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Preview: Bruins hit the road for first of back-to-back games against the Penguins

The Bruins look to put last week behind them and start new against the Penguins tonight.

By Angelina.Berube
Pittsburgh Penguins v Boston Bruins Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7 PM

Where: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA

How to follow: NESN, SNE, SNO, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: PensBurgh

Know your enemy

  • 17-9-1 for 35 points, third in East
  • Sidney Crosby: 26GP, 10G, 16A, 26PTS; Jake Guentzel: 27GP, 10G, 14A, 24PTS; Evgeni Malkin: 27GP, 7G, 15A, 22PTS
  • Tristan Jarry: 11-7-1, 3.00 GAA, .901 save percentage

Game notes

  • In the last meeting between the two on January 28, the Boston Bruins defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 to close out the first homestand against them. Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly contributed two goals in the first period. Cody Ceci scored for the Pens in the first frame. Patrice Bergeron notched two goals in the win, including one on the power play. It was the Bruins’ fourth straight win.
  • The Bruins are 2-0 against the Penguins this season. One win came in regulation, while the first win was a 3-2 overtime victory. In both contests, the Bruins outshot the Pens and killed off nine penalties total. Brad Marchand notched a shorthanded goal in the first game and the Bs saw scoring from six different forwards. This week’s back-to-back series will be the Bs’ first visit of the season to Pittsburgh. On the road, the Bruins are 7-4-3.
  • Against the Penguins this season, Charlie McAvoy has the most points with four assists, followed by Marchand with one goal and two assists.
  • The Penguins are on a five-game win streak. In their last game on March 13, they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-0. Jake Guentzel opened the scoring in the win with a power-play goal and Sidney Crosby and Mark Jankowski added to the shutout.
  • Pittsburgh’s top line has been producing. Guentzel and Crosby are on multi-game hot streaks. Guentzel has a goal in each of the last three games. He also has points in six of his last seven games. Crosby is on a six-game point streak with three goals and five assists.
  • As of last night, Jake DeBrusk is reportedly no longer on the Covid protocols list. There is no update on Tuukka Rask’s status and Jaroslav Halak will likely be in net tonight.
  • The Bruins struggled to find a consistent rhythm this week. In four games, they’ve only found the back of the net five times (and four were in one game) and were shut out twice. Secondary scoring has to be worked on as the rest of the roster needs to step up when the Bs top line has an off night.
  • The Bruins were blanked by the Rangers on Saturday and the game shined more light on the offensive woes that are plaguing this Bruins’ team, including issues on the power play and a consistent all-around effort. The Bruins have two tough back-to-backs against a hot Pittsburgh team right now, but taking points out of the series could be a turning point in the team’s confidence and get them back on track.

See ya tonight!