The Boston Bruins make their lone road stop during a busy stretch of four games in six days when they face the New Jersey Devils for the teams’ first head-to-head meeting of the season Wednesday night in Newark, N.J.
Boston enters the matchup on a four-game points streak (3-0-1), having climbed back above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line with its 6-3 win Monday over the visiting San Jose Sharks.
While David Pastrnak scored for a fourth straight game, secondary scoring helped the Bruins over the finish line in their last outing. Playing with a new linemate in captain Brad Marchand, recent AHL recall Matt Poitras fed veteran Charlie Coyle for the tying and winning goals in the third period.
“You can’t just rely on one or two players or one line to produce most of your offense,” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. “We need secondary scoring. We need other guys to chip in when they can.”
For Coyle, the late effort against San Jose ended a 10-game goal drought.
“It can create some confidence, but it’s not like you go into games saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got to score, I’ve got to do this,'” Coyle said. “I think as long as we play the right way, that’s just what I try to do, day in and day out.”
Sacco hopes for the same, noting that his team has at times gotten away from the defense-first style of play that makes it successful.
In order to strengthen their playoff standing, finding consistency will be important. Defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm returning soon should help, but the Bruins will be tested with four of their final five January games scheduled against current playoff teams.
“I think there’s always a sense of urgency, but for us, I know that this is repetitive, this is the game that’s in front of us, right?” Sacco said. “We know there’s runway left, but it’s getting smaller. … We have to make sure our guys are ready to play (the next game).”
The Bruins, though, will not have forward Mark Kastelic, who was injured Monday. Patrick Brown and Max Jones were recalled from AHL affiliate Providence.
The Devils have scored just one goal in each of their last two losses and are 1-2-3 since their last regulation win on Jan. 6, and the slide has caused them to slip into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Most recently, New Jersey took a 2-1 loss Sunday to the Ottawa Senators, who had come from behind for a 6-5 shootout win over Boston the previous day.
The Devils hope a strong finish to their three-game homestand can help spark a turnaround.
“It’s a new day. The past is the past,” defenseman Brett Pesce said. “Obviously, we know we’ve been slumping a little here. Every team goes through adversity. … We’re coming (into Wednesday) with a fresh mindset.”
Tomas Tatar scored the Devils’ lone goal against Ottawa. It came in the second period after holding a dominant 16-2 shooting advantage in a scoreless first.
“When you’re in this position you just have to simplify things, play very good structurally, it’s going to come eventually,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “But we can’t just be doing whatever out there. We have to simplify it a lot.”
While the Bruins found some secondary scoring in their last game, the Devils are searching for more from their best, including Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier.
“Our best players have to be better,” Keefe said. “It’s that simple. End of statement.”
–Field Level Media
