Boston Bruins eye third straight win as they face Pittsburgh Penguins – NHL Preview
After having clinched the National Hockey League (NHL) Northeast Division title, the defending Stanley Cup champions, Boston Bruins, are feeling confident and with just three more games left for them to play in the regular season, they are hoping to carry
winning momentum into the playoffs.
As for the Pittsburgh Penguins, their impressive winning run received a dent recently as they went on to lose a few games.
Penguins have also qualified for the playoffs, but they, like Bruins, also need to carry the winning momentum into the postseason.
Penguins and Bruins are going to face each other on Tuesday, April 03, 2012, at TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.
Here is a look at both teams.
Bruins
They are ranked at second spot in the Eastern Conference with 98 points after 79 games.
Bruins have won five of their last six games and are currently on a two-game winning streak with the victories coming against New York Islanders (6-3) and New York Rangers (2-1).
In their last game, Bruins were one goal down after the end of first period, but they rallied to score two goals in the second and goalie, Tim Thomas, did his part and successfully prevented the puck from entering his net.
The victory gave Bruins the title of Northeast Division. Thomas said after the victory:
“It was an important win for a number of reasons. One of those was to show them we're not a pushover team just in case we get matched up in the playoffs."
He added:
"We're not playing for position in the conference, but we are playing for our own momentum and our confidence. It's good, but it's not the banner we want. We want something else to go along with it."
Penguins
They are ranked at fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with 102 points after 79 games and have already qualified for the playoffs.
The Penguins have been playing brilliantly throughout the season, but they lost their rhythm slightly of late.
Penguins have lost three out of their last four games with the recent defeat coming against Philadelphia Flyers.
Penguins started the game well and scored twice in first period while giving away one. However, Penguins did not score in the next period in which Flyers levelled the score.
Penguins added two goals in the final period, but Flyers got four goals and won the game.
Predictions
Bruins have an edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
If Penguins win, the winning margin will be two or more goals.
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