The Boston Bruins have been locked in to start the new year, winning seven of their past eight games. These games have not been particularly close, either, as Boston has averaged 4.3 goals and allowed just 2.0 goals per game during this span. Entering the new week, the Bruins find themselves in fourth place in the highly competitive Atlantic Division and sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with a 28-19-2 record, 58 points, and a +14 goal differential.
The upcoming week’s schedule won’t make things easy on this Bruins team, with the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers all on tap. Except for the Rangers, the other three teams are fourth place or better in their respective conferences, so the Bruins must be at the top of their game.
Boston Bruins’ upcoming schedule for the week of January 20
- Tuesday, January 20 at Dallas Stars
- Thursday, January 22 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- Saturday, January 24 vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Monday, January 26 at New York Rangers
Bruins’ DraftKings Fantasy Preview
Tuesday, January 20 at Dallas Stars
- The Dallas Stars are in third place in both the Central Division and the Western Conference with a 27-13-9 record, 63 points, and a +24 goal differential.
- This will be the first meeting of the season between these two teams. Dallas has gone 2-6-4 across its past 12 games, while averaging 2.5 goals and allowing 3.5 goals per game. Considering how much offensive firepower the Stars have, an average of 2.5 goals per game isn’t a recipe for success, especially when there are struggles when playing 5v5. While Dallas ranks 28th in 5v5 goals against per 60, the club ranks just 17th in 5v5 goals per 60 and 24th in 5v5 xGoals%. Still, the Stars rank second in PP% and 14th in PK%, and they have scored the third-most power play goals in the NHL.
- Goals have been hard to come by for the Stars lately, with Wyatt Johnston (25G, 28A) leading the team with five across the club’s last 10 games. Jason Robertson (27G, 29A) leads the team in points during this span with 11, and he has averaged a healthy 13.9 DraftKings fantasy points (DK FPTS) across 49 games this season. It is a luxury to be able to send out either Jake Oettinger (2.69 GAA, .902 SV%) or Casey DeSmith (2.46 GAA, .911 SV%) on a nightly basis, and it is likely a big reason for early-season success for this club. Among 90 eligible goaltenders, Oettinger and DeSmith rank 26th and 9th, respectively, in goals saved above expected.
Thursday, January 22 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- The Vegas Golden Knights are in first place in the Pacific Division and fourth place in the Western Conference with a 24-12-12 record, 60 points, and a +14 goal differential.
- These teams met once already this season on Oct. 16, with Vegas winning 6-5 at home. Since the new year, the Golden Knights are 7-2-1, while averaging 4.2 goals and allowing 2.8 goals per game. The club ranks seventh in goals per game, but looks a bit more average when playing at 5v5, ranking 14th in 5v5 goals per 60 and 10th in 5v5 Corsi%. Still, Vegas ranks sixth in 5v5 xGoals%, suggesting that it has been on the wrong end of puck luck, but it is all okay, given the club’s special teams play. The Golden Knights rank fourth in PP% and 10th in PK%, which makes an already stacked roster that much harder to beat. The club also ranks 20th in 5v5 goals against per 60, despite already starting four separate goaltenders this season.
- The rich continue to get richer, as the Golden Knights just bolstered their defense even further by trading for Rasmus Andersson (10G, 20A) from the Flames. Andersson’s 30 points already rank seventh on the team, and his offensive abilities add just another layer for opposing teams to worry about. This club has been cooking since the new year began, with Mark Stone (18G, 30A) leading the way with 17 points across the past 10 outings. Stone has an absurd 48 points in 32 games this season, while averaging 14.4 DK FPTS. It doesn’t stop there, as Jack Eichel (17G, 40A) and Tomas Hertl (20G, 23A) have totaled 16 and 13 points, respectively, during this 10-game span. That is terrifying, considering I haven’t even mentioned Mitch Marner (12G, 39A) yet, so it is clear how deep Vegas is.
Saturday, January 24 vs. Montreal Canadiens
- The Montreal Canadiens are in third place in the Atlantic Division and fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 27-15-7 record, 61 points, and a +4 goal differential.
- Montreal enters the week having gone 6-3-1 across the past 10 outings. If you’re going to beat the Canadiens, you’d better score plenty of goals. It has been an action-packed start to the new year for the club, as it is averaging 3.8 goals but allowing 3.3 goals per game. While the Canadiens rank 10th in the NHL in goals per 60, they have also allowed the 10th-most 5v5 goals against per 60. The club’s special teams play has helped, particularly the power play, which ranks eighth in PP% and has scored the ninth-most power play goals this season.
- The Canadiens have been a fun team to watch, with young cornerstone players leading the way in terms of point production. Nick Suzuki (15G, 39A), Lane Hutson (8G, 42A) and Cole Caufield (24G, 24A) round out the top three, with eight different skaters totaling at least 22 points on the season. Hutson has been particularly lights out, ranking third in the NHL in points and second in primary assists among defensemen, while averaging 10.5 DK FPTS, good for fifth-most among defensemen. Jacob Fowler (2.62 GAA, .902 SV%) has been the club’s most consistent goaltender, though the 21-year-old has dropped four of his past five starts.
Monday, January 26 at New York Rangers
- The New York Rangers are in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division and 16th place in the Eastern Conference with a 21-23-6 record, 48 points, and a -20 goal differential.
- It has been a very rough season for this stacked Rangers squad, as they have dropped six of their first eight games of the new year. They’ve been shut out a whopping eight times already this season and sport a 5-13-4 record at Madison Square Garden, good for the second-worst home record in the NHL. New York ranks 27th in goals per game and 28th in 5v5 goals per 60, a shocking development given the offensive firepower. One positive area has been the club’s power play efficiency, ranking ninth in PP%, though it draws the second-fewest penalties per 60, so consistent opportunities have been hard to come by.
- While the team has not looked good, both Artemi Panarin (19G, 37A) and Mika Zibanejad (21G, 26A) haven’t missed a step, and they have averaged 12.2 and 11.7 DK FPTS, respectively, across 49 outings this season. However, it will be tough for these two to carry the team consistently with both Adam Fox (4G, 24A) and Igor Shesterkin (2.45 GAA, .913 SV%) both currently on Injured Reserve. The club was already lacking depth production, so this is a perfect opportunity for the depth to step up and help secure some wins. The goaltending is the real concern, as Shesterkin ranked fifth in the NHL in goals saved above expected and 15th in SV% above expected. Now, New York must depend on a 40-year-old Jonathan Quick (3.13 GAA, .887 SV%) or Spencer Martin (4.13 GAA, .848 SV%), who has allowed 12 goals on 79 shots across four appearances this season.
