PREVIEW: Bruins visit Blackhawks in second game of home-and-home weekend

Just the Facts:

When: Today, 12:30 PM

Where: United Center, Chicago, IL

How to follow: NBC, TVAS

Rival SBN site: Second City Hockey

Know your enemy

• Patrick Kane: 24G-40A-64PTS; Nick Schmaltz: 20G-26A-46PTS; Jonathan Toews: 19G-27A-46PTS
• Anton Forsberg: 8-14-3, 3.02, .902; Jean-Francois Berube: 2-2-0, 3.11, .911

Game notes

While our fearless editor Dan called it a down year for the Blackhawks, who really had the ‘down’ game yesterday? The Bruins, though striking quickly on turnovers by Chicago in the early going, were unable to prevent goals against with much effectiveness through forty minutes. Playing down to opponents has to be considered an issue down the stretch, when playoff position is still in flux.

Brian Gionta, Sean Kuraly, Noel Acciari and Jake DeBrusk impacted the scoresheet early, flexing the team’s depth. The top line, however, was quiet until the third. Fortunately, a hard-nosed goal from David Pastrnak, power-play tallies from Brian Gionta and Rick Nash, and an uptick in pace and attitude put the B’s on the right track.

Read that last paragraph back - depth contributions and trade acquisitions/free agent signings paying immediate dividends in the B’s ability to recover deficits and close games. Would you have expected this? COULD we have expected this? It’s hard to look down on the Bruins’ position at this point. (Still looking forward to Patrice Bergeron’s return, though.)

Looking into today’s game, one would expect that both teams will attempt to tighten up a bit; whether that’s actually going to happen is anyone’s guess, but the second game of a back-to-back would suggest a slower, more methodical approach.

LET’S NOT. GOALS R FUN!!

NEVER FORGET:

Yesterday.