By Biz Jacobs, Contributor.
Event: Boston Bruins (4-7-0) at Toronto Maple Leafs (9-3-1)
Date/Time: Saturday, November 5, 2011 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: Air Canada Centre (Capacity: 18,819), Toronto, ON.
Broadcast Info: Tuesday's game between the Bruins and Canadiens will be broadcast live on NESN, as well as CBC in Canada. The game can also be heard on the 98.5 the Sports Hub Radio Network, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: Another strong win for the Bruins on Tuesday and a stretch of three days of practice will do well to serve the B's going into tonight's game against the Maple Leafs. The Bruins took a 5-3 victory, with 13 different players obtaining points on the night.
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk netted his first goal of the season, scoring the game winning goal, and every line for the Black and Gold found success along with him. Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille each added goals, putting up the second most goals scored in a single game all season.
Storyline: Remember, remember the fifth of November. You can bet the Toronto Maple Leafs remember something that happened to them the last time these two met--they were the laughingstock of the Bruins faithful. The Black and Gold manhandled the Leafs, earning a 6-2 victory over the then undefeated hockey club. The B's also were able to keep leading point scorer Phil Kessel from doing anything productive on the ice. However, since that game, the Bruins are 1-3 whereas the Leafs have again streaked to 5-2.
Despite the Bruins slowing Kessel down last time, the Toronto forward still sits first in the league in goals with 10, and 21 total points.
The Bruins are looking for their first back-to-back win of the season. They haven't put two wins together yet, and no doubt, if they do, it will solidify and even add some much needed confidence for the standing champs.
Players To Watch: Bruins forward Nathan Horton stood in front of the media this past week and admitted he wasn't feeling 100% on top of his game. He noted however that it wasn't a physical set back due to his concussion he incurred during the playoffs last year. He noted he still had to find his timing and he had to be better.
It will be interesting to see how he comes out this came after coming forward to the media. He should still be lined up with David Krejci and Lucic on the first line, and it will just be a matter of comfort for him.
As previously mentioned, Kessel will be another person to watch for. He will be on his home ice and won't have to deal with as many Bruins fans taunting and jeering him. Expect him to play a big role.
Prediction: After watching the Bruins' reactions after last game, the entire atmosphere seemed to change after last game. There was a certain confidence and calmness the players had, and I think that will continue on to Toronto. It won't be an easy game, but if they show the same determination and composure that they did against the Senators, they could definitely take another game from the Maple Leafs. Final Score: Bruins 4, Senators 3.