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Preview: Bruins seek a win in Game 6 with their season on the brink

And there is yet another skater on the shelf tonight. Bummer, dude!

By Adam Denhard
NHL: JUN 07 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round - Islanders at Bruins Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:30 PM

Where: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
IN WHAT IS HOPEFULLY THE FINAL GAME IN NASSAU COLISEUM. C’mon, Bruins!!

How to follow: NBCSN, TVAS, SN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Lighthouse Hockey

Know your enemy

  • Playoffs: Jean-Gabriel Pageau: 11GP, 3G, 8A, 11PTS; Anthony Beauvillier: 11GP, 4G, 7A, 11PTS; Josh Bailey: 11GP, 5G, 4A, 9PTS; Brock Nelson: 11GP, 4G, 4A, 8PTS; Kyle Palmieri: 11GP, 6G, 2A, 8PTS; Mathew Barzal: 11GP, 3G, 6A, 9PTS
  • Semyon Varlamov: 2-3-0, 2.48 GAA, .929 save percentage
  • Regular season leaders: Mathew Barzal: 17G, 28A, 45PTS; Josh Bailey: 8G, 27A, 35PTS; Brock Nelson: 18G, 15A, 33PTS; Jordan Eberle: 16G, 17A, 33PTS

Game notes

  • The Boston Bruins are against the ropes in the second round, and hope to stave off elimination on Islander ice. It’s a precarious situation for a Bruins team that probably should have ran roughshod over the Islanders after dispatching the Washington Capitals. Alas, not to be.
  • New York’s offensive defense has been the real arrow to Boston’s Achilles heel. While the Bruins have been diligent about not leaving loose pucks behind their defense, the Islanders have been even better about throwing bodies at those puck retrievals. It’s real hard to advance an offensive attack when the other team is crushing you into your own end boards.
  • Regrettably, one of Boston’s best forecheckers since his acquisition, Curtis Lazar, will miss Game 6 with a lower-body injury. A collision with Adam Pelech in the second period in Monday’s Game 5 is the culprit. Who should draw into the game? Does Jake DeBrusk get gifted a roster spot, or does Bruce Cassidy finally fully bench him in favor of someone like Trent Frederic? We’ll hope to find out later today.
  • FURTHER regret, but Brandon Carlo still won’t draw into the lineup after his concussion earlier this series. Hence, all the trouble that Boston has had retrieving dump-ins is going to continue to be difficult. There’s nobody else to pull up from the taxi squad that we might rather see skating so let’s hope that the rust has been fully knocked off of Jarred Tinordi’s old-ass bones. And no, we weren’t suspecting a miraculous return of Kevan Miller, so park that right under your couch cushion.

Time for Boston to put up or shut up. An effort similar to Game 1 would be most preferable, but we’d take some Game 3 mojo if it were available. Just, GIVE US A WIN!

Bold prediction: if DeBrusk draws back in, he gets an assist in some way. If he doesn’t, Frederic plays and scores two hat tricks, and also fights every Islander player twice, yet somehow escapes ejection. Y’know, a real thin line between expectations.