Blackhawks vs Bruins 2019: results, score, recap, highlights - Second City Hockey
(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael

When the Boston Bruins march into March with Marchand (as pictured above), the Blackhawks will be one of seven Western Conference teams they’ll play to kick off a busy and bustling Spring schedule.

With almost every match-up coming against a potential playoff-bound team, the B’s will need to be at their seasoned best to make the most of one of hockey’s most grueling months.

Let’s take a look at a few of the key games to mark on your Bruins calendar throughout March as the Bruins hopefully make a strong push to play deep into hockey’s second season.

VIVA LAS VEGAS

A road trip to Vegas? Sounds like the Bruins could use a little advice from The Griswolds again, just like they did in our “Holiday Road” schedule preview back in December! But unlike Nick Papagiorgio, the B’s can’t be pretenders when they play the Golden Knights on Thursday, March 3rd, 2021 — a nationally televised ESPN game, mind you.

Winning against an always feisty Vegas team seems like it could be a gamble for Bruce Cassidy and company because no matter who you start in net, on defense, on the first line, etc… they’re going to battle a line-up that has been tough to play against and match up with since day one of the Golden Knights franchise back in 2017.

And speaking of match-ups, it could be a Buffalo goaltenders reunion on the ice if Robin Lehner hangs in there as the starter for the Golden Knights and new friend Linus Ullmark lines up between the pipes for Boston. Whenever there’s a potential story line to thread through a game — again, a big broadcast game on ESPN — that’s a good indicator of marking it on the calendar!

Midwest Mayhem

If you draw a West-leaning diagonal line from Chicago towards Canada, you’ll hit three hockey hotbed cities. The B’s will play in all three — and in only four nights — midway through the month of March when they battle the Blackhawks, Wild and Jets on the road between the 15th and the 18th.

Jet-setting from Chicago to Minnesota and then finally to Winnipeg could be akin to the mini-West Coast Canadian kick the B’s will highlight on the calendar in December. But with only a few weeks in the regular season remaining after this stretch (that you should definitely be marking down), this week could be a momentum builder or killer based on how the Bruins play.

And how the B’s play could directly be impacted by WHO plays… in particular the man in the highlight-reel montage above. That’s right… could March be the month Tuukka Rask potential returns to Boston to join Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in the crease? Will Rask be healthy by then? Will the Bruins even resign him? There are a plethora of questions that could be answered by exactly this time of the season so keep that highlighter handy and right by the calendar!

Beasts of the East

The Bruins will wrap up the month of March by playing a week-long stretch of hockey against the “Beasts of the East.” Well, that’s just a rhythmically rhyming way of saying the schedule will be chock-full of games against the following teams: Tampa Bay, Montreal, New York (Isles) and Toronto. Yup, March 21st – 29th will feature some spirited hockey for the Black N’ Gold to say the least!

Thankfully, the majority of the games will all be at home at TD Garden with the lone road contest coming on the second day of a back-to-back against the Islanders (the B’s will have Montreal in Boston the night before). This 48-hour stretch of hockey should be a hallmark on the calendar and perhaps a first or second-round potential playoff preview!

So, “FORWARD, MARCH!” would be an appropriate command, rallying cry and plan of attack for the Bruins as they battle some top teams in both conferences during a busy stretch of the season!