The Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights look to ride into the 4 Nations Face-Off break on a winning note when they meet for the first time this season in Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy guided the Golden Knights to the end of a four-game winless streak (0-2-2) as they earned their first points of a four-game road trip in a 3-1 Thursday triumph over the New Jersey Devils.
Despite winning for just the fourth time in 15 games (4-8-3), Vegas has allowed 15 and 14 shots on goal in its last two contests, respectively, and taken just one penalty in each.
Like it was over Cassidy’s years in Boston, a disciplined, structured game is the key to success and maintaining the Golden Knights’ place in the Pacific Division race.
“If you’re not giving up shots, you’re probably not in your own end a lot unless you’re blocking everything, and you’re managing the puck the other way,” Cassidy said. “When we start mismanaging it is when we have problems. We seem to have corrected that lately, and if we can start finishing a little bit better, things will really go our way.”
After Nicolas Roy and Shea Theodore scored second-period goals against the Devils, Massachusetts native Jack Eichel made it 3-0 with his eighth goal in the last nine games.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to get to the net and obviously trying to make shooting more a priority at the same time,” Eichel said. “I think over the course of the season, I’m going to get a couple bounces.”
Despite his team-leading offensive production (67 points), Eichel knows the team’s bread and butter lies in the other end.
“Sometimes when you’re not scoring and producing offensively, you’ve got to stick to your structure and rely on what helps you win games,” Eichel said. “For us, it’s been defense.”
The Bruins’ season of ups and downs continued Wednesday in New York, where a Chris Kreider short-handed game-winner capped a two-goal third period and lifted the Rangers to a 3-2 victory. It was Boston’s first loss when leading after two periods this season (16-1-4).
Defenseman Brandon Carlo noted earlier this week that the team has treated the final four-game segment before the break as a mini-playoff series and carries a 2-1 record in that stretch into Saturday. Thus, this coming game takes on some internal significance.
“We’re challenging ourselves in a different way, trying to play more of a playoff style of hockey because we’re in that boat right now,” Carlo said. “Each and every night is meaningful.”
Playing this game against Cassidy’s club is a challenge, but the Bruins know exactly what to expect.
“They’ve got a lot of firepower over there, but they work and they play the right way,” forward Charlie Coyle said. “I think that’s why they’ve been a good team, so we expect them to play like that and have a fast start. And we’ve got to match that.”
Hoping that his team will generate more than its 17 shots from Wednesday, interim coach Joe Sacco calls Saturday a “massive opportunity” for his team.
“If we can play a good, sound game against one of the better teams in the league the past couple years, it sets us up, it puts us in a good spot going into the break,” Sacco said. “You always feel better about yourself when you go into an extended break like this with a win.”
David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm continued their recent hot streaks with goals 16 seconds apart in the second period against the Rangers. Pastrnak is on the NHL’s longest active point streak at 12 games, while Lindholm has points in four of his last five.
–Field Level Media
