NBCSN will continue its coverage of the 2014-15 campaign when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Boston Bruins at the Consol Energy Center at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight as part of a back-to-back set of games on NBCSN on Wednesday. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game and pre-show online.
On paper, a Boston Bruins road visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins would be a likely Eastern Conference finals preview. The Penguins are doing their part despite mumps and injuries, but the Bruins might just settle for a first-round matchup at this point.
The Bruins currently find themselves right outside the East playoff mix as they trail the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final wild card spot by a single point. While their calls are mere mumbles compared to the rumbling that resulted in Randy Carlyle’s firing, there are at least some people calling for Claude Julien’s head.
Just about every Bruins headline seems to be about people needing to loose up, or stuff like teammates shrugging off in-practice fights.
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Ultimately, the Bruins come into Pittsburgh with a 19-15-6 and plenty of frustrations. They can set the table nicely for themselves going forward, however, as Thursday begins a stretch in which they play four of five games in Boston.
On the other hand, the Penguins soldier on, navigating the peaks and valleys of an 82-game season. They hope to close out a four-game homestand with a third win as David Perron continues to get acclimated to new surroundings - and a potentially lucrative linemate draw in Sidney Crosby.
One would expect it to be a big-game goalie matchup in Tuukka Rask and Marc-Andre Fleury, yet you should stay tuned for goalie nods to see if that’s confirmed. Whoever’s in net, it’s difficult to gauge what kind of test they’ll face, as both squads seem capable of creating fireworks (yes, even the struggling Bruins) yet could also lock things down, too.
That 2013 Eastern Conference finals series feels a little distant considering Boston’s woes and Pittsburgh’s many changes, yet it’s unlikely that the usual suspects have forgotten. It should be entertaining to see the two franchises renew the rivalry tonight.