Devils at Bruins

The Boston Bruins are looking to come out strong and avoid the league-wide tendency to be sluggish after a grueling road trip (all four games went to overtime) and, at the same time, a matinee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Bruins held a moment of reflection to honor Dr. King’s legacy and what his message means for all Americans today.

Out of the playoffs if the season ended today, the Devils (22-15-3) visit Boston without injured center Jack Hughes but bring one of the Eastern Conference’s top road records at 13-6-1.

The Bruins, meanwhile, were a frustrated bunch until breaking through for an overtime win in St. Louis after falling in three straight OT games. Their hard efforts of late have turned their corner and have them at 6-1-3 in their last 10 coming into today.

AI-generated computer image by Daryl Vautour

FIRST PERIOD

The Bruins did exactly as they hoped and swarmed the Devils through the game’s opening seven minutes.

They went on the powerplay when New Jersey defenseman John Marino dumped Pavel Zacha head-first into the end boards. On the powerplay, Devils stalwart Brendan Smith shoved James van Riemsdyk face-first into the goal post. That went uncalled, and so did Smith’s subsequent run at puck-rushing Charlie McAvoy.

McAvoy sidestepped Smith, who got the worse of his own attempt to legcheck McAvoy.

It looked as though JVR had gotten his revenge at 7:37, taking a goalmouth pass, twisting and going upstairs on Nico Daws for a 1-0 Boston lead, but Devils coach Lindy Ruff won his offsides challenge and the game stayed scoreless.

Marino challenged Jeremy Swayman on a partial breakaway out of the penalty box and swung around the net in time to swat his own rebound, forcing a second Swayman stop in the sequence.

NJ defenseman Simon Nemec went out for shooting the puck over the glass, but Daws stopped Brad Marchand’s one-timer from the right circle.

McAvoy’s stick snapped on a big slapper from the right point, and the puck found Zacha alone in the slot, but Daws made the save.

Danton Heinen got a chance in the slot but was crowded and Daws had an easier save at point-blank range for a change.

The period ended scoreless, but the Bruins were dominant territorially and in puck possession. They outshot New Jersey 17-9 and dominated the faceoff circle 13-5 (Charlie Coyle was 8-3, Nico Hischier 2-6, the rest was by committee).

SECOND PERIOD

Marchand made a Gretzky play, stopping and curling back on the halfwall left wing, finding Coyle as the late man while Pastrnak took the defensemen to the net. Coyle went in on his lane and backhanded the first goal of the game from close range 30 seconds into the period. Pastrnak got the secondary assist for moving the puck to Marchand. 1-0 Bruins.

Devils are playing harder here in the second period.

TD Garden recognizes a group of players from the Team USA World Junior Championship gold medal team – roar of approval from the fans.

Parker Wotherspoon just parked Dawson Mercer’s butt on the ice 20 feet from Swayman.

McAvoy rubbed out Michael McLeod trying to skate the puck hard up left wing, the two came together in a clinch, and both were whistled off for roughing at 9:33 of the second period.

Marchand lost his helmet in a one-on-one battle, then Trent Frederic and Alexander Holtz pushed and shoved away from the play. Nothing came of it.

The Devils have continued to play an industrious period and with 8:38 remaining in the middle period have closed the shots-on-goal gap to 1 (18-17).

Mason Lohrei, heretofore skating third pairing with Kevin Shattenkirk, got a shift with McAvoy, and the Bruins had their best shift of the period on the backs of the forechecking forwards. They got changes and a couple of close calls in tight.

Big shift by Nico HIschier, puck protecting and setting up scoring chances late in the period. Everything was just slightly off, but several close calls. Defenseman Luke Hughes pinched too tight for one of those set-ups.

Hischier came back for one more foray and this time set up the aggressive Nathan Bastian for a bang-bang that Swayman turned away.

Boston also had strong shifts toward the end of the period and stretched the shots lead back to 25-20 at period’s end.

1-0 Bruins after two.

THIRD PERIOD

JVR to Frederic to Morgan Geekie to McAvoy alone, dekes Daws and puts the backhand off the left post. Bruins to the powerplay for Max Willman’s slash on McAvoy. This all 2:11 into the period.

An excellent Boston powerplay – great use of the pic by McAvoy on Eric Haula – and Pastrnak cranks from the left circle at 3:22 (think Ovechkin), and it’s 2-0 Boston.

Very next shift McLeod generated a good chance that Swayman turned away along with Nemec’s putback (Ruff is sending his defensemen).

Tyler Toffoli off for tripping Marchand who was carrying the puck through center. Bruins to the powerplay at 5:46. (Toffoli, aka poor man’s Brett Hull, BTW, at 31 remains viable trade bait as a pending UFA earning $4.25 million).

Marchand shoved former Bruin Colin Miller on the forecheck, then recycled and put a hit on Luke Hughes that knocked both players flying. (Hughes did an excellent job absorbing the hit, but Miller cycled around to address Marchand after the whistle.)

A shot block helped Danton Heinen send Geekie on a hurried partial breakaway. He made a solid play, but Daws stopped his backhand pull-around.

Bastian got away with a two-handed chop on McAvoy against the boards, and the Devils got a scoring chance out of it. Insult was added to injury went Frederic went seconds later for high-sticking. Devils to the powerplay.

Jesper Bratt’s game suffers noticeably without Jack Hughes at the wheel.

Frederic out of the box skated down right wing and lifted a backhand over the net, then McLeod made an individual rush, cutting across the slot and going five-hole, but Swayman said nope.

4:08 remaining in regulation.

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