What is the story about?
Just the facts
- When: Tonight, 7 PM
- Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA
- How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Know your enemy
- 16-15-3, 35PTS, 4th in the Central Division
- Nick Schmaltz: 12G-18A-30PTS; Clayton Keller: 10G-18A-28PTS; Dylan Guenther: 15G-12A-27PTS
- Karel Vejmelka: 14-9-2, 2.78 GAA, .893
Game notes
- After a 2-1-0 road trip, the Bruins return home to the friendly confines of TD Garden to host the Utah Mammoth for the first time in franchise history. Last time Utah swung through, you may remember that they were a franchise-to-be-named-later. Now, they are much more wooly.
- This will not be the first-ever Bruin-Mammoth encounter, however, as giant short-faced bears and mammoth coexisted back in prehistory (according to Google). In addition, these two teams already played once this season, with Utah beating the B’s 3-2 back in mid-October.
- The Bruins last played a home game ten days ago, beating the New Jersey Devils, 4-1. For some reason, it seems like longer ago than that.
- The Mammoth were last in action on Sunday, beating the Penguins, 5-4 in OT. That game saw Utah rally from 3-0 down in the third to lead 4-3, only to give up a game-tying goal then win in overtime. Up, down, up, down, etc.
- JJ Peterka, freed from the dumpster fire in Buffalo, has been a good acquisition for Utah, recording 13 goals in 34 games.
- Utah, as a team, is bucking the “rotating goalies” trend this season, with Czech goalie Karel Vejmelka appearing in 26 of the Mammoth’s 34 games. Connor Hellebuyck nods in approval.
- Dylan Guenther, near the top of Utah’s team scoring list, has been on a hot streak of late with five goals in his last four games.
- The Bruins will be returning to TD Garden ice in better overall shape than when they left, with both Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak returning to action during the recent road trip.
See
ya tonight!
