on NESN.
Boston comes in at 9-4-1 with 19 points through 14 games, first in the Atlantic Division. The B's have been great on home ice, going 5-1-0 at the Garden. Chicago is on the other end of the standings at 4-9-0 with eight points, and the Blackhawks are still looking for their first road win of the season at 0-5-0.
Time to get back on track
The last two games were a reality check. Boston lost 2-1 in Raleigh to the Hurricanes on Tuesday, then fell 4-1 in St. Louis on Thursday. One goal in each game isn't the Bruins team we've been watching all month. This is still a club that has scored 50 goals and allowed only 32, and it's 7-2-1 over its last 10. Coming home to a building where they've only lost once is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Pasta is still knocking on the door
Captain David Pastrnak leads the team with 18 points in 14 games, seven goals and 11 assists. He's still sitting on 427 career goals, tied with Patrice Bergeron for third on the Bruins' all-time list. Number 428 would give him third place all to himself, and doing it in front of the home crowd would make for a pretty great Halloween treat. Fun bonus: Patrick Kane also wears 88 for Chicago, so there will be two of them out there today.
Kids and depth
James Hagens keeps rolling with five goals and five assists in 14 games. That puts him second among all NHL rookies in points, just one behind Gavin McKenna. Fraser Minten also has 10 points, Elias Lindholm has 11, and Morgan Geekie has eight assists.
Casey Mittelstadt has eight points and is a plus-8, tied with Minten for the team lead. Marat Khusnutdinov has six points and keeps doing the hard work of a middle-six forward at both ends of the rink. Charlie McAvoy has six points in eight games since coming back.
In goal
Jeremy Swayman has carried most of the load at 7-3-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Michael DiPietro has been terrific when called on, going 2-1 with a 1.69 GAA, a .941 save percentage and a shutout. Whoever gets the net, he's backed by a team that has allowed just 2.29 goals a game, second-fewest in the NHL behind only Dallas.
Scouting the Blackhawks
Chicago has had a tough start. The Hawks have scored just 27 goals in 13 games, about two a night, and they've given up 48. Their power play is clicking at only 10 percent. Patrick Kane leads them with eight points, Connor Bedard has seven points in seven games, and Roman Kantserov leads the team with five goals. Spencer Knight has started 11 games in net and is 4-7 with a 3.21 GAA and a .897 save percentage.
Don't sleep on them, though. Bedard has four points in his last five games, and Chicago did beat the Kings 2-1 at home on Tuesday before losing 4-1 in Detroit on Thursday.
Three things we're watching
1. Wake up the offense. Boston averages more than three and a half goals a game, but it scored just two in the last two. An early goal would go a long way.
2. Pasta's 428. Every time number 88 in black and gold touches the puck, keep an eye on the history books.
3. Stay out of the box. Chicago's power play has struggled, so make them beat you five-on-five. Boston's penalty kill is sitting around 78 percent, and there's no reason to give the Hawks easy chances.
By the numbers
Boston's goal differential is plus-18. Chicago's is minus-21. The Bruins are 5-1-0 at home, and the Hawks are 0-5-0 on the road. On paper, this is a game Boston should win.
Our prediction
We're fans, so you already know: the Bruins get back in the win column, the offense finds its legs, and Pasta finally scores number 428 to pass Bergy. Puck drop is at 1 p.m. on NESN. Happy Halloween, and let's go, B's! 🐻