Penguins Vs Bruins: Boston looks to bounce back with Peeke back in lineup
The Bruins and Penguins meet at TD Garden on March 3 at 7 p. m. ET in a matchup that will test Boston’s ability to respond after a road defeat — penguins vs bruins brings a playoff-adjacent tilt with both clubs jockeying in the Eastern Conference standings.
Penguins Vs Bruins: recent form and stakes
Pittsburgh arrives fresh off a 5-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and has gone 16-3-4 in 23 games since Christmas. The Penguins were 2-0-1 coming off the Olympic break, and former Bruin Justin Brazeau had a goal and an assist in the win over Vegas. The Penguins’ season record stands at 31-15-13; the Bruins are 33-21-5.
The standings are tight for the wild-card hunt, with Washington, Columbus, Philadelphia and Ottawa all within four points of the Bruins for that second wild-card spot. Boston’s eight-game point streak (5-0-3) was snapped in a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia, leaving the team looking for an immediate response in front of its home crowd.
Lineup moves, injuries and matchups to watch
Andrew Peeke returns to the Bruins lineup for the game; Henri Jokiharju will sit. Jeremy Swayman gets the net for Boston. The Bruins will lean on Charlie McAvoy’s recent production — McAvoy is on a nine-game point streak with two goals and 10 assists during that run — while Morgan Geekie, who had his nine-game point streak snapped in Philadelphia, remains Boston’s leading goal-scorer with 33 goals.
Pittsburgh continues without captain Sidney Crosby, who is out four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered at the Olympics. Ben Kindel said, “Just all year, we’ve had different guys out at different times. And obviously, Sid is our best player and the biggest part of our team. But with that, guys will still step up, and that’s what we’ve done throughout the year. ” Egor Chinakhov has added offense for the Penguins, tallying 10 goals since joining the team from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 1.
How to watch and what’s next for Boston
The game starts at 7 p. m. ET at TD Garden and will be broadcast on +. For the Bruins, this is the second-to-last game before Friday’s 3 p. m. trade deadline. Boston will head to Nashville to take on the Predators on Thursday, making Tuesday night a final home chance to sharpen lines and rotations ahead of potential deadline moves.
With both teams featuring strong special teams — Pittsburgh’s power play sits at 26. 8% and Boston’s at 26. 0% — and fairly similar goal totals (Pittsburgh 202 goals scored, Boston 198), the matchup could hinge on which team seizes play in the middle periods and on goaltending execution. The Bruins will look for a quick rebound after their loss in Philadelphia, while the Penguins aim to extend their recent strong run.
Up next for Boston after this matchup: the road game at Nashville on Thursday, followed by the approaching trade deadline at 3 p. m. on Friday.
