The Bruins have tried to build on wins 10 times since last winning consecutive games back on Jan. 10-12, and 10 times theyve failed.
Theyll get another chance on Thursday night at TD Garden against a Buffalo Sabres team thats won seven of their last nine games, and is riding a red-hot Ryan Miller into the dragons den where Milan Lucic knocked him for a loop earlier this season.
Theres clearly no love lost between these two teams given the nastiness thats occurred in a handful of extremely eventful games. It shouldnt be any different on Thursday for a pair of hockey clubs that badly need the two points.
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Boston needs the victory to start their pre-playoff roll through the season and Buffalo simply needs it for survival.
The Bruins are missing five players from their Opening Night lineup as injuries have swept through Boston like they never did last year in a successful Stanley Cup run. Theyve had their tough times adjusting to life without players like Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley, but it also opens the door for somebody like Jordan Caron to step into the breach.
Claude Julien has made the call for players with character to step to the fore, and theyve started doing that with solid back-to-back team identity efforts against the Rangers and Maple Leafs.
This is where you build your character, said Julien. You go out there and compete hard. For certain guys they get to maybe play a little bit bigger role. It helps you along the way.
By the time you get to the end of the year and youre a healthy team, all of those things have been positive things for your hockey club.
Right now the Sabres sit only two points out of the No. 8 spot in the playoffs and theyve played Miller in 21 straight games without the luxury of allowing a loss or two along the way. The lithe goaltender is also boasting a 1.45 goals against average against the Bruins this season, which will provide a challenge for a Bruins offense thats been more than a little sporadic lately.
"This is our playoffs, said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. We've put ourselves on a nice run, but it's one game at a time and being ready to pick up the two points and move on to the next game."
So many times in hockey the team playing with more desperation is the one that comes away with the two points. Itll be interesting to see if thats a Bruins team starving for a little consistency, or a Buffalo club that has a chance to prove their playoff hope is legitimate on the road in Boston.
PLAYER NEEDING HIS TIRES PUMPED: Newcomer Greg Zanon has experienced a little difficulty transitioning to the Bruins way of doing things and hasnt had a lot of puck luck around the net. He had pucks bounce off him for goals in the losses to both the Islanders and the Rangers last weekend, and he got in Tim Thomas line of vision on Torontos first goal Tuesday night. Zanon is a minus-4 in his last three games with the Bruins and has been brought along slowly with under 15 minutes of ice time per game as he gets acquainted with the Bs way of doing things. He could use a solid bounce-back performance against the Sabres.
DRESSING ROOM MANTRA HEADED INTO THE GAME: Were definitely taking it day-by-bay. We said the same thing a lot last year. We dont let the highs get too high and the lows get too low. Its clich but its true. Weve been getting down to business and focusing on the next game. Experience helps, but a big part of us winning last year was not worrying about what had just happened to us. Shawn Thornton helping to prod the Bruins into a steady, even-keeled mentality needed for the playoffs.
KEY MATCHUP: New Buffalo forward Cody Hodgson was a dominant force when he came into Boston with the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season prior to his trade to the Sabres. Hell most likely be part of a Sabres power play unit thats been doing a lot of damage for them as theyve ripped off seven wins in their last 10 games while making a final push for the playoffs. Itll be up to the Bs 8th-ranked penalty kill in the NHL to stymie the Buffalo power play and up to Bostons players to avoid feeding into Patrick Kaletas antics designed to get them into penalty trouble.
STAT TO WATCH: 22That's the number of consecutive games that Ryan Miller has manned between the pipes, including Thursday nights tilt against the Boston Bruins. While Thomas has appeared in seven consecutive games, its Miller that is sure to wear down at any time now given his slight build and exhausting workload down the stretch.
INJURIES: Cody McCormick and Jochen Hecht (concussion) are both out with concussions for the Sabres. Nathan Horton (mild concussion) and Rich Peverley (sprained knee) are out for the Bruins, but were both spotted walking through the dressing room after Thursdays morning skate. Tuukka Rask (groin strain) is out for 4-6 weeks and may not return before the end of the regular season. Andrew Ference (lower body) and Daniel Paille (upper body) are both skating but have been ruled out for Thursday nights game. Benoit Pouliot (lower body) will play against Buffalo after failing to return for the second or third period in Tuesdays win over the Maple Leafs.
GOALTENDING MATCHUP: Tim Thomas has appeared in seven straight games and its starting to look like things are wearing on him. His glove hand is getting lethargic and his recovery time after dropping down low to get to pucks has slowed over the last few games. He badly needs a break, but he wont get it tonight against the Sabres while posting a 3.69 GAA and .856 save percentage in four games during the month of March thus far. Ryan Miller will play in his 22nd consecutive game between the pipes for the Sabres, and hes been brilliant while going 11-3-3 with a 1.84 goals against average and a .939 save percentage since the NHL All-Star break.