Event: Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres
Date/Time: Friday, February 24, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. EST.
Location: First Niagara Center (Capacity: 18,595), Buffalo, N.Y.
Broadcast Info: Friday’s game between the Bruins and the Sabres 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: For the first time in a while, the Bruins came out in convincing fashion and beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Wednesday.
Brad Marchand found the back of the net twice, including the assurance goal in the third period to put the Bruins up by two goals. Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly also notched goals, while Tim Thomas stayed steady in net--even in the second period when the Bruins allowed 14 shots through to Thomas, but only counted four of their own.
The Bruins were at risk of losing three in a row for the second time in two weeks, but once again came out and won in convincing fashion against a highly touted team.
The Sabres have had some recent success of their own, winning their last two games, including a 2-1 win over the Islanders. Tyler Myers and Thomas Vanek each picked up a goal in that game. Ryan Miller stopped 30-of-31 shots.
Storyline: The last time these two teams met, it was eerily similar to their situation right now. The Bruins had just come off a big win against the Washington Capitals after losing the two prior to that. However, despite what they thought would be a momentum building win, the B’s came back the following night and lost 6-0, not boasting a single point, and having both their goaltenders under the radar.
This time, Boston once again was on the brink of losing three games in a row, but avoided it by beating the Blues 4-2 in a strong effort. Now, tonight, they will travel to Buffalo to try and extend their point streak to two games for the first time since the beginning of January.
And seek some recompense as well.
Players To Watch: Brad Marchand started up some chatter last game after netting two goals for the Bruins. He had been quiet as of late (though, so has the entire team). He sparked two other teammates to score in the same period--Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly.
Lucic and Marchand both have 21 goals this season, tying Marchand’s career-high.
Prediction:The Bruins really need to get two back-to-back wins in order to help them have a consistent run for the rest of the season. Winning every other game, or every other period won’t be enough to bring them far into the rest of the season. Final Score: Bruins 4, Sabres 3.
For more Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup Of Chowder.
Filed under: