The Bruins will try to put their 3-0 Causeway Day loss to the Carolina Hurricanes behind them when they take the ice against the Atlanta Thrasher at Philips Arena this afternoon (5:00 PM ET).
The Atlanta Thrashers have former Bruins assistant coach Craig Ramsay behind the bench. Ramsay has led his team to an 11-9-3 start. Ramsay's team is riding a 4-game winning streak after wins against the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and Washington Capitals.
Andrew Ladd (24 points) and Dustin Byfuglien (21 points), who both came over from the Chicago Blackhawks have proven to be key additions for Atlanta and currently lead the team in points. The Thrashers have three players tied for the lead in goals with 8 (Ladd, Byfuglien, and Evander Kane). The Thrashers have transitioned Dustin Byfuglien back to his natural defenseman position after being used as a power forward with the Blackhawks. Byfuglien seems to have made the move back to the blue line pretty easily. His +2 rating ranks second among Atlanta defensemen.
In net for Atlanta, Ondrej Pavelec is off to a great start with a 1.68 GAA, .946 save percentage, and 2 shutouts in 11 starts.
Tuukka Rask will likely get the start in goal today for the Bruins. Tim Thomas was the only goal on the ice at an optional morning skate today. According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, Marc Savard, Adam McQuaid, and Thomas were the only skaters on the ice this morning.
The flu bug has hit the Bruins' room. Jordan Caron and David Krejci are battling the flu and did not travel with the team to Atlanta. Jamie Arniel has been called up from Providence and will most likely make his NHL debut today.
The Thrashers will be without Fredrik Modin (upper body) and Patrice Cormier (back).
Notes:
- Tuukka Rask is 3-0-0 with a 0.97 GAA, .963 save percentage, and 2 shutouts against the Atlanta Thrashers.
- The Bruins have won their last 10 games against the Thrashers and have an all-time record of 24-11-2-3 versus Atlanta.
- There are three games being played around the league today and all games start at 5:00 PM ET.
- The Thrashers have struggled on the penalty kill this season (78.8; 24th in NHL). This is somewhat surprising considering Ramsay's focus on the penalty kill during his time as an assistant in Boston.
- This is the first of four meetings between the Bruins and Thrashers this year.
- The Public Skate open thread gets started at 4:30.
- The game airs on NESN and 98.5 FM The Sports Hub.