By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
The Boston Bruins will try to get back on track tonight when they host the Dallas Stars at TD Garden. Boston has had a slow start to the season, with a 3-3-1 record that ranks them fifth in the National Hockey League’s Atlantic Division. On the other hand, Dallas has enjoyed a solid start to the new campaign, with a record of 5-2-0, which ranks them third in the Central. The B’s come into tonight’s contest having lost two straight, while the Stars also are looking to rebound from a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.
More Lineup Changes
Before Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators, Head Coach Jim Montgomery made several changes to the Bruins lineup. Ahead of tonight’s matchup, Montgomery is again making some tweaks to the B’s forward lines and defensive pairings.
The Bruins top line of Brad Marchand, Elias Lindholm, and David Pastrnak will remain unchanged, as will the third line of Pavel Zacha, Matt Poitras, and Morgan Geekie. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, is that Boston’s fourth line of Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, and Cole Koepke is being broken up.
Koepke has been promoted to the top nine, skating with Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle. Justin Brazeau, who will play right wing with Beecher and Kastelic, returns to the fourth line. Max Jones will be a healthy scratch, having taken two penalties in Tuesday’s game in Nashville.
On defense, Parker Wotherspoon will make his second appearance of the season in place of Mason Lohrei. Wotherspoon will slot in on the third pairing alongside Andrew Peeke, while the top four remains unchanged. Jeremy Swayman will make his third straight start between the pipes.
Penalty Trouble
So far this season, the Bruins have the second-most penalty minutes of any team in the league, with 100. They also have the most minor penalties per game, with 5.43. “It’s discipline,” said Montgomery postgame on Tuesday. “We’re taking far too many stick penalties. You want to prevent scoring chances and take good penalties, and usually, you’re going to kill those off. We’re having too many in the offensive zone and we’ve got to sharpen that up.”.
The Stars’ power play has struggled this season, operating at only 9.5%, the third-worst rate in the NHL. Still, with a forward group loaded with talent such as Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Matt Duchene, the Bruins cannot afford to give the Stars chances on the man advantage.
Offensive Struggles
So far, the Bruins have struggled to score this season, averaging 3.00 goals per game, tied for 19th in the NHL. They’ve also had trouble generating shots, averaging only 27.3 per game, 24th in the league in that category. The Stars have only conceded 13 goals through seven games, meaning the Bruins will have to fight hard to create scoring chances.
All-Time Records
In 147 matchups between the Bruins and Stars, Boston has a record of 88-31-23-5. In the 20 games played between the two teams at TD Garden, Dallas has a record of 8-9-1-2. The B’s hope to continue that trend tonight, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM Eastern.
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