Event: Boston Bruins vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - 9 p.m. EDT.
Location: Jobing.com Arena (Capacity: 17,125), Glendale, AZ.
Broadcast Info: Wednesday's game between the Bruins and the Coyotes will be broadcast live on NESN. 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: The Bruins are coming off five days rest after beating the first place Southeast Division leading Florida Panthers 8-0 on Friday. Brad Marchand recorded the first hat trick of his career, while defenseman Dennis Seidenberg netted his first goal of the season. The B’s were without forward Rich Peverley and forward Zach Hamill was called up to replace him in the lineup.
Tuukka Rask recorded his second straight shutout and the Bruins currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, just below the surging New York Rangers.
Phoenix has lost two straight games, including Monday night’s game against the L.A. Kings. Raffi Torres scored twice, but it wasn’t enough to give his team a win. The Coyotes currently sit 10th in the Western Conference and third in the Pacific division.
Storyline: The last time these two teams met was last year in Prague. They played the first two games of the 2010-2011 season there, and split the series. The Coyotes came out early and won 5-2 with the help of former goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. However, Tim Thomas came back the next game and provided some expertise, shutting them down 3-0.
And he never looked back.
Now, the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins will make their return in much different set of circumstances from before.
Rich Peverley, who was out against Florida on Friday will be out again tonight, which means Zach Hamill will be back in the lineup. Hamill still is waiting for his first NHL goal of the season, but has two assists in the seven games he has played with the Bruins this year.
Meanwhile the Coyotes have called down to their AHL affiliate and have brought up a number of young talented players to their roster. The most recent one being Andy Miele. Miele has 23 points in 24 games with the Pirates (8-15=23) and was rookie of the month in November.
Players To Watch: Tim Thomas will not be in net tonight, and instead the red hot Tuukka Rask will take the position in between the pipes. Rask has two straight shutouts and the best save percentage in the league, sitting directly ahead of Tim Thomas with a .944. He also is one of the best in the league in GAA with a 1.66.
Prediction: Once again the Bruins have had plenty of rest and are the favorite heading into tonight’s game. Rask is on his game, and I think he will continue to bring about the wins for the B’s. Final Score: Bruins 5, Coyotes 1.
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