Boston Bruins host Toronto Maple Leafs in original six matchup
Two Northeast Division rivals go head-to-head when the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Boston to take on the Bruins in an original six matchup on Thursday October 28.
Previous meetings and recent games
The Bruins edged out the Maple Leafs last year by winning four out of six meetings.
Both teams have had good starts to the season and the only reason the Bruins don't currently hold a spot in the top eight in the conference is because they have played less games than any other team in
the NHL.
The Bruins had won four games in a row before they lost their last game to the New York Rangers on 23 October, which may have resulted from a goaltending change. Head coach Claude Julien had decided to
go with Tuukka Rask instead of Tim Thomas, who had been on fire.
The Maple Leafs started the season strongly but have only one win in their last four games. They snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Tuesday.
How they match up
Forwards Phil Kessel and Clarke MacArthur have been the two standout players for the Maple Leafs so far this season, combining for over half of the team's 23 goals.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere has four wins in goal this season and has been solid in every game. Jonas Gustavsson has also done well in a supporting role.
Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has four assists this season but is worst on the team with a minus-5 rating.
Although they've failed to get wins with Tuukka Rask in goal, Tim Thomas has been near perfect for the Bruins so far this year. Thomas leads the league in save percentage and goals against average, and
has won all his games. You can bet that the 36-year-old will get the starter's job back after Rask lost his second consecutive game.
Up front the Bruins have been led by their off-season acquisition from the Florida Panthers, Nathan Horton. In just six games Horton has nine points including five goals.
After a difficult year last season, Milan Lucic appears to have rebounded well and is averaging a point per game.
The Bruins might have hoped to get a better start from high-profile rookie Tyler Seguin, who was drafted second overall, but the Brampton, Ontario native is ranked 15th in rookie scoring with one goal
and two assists and is a minus-2.
What to expect
If Thomas gets the start in nets for the Bruins it will be a tough hill to climb for the Maple Leafs. Despite getting off to a great start, cracks have begun to show in the Leafs team and the initial excitement
is beginning to wear off as they are slowly becoming the team pundits expected them to be – a team on the outside looking in.
Expect the Bruins to make the jump into the top eight with a solid performance at both ends of the ice.
Prediction:
Bruins shouldn't have much trouble getting a 4-1 win.
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