The Boston Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden on Saturday night in a crucial divisional matchup, with Boston trailing Montreal by three points in the standings. Jeremy Swayman is set to start in net for the Bruins, who have won seven of their last eight games, while Samuel Montembeault will be between the pipes for Montreal following their recent 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. This Original Six rivalry game carries extra weight as a potential four-point swing.
The puck drops just after 7:15 p.m. ET at TD Garden, where the Bruins aim to capitalize on their strong recent form. Boston enters the contest off a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, extending their winning streak to seven in eight games. Head coach Marco Sturm emphasized the significance of the matchup, stating, “It’s always a special game playing against these guys. We feel pretty good about our game. I think that’s the most important thing.” Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, paired with Andrew Peeke for the second straight game, added, “We’re three points behind them, so it’s a four-point game for sure. Saturday night in our building, it should be fun for sure. There’s a lot of history between these teams; it’s nice to be part of it.” Zadorov praised the chemistry with Peeke, noting, “Me and [Peeke] have a lot of chemistry from last year... He’s playing really simple defensively and he gives me a lot of chances to create offensively.” Swayman, who made 28 saves in his last outing against Dallas, has a 2.88 goals-against average and .903 save percentage through 34 games this season. Forward David Pastrnak is riding a five-game point streak with eight points, including three (one goal, two assists) against Vegas. Quebec native Jonathan Aspirot will join Charlie McAvoy on the first defensive pair against Montreal, where he has averaged 16:31 of ice time per game and recorded three points in 31 appearances since signing a two-year extension on Jan. 11. For the Canadiens, Alexandre Texier returns from injury, and Arber Xhekaj rejoins the blue line, with Joe Veleno and Jayden Struble sitting out. Montreal has dropped three of its last five games after a 4-2 defeat to Buffalo, where Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored, and Montembeault stopped 13 of 16 shots. Defenseman Lane Hutson leads Montreal's blue line with 52 points (nine goals, 43 assists) in 51 games, while Caufield enters on a four-game point streak with five goals and two assists, averaging 18:22 of ice time on the first line with Suzuki and Kirby Dach. This third meeting of four in the regular season highlights the intense Atlantic Division race, with both teams vying for positioning ahead of the playoffs.
