Game Twenty
Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers
November 21st, 2008 @ 7:00PM
Welcome to Charleston, as the Chiefs take on the Syracuse Bulldogs.... Sorry getting wrapped up in the moment. Tonight is "Ode To Slap Shot Night" at the Garden as the B's host the Florida Panthers. I got to say this is one of the best promotions I think the Bruins have ever held. The first 10,000 fans in the Garden will receive Hanson Brothers glasses and one lucky fan has the chance to receive a Slap Shot prize pack that consists of "grape and orange sodas, aluminum foil and a toy car set". Kudos Bruins, Kudos!
Anyways, the Bruins face off against the Panthers tonight and look to continue their success at home this season (6-1-1). In the B's last game, they looked to be in trouble early allowing four goals in the first period. But unlike the past, the Bruins fought back and scored five unanswered goals chasing Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller out of the net. Coach Claude Julien spoke yesterday on the importance of the team staying focused if they want to continue winning. Tonight will be the Bruins first focus test as they take on a huge underdog in the Panthers. If the Bruins come out and take them lightly they could find themselves in trouble like the other night against Buffalo. I say this because the Florida Panthers have owned the Bruins at the Garden lately, winning the last 5 match ups. No matter where the Panthers are in the standings, they allows come out playing the B's as if this is Game 7 in the Cup Finals.
Now for he Florida Panthers who are currently at the bottom of the barrel in the Southeast Division and are flirting with last place in the Eastern Conference. They are ranked 29th in the league in goals for per game and only two players on the team have broken double digits in points (Nathan Horton & Keith Ballard). There power play has been next to nothing thus far in the season ranking them 22nd overall and 10 of their 25 players on the roster are sitting in the negative when it comes to +/-. Needless to say the Panthers have struggled so far this season. After suffering another loss last night in New Jersey they will look to rebound against the hottest team in the NHL right now. The biggest question has to be, do the Panthers have enough fire power to battle the B's newly discovered offense?
GAME QUICK HITS:
- Tim Thomas will get the start tonight in net for the Bruins.
- Marco Sturm will likely be sitting out another game for the Bruins with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
- Tonight is "Ode to Slap Shot Night" at the Garden. Slap Shot was originally released in 1977 and since then has become a cult hit and an introduction to hockey for many. Hopefully Ogie Ogilthorpe doesn't show up with the Panthers tonight, since they will need everything they can get to beat the B's.
- This is the first Friday game at the Garden since December 23, 1977. Same year Slap Shot was released, coincidence?
- Florida Panthers have a few injuries this season: Kamil Kreps is out with a concussion, Cory Murphy is out with a shoulder injury and Bryan Allen is out with a knee injury.
- The Bruins have gone 33 for 35 on the penalty kill in their last 8 games. Both the B's PK and PP have greatly improved since the start of the season.
GAME PREDICTIONS:
(post your predictions in the comments section)
- Chris: Bruins 4-1
- Pat (OTP): Bruins 6-2
BRUINS BLOGROLL GAME PREVIEWS:
