The Boston Bruins are sitting in first place once again after going 8-1-1 in the previous 10 games. They appeared to be rotating on all cylinders until a meeting up with the Detroit Red Wings where they fell 6-1 in their most lopsided defeat of the season. They looked strong in their first matchup with the New York Rangers and will hope to bounce back once again.
Playing against Detroit, Boston was flat out terrible. Tuukka Rask gave up six goals off 28 shots, one of the worst performances of his career. Boston's 17 shots on goal tied a season low. The Red Wings put up three goals in second period alone when the team managed just three shots on goal. Rask has allowed just two or fewer goals in his past eight starts so the performance was uncharacteristic for him and hopefully not a trend.
The Rangers have been streaky this season as well. Henrik Lundqvist struggled against Tampa Bay, losing 5-0, a game he was pulled from. The Rangers then went on to make 31 saves in their win against the Florida Panthers. Against the Bruins, Lundqvist managed just 20 saves, but his career averages against the team are much better. He is 21-8-2 all-time against the Bruins with a 1.68 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage.
This is the firs time the Rangers will play over in TD Garden since they were eliminated by the Bruins back in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After losing the first game of three this season, New York will be looking for some much-needed revenge.