Wed.'s Picks: Bruins to end trip with win at NYR
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day’s games.
Boston Bruins at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have little to worry about when it comes to making the playoffs. Barring an epic collapse for either team, they’ll be in, but both have had some recent struggles that put each at risk of starting the first round on the road.
The Bruins will be closing out a four-game road trip over which they already got swept right out of California with losses to the Kings, Sharks and Ducks. They’ve had three days off to readjust and rest up before the home stretch of the season. Boston is currently three points behind both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. They are still very much in the mix to win the division.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have lost four of their last six, but are coming off of a strong win over the Panthers on Monday. The recent losses have opened the door for the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins to pull within two points for second place. New York will play Pittsburgh in what could be a pretty big game on Sunday, but they’ve got two important ones before they get there starting Wednesday night.
The Bruins have been leaning heavily on their top six forward all year, which has been more than enough based on the goals that they’ve scored for most of the year. However, there needs to be more support when the top six isn’t firing like they were. For instance, Brad Marchand‘s red-hot goal scoring has cooled down to a more normal pace. He has just two goals over his last 11 games following up an incredible scoring tear through January and February.
Patrice Bergeron, however, has remained a steady source of production. He has five goals and eight points in the 10 games since March began. Loui Eriksson also has maintained a relatively solid scoring pace with four goals over his last 10 games. Still, the Bruins need more.
That’s why they recalled AHL goal-scoring sensation Frank Vatrano. In 33 games with the Providence Bruins in the minors, Vatrano has 33 goals. It’s an unheard of scoring pace for a rookie. The 22-year-old forward also has 30 games of NHL experience under his belt, having last suited up for the Bruins on Jan. 19. He had six goals over that relatively short span in the league. Vatrano should help boost secondary scoring, which is a big reason he was recalled.
Over on the other side, the Rangers have had some players picking up the production recently like Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard, who have been pretty consistent scorers over the last few weeks. However, it’s the defense and goaltending that has raised some concerns.
Over his last six starts, Henrik Lundqvist has seen an average of nearly 35 shots per game. He’s only won one of those six starts and owns a .904 save percentage over that span. There’s no need to panic or anything as Lundqvist’s season to date has been pretty strong, but he clearly needs some help from the guys playing in front of him.
This game isn’t going to make or break either team’s playoff outlook, but both of these clubs will want to get on track and try to head into the postseason on a high note. After splitting the two games in the season series so far, the Rangers and Bruins should be in for another spirited game, which we come to expect when these two clubs get together. With the Rangers looking to hang on to home ice advantage for the first round and the Bruins still at least within striking distance of first in the Atlantic, there’s plenty on the line.
Boston will be looking to avoid what would be a season-long four-game losing streak. They always seem to make the right adjustment when things are going south to get on the right track. Goalie Tuukka Rask‘s status for the game is somewhat in doubt, but even with that in mind, the Bruins should have enough scoring to put pressure on the Rangers’ leakier defense to come away with two points. Pick: Bruins 3, Rangers 1
Wednesday’s other pick
The Bruins and Rangers have a big two points on the line Wednesday. (USATSI)
