Preview: Bruins host Golden Knights as Cassidy returns to town

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:00 PM

Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN, TVAS, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Knights On Ice

Know your enemy

• 18-7-1, 37PTS, 1st in Pacific Division
• Jack Eichel: 26GP, 13G, 16A, 29PTS; Chandler Stephenson: 26GP, 6G, 15A, 21PTS; Alex Pietrangelo: 23GP, 3G, 18A, 21PTS
• Logan Thompson: 12-5-0, 2.54 GAA, .920 save percentage; Adin Hill: 6-2-1, 2.55 GAA, .908 save percentage

Game notes

• It’s a battle of the Atlantic and Pacific Division leaders as the Boston Bruins are right back at it to start the week to host Bruce Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights tonight.
• It will be the first time Cassidy is back behind the bench at the TD Garden since he was fired by Bruins’ management in June. But he’s doing quite alright for himself with the Golden Knights and this game is sure to be another good one and another test for this Bruins team.
• The two clubs are meeting for the first time this season, and like with Colorado, will wrap up their season series against each other rather quickly. The Bruins will see the Golden Knights on the road on Dec. 11.
• Tonight wraps up a four-game road trip for Vegas. On the trip, they are 2-1-0 and last played on Saturday when they beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-1. Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Phil Kessel and Reilly Smith scored in the win.
• Vegas is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games. Eichel and Smith are both on a two-game goal streak. Shea Theodore has one goal and four assists in his last five games.
• Head-to-head, the Bruins hold the advantage on special teams to Vegas. The Bruins are second in the league in both power play (29.6%) and penalty kill (84.1%) while the Golden Knights are 23.0% on the power play and 74.2% on the PK.
• Brad Marchand’s game on Saturday was more of the Marchand we are used to seeing and what he’s able to do on 5v5 that makes him so dangerous to other teams. He didn’t register a point on even-strength play, but was a force in all zones. Here’s hoping that keeps rolling tonight and he’ll pick up some 5v5 points out of it.
• The Davids continue to be on a hot streak. David Pastrnak has registered at least a point in ten of the last 11 games. He has seven goals and one assists in his last six games, with three multi-point nights in that stretch. David Krejci is now on a seven-game point streak with six goals and four assists.
• As is the new norm, we are left guessing who Head Coach Jim Montgomery will start in net tonight.

See ya tonight!