The Boston Bruins are in the midst of a competitive Eastern Conference race. The Bruins faceoff against rival team, the New Jersey Devils, on Wednesday night during a time when every point matters. With just nine games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins and the Devils are on two different paths. One team is headed to the postseason with a shot at the championship, while the other might just find themselves on the outside looking in when the regular season wraps up.
The Boston Bruins currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and are doing their best to make a run at the top spot. The combination of Jaromir Jagr and Brad Marchand has proved fruitful for the team. The team has won four of their last five games, allowing only six goals in that stretch. Their goalie Tuukka Rask is among the league leaders in goals-against with a 1.95 average. In the team's last matchup against New Jersey, Rask turned away 40 shots, going 3-1-1 in five career starts against New Jersey. The Bruins are coming off a game where they posted a season-high six goals in their win of the Carolina Hurricanes. For just the second time in 12 games they scored more than three goals.
The New Jersey Devils are just trying to hold on at this point. They are currently on a seven game losing streak. A loss to the Bruins would be the most consecutive losses by the team in 21 years. The Devils have participated in the last 15 of 16 postseasons, the lone time being the 2010-11 season. The team was sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference until the losing streak began. Now they have dropped to 10th in the standings. Facing the Bruins during a time when they sit just two points out of the final playoff spot is not the best timing. Goalie Martin Brodeur is 0-6-2 in his last eight starts against Boston, posting a 3.09 GAA. If the Devils can sneak away a win Wednesday night and break the losing streak, it might be the momentum swing the team has been searching for.
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