The Boston Bruins will search for some much-needed consistency in the final week before the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break, kicking off a three-game stretch with a Tuesday night bout against the Minnesota Wild.
Recent weeks have seen Boston go on a 5-1-1 run and sustain back-to-back losses by a combined 13-4 score. It will hope to use a 6-3 win Saturday over the New York Rangers as a springboard into this crucial week.
“That’s the question for our guys, right? Can we build off what we did last game and continue to move in the right direction?” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. “Our power play was better, I thought our game management was good for the most part. … I think we can take and build on (those details).”
There was a lot to like, including David Pastrnak continuing his hot streak with his first hat trick of the season and defenseman Charlie McAvoy scoring in his second game back following an injury absence.
The Boston power play was 2-for-3, scoring multiple goals in a game for only the third time all season.
“Any time you can get your offensive guys feeling good about themselves (is important),” Sacco said. “The power play is where they get their touches and it can also boost their 5-on-5 game.”
Pastrnak netted his hat trick just hours after being honored as the NHL’s First Star of January, leading the league with 11 of his 27 goals and 24 total points during the month.
The star winger is on a 10-game point streak for the eighth time in his career.
“The sky’s the limit when I’m on my game and I’m focused,” Pastrnak said. “So yeah, definitely never satisfied but I set my standards high, which sometimes can be tough, but that’s just the player I became and that’s the pressure you have to face and I’m fine with that.”
Sacco indicated that Boston forward Mark Kastelic (undisclosed injury) is available to return on Tuesday, while defenseman Hampus Lindholm (lower-body) is unlikely to return before the break.
The No. 3 team in the Central Division, Minnesota is just 4-6-0 in its last 10 games but had a three-game win streak before taking a 6-0 loss Saturday at the Ottawa Senators.
The Wild’s second shutout loss in a six-game span saw forward Ryan Hartman ejected for intent to injure Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle, taking him to the ice head-first following a faceoff. He was offered an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Monday, which means he could face a lengthy suspension.
“I think that situation is what it is,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said following Saturday’s game. “I don’t want to get into any … The game was the game. … That’s not the crux of what happened in the game.”
The match penalty resulted in three goals and a runaway victory for Ottawa.
“Even without that (incident), we’re not even close,” forward Mats Zuccarello said. “I haven’t seen us like this in a while, so this is not good enough, and hopefully (Saturday) was a one-off.”
Minnesota’s lineup could include other changes for Tuesday’s finale of a five-game road trip.
Defenseman Jonas Brodin (lower-body injury) and forward Marcus Johansson (concussion) rejoined the team Monday for a practice at Boston University. Hynes expects that both will “most likely” return from their respective absences of 12 and nine games.
Leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov was moved to long-term injured reserve Sunday after undergoing successful surgery to repair a lower-body injury.
–Field Level Media
