Event: Boston Bruins vs. Calgary Flames
Date/Time: Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Thursday's game between the Bruins and the Devils 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 have a quick turnaround going into tonight’s game after they spent last night pounding the Devils for a 6-1 win in New Jersey. Patrice Bergeron recorded two goals in the game, and Milan Lucic picked up three assists. David Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg both extended their point streaks, and Lucic and Tyler Seguin each started streaks of their own.
Tim Thomas put up another stellar performance, stopping 30 of 31 shots and picked up his 17th win of the year. He is now 14-2-0 in his last 16 starts.
The Flames have struggled as of late and have dropped their last four games, including their most recent to the Washington Capitals. Only seven members on the active roster have positive plus-minus ratings on the team. Curtis Glencross found the back of the net in the 3-1 losing effort, and goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff made 18 saves,
Storyline: This is the first and only time these two teams will play against each other. The Bruins hold a 53-32-10-1 record against the franchise including two wins in the most recent meetings. The Flames haven’t had much luck in Beantown, and they haven’t won at the Garden since Dec. 18, 2003, where they had a 5-0 victory. In fact, the last time the Flames scored in Boston was back in 2006. Since then, the Bruins have shut them out and have recorded 69:36 of scoreless minutes against them.
The last time they played was in February of last year when the Bruins won 3-1 in Calgary. Milan Lucic scored twice, and Brad Marchand once in that game, and Glencross had the only goal for Calgary.
Tuukka Rask will most likely be in net for the Bruins tonight, as Tim Thomas played in last night’s game. Rask has been on quite a run as of late and has an 8-1-1 record in his last ten games, including a four-game win streak most recently. He also has allowed only one goal in his last 216 minutes of play.
Players To Watch: Flames forward Jerome Iginla leads the team in points and as captain, should be the first to help lead his team out of the slump. Meanwhile, four Bruins players enter tonight’s game with a point streak and should be able to contribute even more offensively.
With the two goals he scored last night, Bergeron now has 11 points in nine games and seems to be heating up a bit. Keep an eye on him as always.
Prediction: Even though the Bruins are playing in back-to-back games, they still hold a 2-1-0 record in the second game of a back-to-back-set. The Flames have one of their leading scorers out with a suspension, after Rene Bourque was suspended for his elbow to Nicklas Backstrom’s head on Monday, and with their woes up to this point, it would be difficult to thing they could find a way past the Stanley Cup Champions at home. Final Score: Bruins 5, Flames 1.
Filed under: