Coaching change hopes to spark a fire for the struggling B’s.
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 7 PM
Where: TD Garden — Boston, Mass.
How to follow: NESN, NHLN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Know your enemy
- 7-8-3, 17PTS, tied for 5th in Central Division
- Clayton Keller: 6G-10A-16PTS; Dylan Guenther: 7G-7A-14TS; Nick Schmaltz: 0G-13A-13PTS
- Connor Ingram: 6-4-3, 3.61 GAA, .871 save percentage; Karel Vejmelka: 3-4-1, 4.04 GAA, .861 save percentage
- Opposing perspective: Locked on Utah Hockey Club
Game notes
- The Boston Bruins will look to turn the page on the first quarter of the season with Joe Sacco at the helm tonight against the Utah Hockey Club at the TD Garden.
- The first game for the Bruins in the Sacco era came with a preface of an “avoidable” firing of Jim Montgomery. Players, and new interim head coach addressed the state of the Bruins yesterday and acknowledged fault his firing, underperforming on ice and taking some of the fall for coaching.
- Sacco led his first practice as interim head coach yesterday. It was a full practice with an emphasis on special teams. The Bruins’ power play has been anything but special this season, hurting an already struggling team.
- While the Bruins work to get out of their power play mess, Utah isn’t much better at 13.7%.
- After day one, Sacco said he felt it was his job to focus on the Bruins’ energy and game execution and as a group, get the team to believe they are a good team again. “We have good players on this team and they are capable of more,” Sacco said yesterday.
- One way the Bruins will look to strengthen their game, and what Sacco called his first order of business, is making the team harder to play against. This will start with being stingier and defending the net front better. He said he feels the team can score goals, but the focus has been too much of that this season and they’re neglecting their defensive zone. The Bruins have given up 69 goals in 20 games for a 21 goal differential. Their goals against average is 27th in the league. But the offense hasn’t been there either and is around the bottom as well.
- This the final time the B’s will see Utah this season. The Bruins fell 2-1 in overtime to Utah in their first meeting on Oct. 19. In the game, the Bruins were outshot 32-22. Cole Koepke scored the B’s lone goal in the game.
- Utah comes to Boston on a two-game losing streak. They last played on Monday, dropping 6-2 to the Washington Capitals. For Utah, Guenther has four points in his last five games.
- See ya tonight and we’ll see what happens!