Devils at Bruins
The Boston Bruins not only are solidifying their playoff position with a remarkable run of success, they are moving much closer to taking over the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. The surging Bruins look to extend their point streak to 17 games, without a key player on the blue line, and win for the fourth straight time when they host the struggling New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Boston won’t have talented rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is expected to miss at least two weeks after undergoing a procedure on Monday to treat an abnormal heart rhythm. The Bruins’ 12-0-4 run is tied for the sixth-longest in franchise history and they aim for a second victory this season over the Devils, who have won just twice in their last 10 games. New Jersey is expected to be without leading scorer Taylor Hall for the second straight game due to a hand injury after suffering a 3-0 home loss to Detroit on Monday. The Devils, who are 2-5-3 during their rough stretch, have scored just once in their last two contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, MSG (New Jersey), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (24-14-8): Hall’s injury is not expected to be a long-term issue, but the left wing had been red-hot, recording five goals and seven assists during a seven-game point streak, before missing his third game of the season. New Jersey also was without Brian Gibbons (12 goals, 23 points) due to a hand injury while Jimmy Hayes (three goals, nine points) was in the lineup Monday for the first time since Dec. 15. Cory Schneider (17-10-6) returned to action against Detroit after missing three games due to illness to turn aside 27 shots, and the Massachusetts native is expected to start again on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (27-10-8): Brad Marchand was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on Monday after recording two goals, five assists and a plus-6 rating over three games to take over the team lead in points (48). David Pastrnak had notched five of his 44 points in the last three games and Patrice Bergeron has added six of his 39 in the same span. Without McAvoy (six of his 20 assists and a plus-12 rating over the last 10 games), the Bruins will depend even more on Torey Krug, who has registered a goal and four assists over his last three contests.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey D Will Butcher is second among all NHL rookies with 25 assists, including four in eight games this month.
2. Boston G Tuukka Rask is 14-0-2 with a .941 save percentage in his last 16 starts but is just 5-4-2 lifetime against New Jersey.
3. The Devils are 13-for-13 on the penalty kill in their last four games but just 4-for-28 on the power play over their last six contests.