Bruins vs Maple Leafs Preview: If We Did It Before...

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 8:00 PM, Air Canada Centre.

TV Broadcast: NBCSN, TVA, SN.

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SB Nation Site: Pension Plan Puppets

Season Record: Bruins: 10-6-0, 3rd in Atlantic Division | Maple Leafs: 8-5-2, 5th in Atlantic Division

Leafs Lines:

James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel

Daniel Winnik - Nazem Kadri - David Clarkson

Leo Komarov - Peter Holland - Mike Santorelli

Richard Panik - Trevor Smith - Josh Leivo

Defensive Pairings:

Dion Phaneuf - Cody Franson

Jake Gardiner - Roman Polak

Morgan Rielly - Stephane Robidas

IR: David Booth, Brandon Kozun, Joffrey Lupul

Bruins Lines:

Milan Lucic - Chris Kelly - Seth Griffith

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Reilly Smith

Matt Fraser - Carl Soderberg - Loui Eriksson

Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Simon Gagne

Defensive Pairings:

Dennis Seidenberg - Dougie Hamilton

Joe Morrow - Adam McQuaid

Torey Krug - Zach Trotman

IR: Kevan Miller, Zdeno Chara, David Warsofsky, David Krejci

Game Notes:

• Remember how confident Toronto was about facing the Chara-less Bruins earlier this season? Even after their 4-1 loss, our friends over at Pension Plan Puppets referred to Boston defensemen as quotation mark "defensemen." I get it, though. Game 7 still stings. After a 4-2 victory against the Devils Monday night, Boston is 6-1-0 without Zdeno Chara. Bruins "defensemen" have been eliminating crucial chances. Torey Krug played his first game since finger injury and while he had "challenges with shooting and stick vibrations" at first, he's "all good" now.
• David Krejci did not travel with the team for this two-game road trip, so Kelly is still centering Lucic and Griffith. Bruins undeniably feel the absence of key veterans Krejci and Chara but their ability to adapt has been impressive. In a game where injuries are all too common, adaptation is a huge indicator of long-term success. Ridiculous Griffith goals definitely don't hurt either.
• Both teams are looking to extend winning streaks. It seems like Toronto "defensemen" could hurt their chances though, considering they're allowing an average of 33.3 shots against per game compared to Boston's 27.3.

NEVER FORGET:

He...almost smiled. Play like Carl. Smirk like Carl.

Also, don't forget Game 7.

Last Game in Fancy Stats:

Can they invent a Fancy Stat specifically for Seth Griffith's goal?