Preview: Bruins kick off another busy weekend with a trip to Pittsburgh

Just the facts

When: Today, 3 PM

Where: PPG Paints Arena - Pittsburgh, PA

How to follow: ABC, ESPN+, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Pensburgh

Know your enemy

• 37-28-10, 84 PTS, Wild Card 2 in the Eastern Conference
• Sidney Crosby: 31G-54A-85PTS; Evgeni Malkin: 25G-53A-78PTS; Jake Guentzel: 34G-34A-68PTS
• Tristan Jarry: 22-10-6, 2.90 GAA, .910 save percentage

Game notes

• This potential first-round preview is a tale of two teams: one with nothing to play for and one with pretty much everything to play for. The Bruins have clinched the Presidents’ Trophy and are in “don’t get hurt” mode, while the Penguins are just one point up on Florida for the second wild card spot.
• Pittsburgh isn’t exactly cruising toward a playoff spot, as John Henry’s Favorite Hockey Team is just 4-6-0 in their last ten. They shut out the Predators on Thursday night, but gave up seven goals to Detroit in the game before that.
• Kris Letting, a modern Penguins legend, is nearing 1,000 games played, no small feat considering the tough health situations he has dealt with over the years.
• Today’s game is the last of three (regular season, at least) meetings between these two teams. The Bruins won the previous two: 6-5 in a wild OT game in Pittsburgh back in November and 2-1 in the Winter Classic at Fenway.
• It remains to be seen how much lineup juggling Jim Montgomery wants to do, but given the back-to-back games (with travel in between) this weekend, now would be a good time to rest some key guys.
• This is arguably the toughest game left on the Penguins’ schedule, though they also have to play at New Jersey and vs. the Wild. If they can get points out of today’s game, they’d go a long way toward securing a playoff spot.

See ya this afternoon!