Bruins vs. Panthers 4/8/17 PREVIEW: Win for 1st

Just the Facts:

The Time: 7:30pm EST

The Place: TD Garden, Boston, MA

The Stakes: Florida wants probably wants revenge for Alex Barkov getting hurt, and Boston needs 2 points to win 1st place in division

Place to Watch: NESN, NHLN-US, Sportsnet, Sportsnet-360

Place to Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (pre-game starts around 7pm)

Players to Watch:

1. With Barkov out, the leader of the Panthers in points is Vincent Trocheck, with 75 points in 81 games.
2. Jonathan Huberdeau has 69 points. I hear he’s pretty nice.
3. Keith Yandle has turned the clock back a lot to make sure he’s got 55 points under his belt, the vast majority of which are assists.
4. Good ol’ Bobby Lu, Roberto Luongo is having a brilliant season in spite of everything, he’s currently rocking a .929 in SV% and has won his 1000th and also his 1001st game.
5. Rick Nash and Sean Kuraly are questionable for tonight’s game. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Preview:

A rescheduled game from much earlier in the season when Snow actually stuck to the ground longer than a day ends up being the game of playoff implications for Boston. Funny how that works, huh?

Two points. Two measely points and Boston gets to face the New Jersey Devils in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Lose, and they face the Toronto Maple Leafs. And the Panthers will happily fight tooth and nail to ruin this for the Bruins however they can, and they do have cause to do so from the perspective of a Florida fan.

Alexander Barkov was crushed by living-Playstation 2-rendered-character Colby Cave in their last meeting not too long ago and has not returned to the lineup for the Cats, and the last game against them was a loss that felt like a team not only possessed to try and make the playoffs, but also began to take on an edge of vengeance.

Playoff hopes are dead for Florida, so now...only vengeance remains. They pummelled Buffalo in the Sabres’ last game, so now they have nothing to lose but to cause as much havoc on the Bruins roster as they can before it’s time to compete for Lord Stanley.

Boston on the other hand, appears to have gotten their skating legs under them in a convincing win over the Sens yesterday, despite the abject misery of the 1st period, and look to be bringing back key pieces at just the right time. While one could call this game meaningless, the path of least(ish) resistance is firmly in their grasp thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes beating the Lightning in OT last night.

All they have to do is win. Which is easier said than done.

So naturally, if you have need to watch an NHL game today (because this is the only one left), this is a hell of a way for the season to go out.

Tune in, and Go B’s!

NEVER FORGET:

Tonight will be Rene Rancourt’s regular season swansong. Rene Rancourt is just as much a part of Boston Bruins lore as any player or any event in the game, as their anthem singer for the past four decades.

Naturally, it’s up to Boston to make sure he can show up for at least a couple of games. Here’s a blast from the past in him singing both anthems from the 80’s.

Also, we at SCoC once again extend our profound sorrow and condolences to the people of Humboldt and the families of the 15 who died in the horrible accident. Nobody should have to go through what they’re currently going through, and we wish them nothing but peace during this very difficult time.

For those who survived the crash, we humbly wish you nothing but our sincerest condolences on your loss, and we wish you have a speedy recovery.