(SportsNetwork.com) – The Boston Bruins will try to record consecutive
victories for the first time in nearly a month when they visit the Winnipeg
Jets for Friday’s battle at MTS Centre.
The Bruins snapped a three-game slide and won for just the third time in 11
games after beating the Minnesota Wild in overtime on Wednesday. The current
3-5-3 stretch comes on the heels of Boston’s last winning streak — a three-
game run from Nov. 15-21.
After edging the Wild 3-2, Boston hopes to close a three-game road trip with
another victory. The Bruins boast a 4-1-1 mark in the last six meetings with
the Jets, but Boston has lost four of the five meetings at MTS Centre since
Winnipeg relocated from Atlanta.
Boston has dropped six of seven on the road in this series dating back to the
days of the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Bruins earned Wednesday’s win thanks to Loui Eriksson’s game-winning
marker 90 seconds into the extra session. Zdeno Chara flung the puck around
the boards off a faceoff win, Carl Soderberg tracked it down and Eriksson
deposited Soderberg’s cross-crease pass into a wide-open net for the deciding
marker.
Soderberg finished with a goal and an assist, Patrice Bergeron also lit the
lamp and Niklas Svedberg made 35 saves for the Bruins.
“It was nice to see our team in overtime there take charge and find a way to
win a hockey game with some real good determination,” said Bruins head coach
Claude Julien.
Bruins forward David Krejci made his return to the lineup after missing 11
straight games and 17 of the last 19 with a groin injury. He registered one
shot in 18:22 of ice time.
Tuukka Rask could be back between the pipes for the Bruins tonight. The club’s
No. 1 netminder is 9-4-0 with a 1.90 goals against average in 13 career
outings against the Thrashers/Jets.
Winnipeg halted a two-game slide its last time out while also gaining at least
a point for the ninth time in 10 games (6-1-3).
The Jets slammed the visiting Buffalo Sabres by a 5-1 count on Tuesday, as
Mark Scheifele led the way with two goals and an assist.
Evander Kane and Michael Frolik each posted a goal and an assist while Chris
Thorburn also scored for the Jets. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 27 shots in the win.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of helping the D out and I thought the D
played off each other pretty well and moved the puck pretty efficiently,” said
Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice.
The Jets improved their home record to 7-6-2 in the second test of a four-game
homestand. The residency is set to end Sunday against Philadelphia.
Boston is 7-7-1 as the visiting team in 2014-15. The Bruins will host Buffalo
on Sunday to begin a stretch of five home dates over six games.
It’s uncertain if Pavelec or Michael Hutchinson will get the start tonight.
Pavelec is 5-7-2 with a 3.02 GAA versus the Bruins in his career, while
Winnipeg’s backup is 1-0-1 lifetime with a 1.40 GAA in this matchup.
The Jets acquired defenseman Jay Harrison from the Carolina Hurricanes on
Thursday for a sixth-round draft pick. Winnipeg’s blue line has been decimated
by injury lately, with Zach Bogosian, Toby Enstrom, Mark Stuart and Jacob
Trouba all currently on the shelf.
Harrison, a nine-year NHL veteran, had one goal and three assists in 20 games
for Carolina this season. The Jets are attempting to get Harrison in the
lineup for tonight’s game.
