Preview: Bruins face off against Kraken tonight

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:00 PM

Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN, SN360, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Davy Jones Locker Room

Know your enemy

• 24-12-4, 52PTS, 3^rd in Pacific Division
• Andre Burakovsky: 40GP, 11G, 24A, 35PTS; Matty Beniers: 40GP, 16G, 18A, 34PTS; Jordan Eberle: 40GP, 10G, 24A, 34PTS
• Martin Jones: 19-5-3, 2.78 GAA, .894 save percentage; Philipp Grubauer: 4-7-1, 3.49 GAA, .885 save percentage

Game notes

• The Boston Bruins are back on home ice to face the Seattle Kraken tonight! It’s the first meeting between the two this season. The Bruins will head to Seattle to close out the season series on Feb. 23.
• The Bruins and Kraken have both had a strong start to the year, going undefeated in all 2023 games so far.
• We are 40 games into the season, one game shy of officially calling it the midway point. But the Bruins are first in the Atlantic and league with 68 points and an impressive 32-4-4 record. There’s 11 points between any competition with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes both at 57 points.
• The Bruins started the New Year with a Winter Classic win before sweeping each California team on their West Coast road trip. Seattle comes into Boston on a six-game winning streak. They scored at least four goals in each of the wins.
• The Bruins took names during their California road trip, decisively coming back to Boston with six more points. During the trip, they outscored their opponents, 16-5. The Bruins last played on Sunday, Jan. 8, beating the Anaheim Ducks, 7-1, as David Pastrnak added a hat trick.
• Tonight is game 6 of a seven-game road trip for Seattle. The Kraken last played on Tuesday, beating the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3. It was a tight game, with the Kraken only taking a two-goal lead in the third period before the Sabres closed the gap on the final 4-3 score. Justin Schultz, Eberle and Beniers each had a goal and assist in the win. Grubauer made 32 saves.
• Tonight’s special teams favor the Bruins. In the penalty kill department, the Bruins remain at the top at 85.8% while the Kraken sit second worst at 69.5%. Seattle’s power play is better and middle of the pack at 22%, but they’ll be up against another strong Bruins’ special team at 28.2%.
• For the Bruins, Pastrnak continues to add $$$ to the bank. Last game, he recorded his first hat trick of the season. It was also his second four-point game this season. He has seven goals in his last three games alone. Pastrnak is second in the NHL in goals scored at 32.
• Linus Ullmark also remains untouchable with his 1.87 GAA and .938 save percentage to lead all goaltenders.
• For the Kraken, Beniers is on a five-game goal and point streak. He has five goals and four assists in those games. Burakovsky is on a four-game point streak with one goal and six assists.
• A new star: Head Coach Jim Montgomery was named the Atlantic Division head coach for the All-Star game yesterday!
• Roster moves: Yesterday, Joona Koppanen was recalled from Providence and the Bruins sent Chris Wagner down.S

See ya tonight!