Event: Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 8 p.m. EDT.
Location: Scottrade Center (Capacity: 19,150), St. Louis, Missouri.
Broadcast Info: Wednesday’s game between the Bruins and the Blues will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: The Bruins once again face the facts as they head into tonight’s game with two losses in their recent history. The most recent came on Sunday where they took a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. That was the fourth time in nine games this month that the Bruins have been shutout by a team, and it came right in the middle of their six-game roadtrip.
The Wild took a 2-0 lead in the second period, and the Bruins were unable to capitalize on any of their 48 shots on net--only one which was on the power play.
But Chad Rau and Matt Cullen were able to convert on two of the Wild’s 29 shots and came up with the two points.
The Blues had won six of their previous seven games before their last game against the Chicago Blackhawks, where they took a 3-1 loss in Chicago. St. Louis picked up an early 1-0 lead in the first period, but couldn’t hold onto the lead and gave up three unanswered goals in the third.
Andy McDonald had the goal for the Blues, his third of the season, and his third in three games.
Storyline: The last time these two teams met was back on November 6, 2010, where the Blues took a 2-1 shootout win over the Bruins. Tuukka Rask had the loss, though he only gave up one goal in 60 minutes of regulation.
It was a messy game, with two fights breaking out in the second period--one between Andrew Ference and David Backes and the other between Mark Stuart and B.J. Crombeen.
In that game, David Krejci also was involved in a tough collision with T.J. Oshie and had to be helped off the ice in a scary moment.
Former Bruin Vladimir Sobotka scored the only goal for the Blues after a Dennis Seidenberg defensive turnover gave him ample space for a goal.
The Blues have only lost six home games this season, so the Bruins have their work cut out for them. However, the Bruins have also only lost three games in a row once this season, and it was back in October, where they went 3-7-0.
Players To Watch: Though he’s only scored three goals this season, keep an eye on Andy McDonald who has scored in each of his last three games.
Jamie Langenbrunner will be out against the Bruins after suffering a broken foot on Sunday against the Blackhawks.
The Bruins haven’t shown much promise in the past couple of games, but Gregory Campbell was the most recent Bruins player to score against the Blues. Keep him in the scopes as well.
Prediction:The Bruins need to come out and find a way to win. They haven’t dominated a team in quite a while, though their shots on goal have been through the roof. But this Blues team is very good and they don’t allow for many mistakes. Final Score: Blues 4, Bruins 2.
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