“He’s a knee seeking missile, he’s a SCUD.” – Bruins’ play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards on Steve Ott’s questionable hit on Stephane Yelle last season at the TD Garden.Tonight, the Boston Bruins start their first road trip of the season in Dallas to face off against the 2-0-3 Stars. Fortunately for number 29 and Bruins favorite (wink, wink), Steve Ott, will be witnessing this one from the press box of the American Airlines Center nursing a strained oblique that’s landed him on the injured reserve.
In a rematch of perhaps the most talked about regular season game last year for Boston, the Bruins will seek to get their first win against a Western Conference club this season while the Stars are looking to continue their streak of earning a point in every game of this newborn NHL season.
For Boston, the goal is to get sixty minutes of strong play, something they’ve shown a troubling inability to do five games into the season.
Some changes for the B’s will come up front, as Milan Lucic has dropped down to the second line with Michael Ryder moving up to the top line where he’ll be playing with Marco Sturm and Marc Savard for tonight’s match-up.
The Bruins will also have 2009 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas back in the crease tonight after a two-game Tuukka weekend in the Hub of Hockey.
Good news for the anemicBoston powerplay, which comes into tonight’s game as the sixth worst in the National Hockey League, converting just four of their 29 opportunities, is that defensive forward and penalty killer Jere Lehtinen will be out for tonight’s game along with two-way forward Mike Modano.
For the Stars, the focus should and will be on goaltender Marty Turco, who’s coming off a shutout of the Nashville Predators. Along with Turco, the Stars will rely on their top line featuring Loui Eriksson, alternate captain Brad Richards and James Neal who have combined for 21 out of 56 points this season by Stars’ players.
Honestly B’s fans, don’t expect a repeat of last year’s fight-filled night of antics in Boston. The reasons?
For one, Sean Avery, the man arguably responsible for ruining any team chemistry in the Stars’ locker room is back in New York with the Rangers while Ott is out for tonight’s game. Secondly, the Bruins just need to head into tonight’s game with a level head, there should be no “revenge for a guy who’s now with the Hurricanes” sort of motive on their mind, “just win” is the idea on the B’s mind tonight.
As nice as it would be to see a Bruins’ blue-liner rearrange Matty Niskanen’s kisser as Jack Edwards so proudly put it last year, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a line-brawl tonight.
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Ty
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