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Just the Facts:
Game Time: 7:00 PM, TD Garden. TV Broadcast: NESN, NHL Network. Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Rival SB Nation Site: Fear The Fin
Records: Bruins 6-2-0 vs. Sharks 8-0-1
Get Tickets Here: Boston Bruins Tickets
Sharks Lines:
Tyler Kennedy - Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture
Freddie Hamilton - Joe Thornton - Tomas Hertl
(GLORY GLORY) Matt Nieto - Joe Pavelski - Tommy Wingels
John McCarthy - Andrew Desjardins - James Sheppard
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun
Jason Demers - Scott Hannan
Brad Stuart - Matt Irwin
Antti Niemi
Alex Stalock
Bruins Lines:
Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Jarome Iginla
Reilly Smith - Patrice Bergeron - Brad Marchand
Jordan Caron - Chris Kelly - Carl Soderberg
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg - Dougie Hamilton
Adam McQuaid - Torey Krug
Tuukka Rask
Chad Johnson
Preview:
Tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks should be a complete shift in gears from last night's debacle in Buffalo.
The Sharks are currently icing the best team in the NHL from back to front: Antti Niemi has been solid in goal for the Sharks, with a 1.64 GAA and .930 Sv% through nine games - and eight wins. His only loss was actually a shutout, which is ridiculous - his team lost that night in a shootout.
Their young d-corps is a product of a few very great Worcester Sharks years - Matt Irwin, Jason Demers, and UMass Amherst alum Justin Braun all worked their way up through the Sharks' system. Irwin was undrafted, and actually signed with the NHL club after a pair of great years in Worcester in which he had a combined 73 points. Not bad.
Up front, all eyes may be on Tomas Hertl these days, but again, it's not really appreciated enough how well San Jose has done building from within. Logan Couture, John McCarthy, Tommy Wingels, and Andrew Desjardins have all been home-grown in the Sharks' system, and even James Sheppard, acquired two years ago by the Sharks from Minnesota, spent two seasons in Worcester after suffering a debilatating knee injury. McCarthy is actually the current Worcester Captain, filling in in San Jose due to the Brent Burns injury. (GLORY GLORY) Matt Nieto's been great for the Sharks as well, with five points in his first nine NHL games.
Everyone always jokes about the Sharks being an October team, but Joe Thornton and co. actually do look pretty legitimate this year, and building from within has been a huge part of that.
The Bruins will be icing a slightly different lineup tonight. Thanks, John Scott. Jordan Caron will return to the third line, and Marchand will move up to play with Reilly Smith and Patrice Bergeron. Tuukka Rask will get the start in net.
We also get the battle of the Hamilton bros tonight, as Dougie Hamilton will face off against his brother Freddie, a forward in San Jose's system who has been filling in for the injured Dan Boyle. Boyle traveled to Boston but there's no word on whether or not he'll play tonight. Here's hoping for a double dose of Hamilton, because hilarious.
NEVER FORGET:
this is the best.