Behind that defense is Jesper Wallstedt. Through 16 appearances before the Toronto game he was 11-2-3 with a 1.99 GAA and a .922 save percentage, and he shut the door on the Leafs once Minnesota took the lead. Filip Gustavsson (hip) is traveling with the team but is still on injured reserve, so the crease belongs to Wallstedt for now. Boston needs to beat a goalie who has rarely given up more than 2.
Boston was rolling until Montreal came to town. The Bruins won 4 straight, beating Chicago, Vegas, Pittsburgh and Florida, then gave up the first 5 goals to the Canadiens by the middle of the 2nd and lost 5-2. Casey Mittelstadt scored both Boston goals, so the offense wasn't completely asleep. The bigger worry is how quickly the defense came apart against a fast team. Minnesota can play fast too, and it also defends better than most teams do.
The Bruins are also down a center. Rookie James Hagens took a cross-check to the lower back against Pittsburgh. He's on injured reserve, and coach Marco Sturm says he'll miss a few weeks. Boston called up Ryan Eyssimont from Providence. That leaves the Bruins' centers short on depth just as Kaprizov and Boldy come to town. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET.
Both teams had a day off after Thursday's games, so neither has a rest edge. That leaves a clear matchup. Boston needs to bounce back at home after getting run by Montreal. Minnesota gets its top defenseman back and has a goalie playing as well as anyone. If the Bruins' defense looks like it did against the Canadiens, this could be over early. If it looks like it did during the 4-game run, expect a tight, low-scoring game.
