Preview: Bruins begin West Coast trip in Anaheim
California dreamin’.
NHLI via Getty Images
- When: Tonight, 10 PM
- Where: Honda Center - Anaheim, CA
- How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub, Victory+
- Opposing perspective: Anaheim Calling
Know your enemy
- 12-6-1, 25PTS, 1st in the Pacific Division
- Leo Carlsson: 11G-15A-26PTS; Cutter Gauthier: 12G-10A-22PTS; Troy Terry: 6G-15A-21PTS
- Lukas Dostal: 9-5-1, 2.80 GAA, .903 save percentage
Game notes
- With dropping temperatures and whipping winds in the Boston area over the past few days, you could forgive the Bruins for being excited to board a plane and head to the Golden State. A four-game road trip, with three of those games against the NHL’s California trio, begins tonight in Anaheim.
- The Ducks are one of the league’s pleasant surprises thus far on the season, sitting atop the Pacific Division (as of Tuesday afternoon). While they weren’t quite as hopeless as the San Jose Sharks last season, the Ducks finished 6th in their division, some 20 points outside of the playoff picture. To be in 1st approaching American Thanksgiving is an achievement.
- These two teams already played once this season, and it was a doozy: the Ducks beat the B’s at TD Garden back on October 23 by a score of 7-5.
- These two teams are also among the league’s streaking leaders this season, with each side boasting a recent seven-game winning streak. The Ducks had lost three in a row after their streak ended, but bounced back with an OT win over Utah last time out.
- By now, you’re well aware of the state of the Bruins, who are getting increasingly banged up by the day. Charlie McAvoy isn’t on the trip, while Viktor Arvidsson, Casey Mittelstadt, and Jordan Harris remain out. Elias Lindholm will travel with the team, but it remains to be seen if he’s in game shape.
- As we saw back in the game at TD Garden, this Ducks team has some serious scoring punch: they’re second in the league in GF/G at 3.63.
- After piling up the goals over the past few seasons, former Bruin Frank Vatrano has had a slow start to this season for the Ducks. He has just 2 goals and a single assist in 19 games.
- Longtime Ranger Chris Kreider (another good ol’ Massachusetts boy) has enjoyed life on the West Coast thus far, with 10 goals and 4 assists in 15 games.
- In case you missed it, the B’s recalled defenseman Michael Callahan on Tuesday afternoon.
See ya tonight!
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