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The Bruins’ previous week of play saw them in action just twice as there was a natural lull in the schedule. They went 1-1 overall (loss to Florida, win over Carolina) and improved to 18-3 on the season. With 36 points, they also sit second in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy and lead their division by three points over Toronto.
The Bruins opened their week with a 5-2 loss to Florida, a game which represented only the third time all season a team has scored five goals or more against them this season. Boston gave Jeremy Swayman the start in this game, which was a little surprising considering Florida still possesses a very stacked offense, but there was obviously a desire to split this week’s starts between Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Unfortunately, Swayman allowed four goals on 30 shots faced and the Panthers were able to ice the game with an empty net goal. It’s the third time in six starts Swayman has ended a game with a sub-.900 save percentage. Boston did put forth a decent effort up front, landing 39 shots, and were able to get goals from key cogs in David Pastrňák and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins were likely overdue to run into a team with hot shooters and unfortunately, they did just that against Florida on a night when the Bruins’ forwards weren’t getting much puck luck on their shots. It was a bad loss on the scoreboard, but Boston did carry a lot of the play.
The Bruins’ second game of the week came against another tough Eastern Conference opponent in Carolina. This time though the Bruins prevailed, nipping the Canes in OT 3-2, with David Pastrňák scoring the game-winning goal. The Hurricanes smoked Boston in the regular season in 2020-21, beating them handily in all three meetings and out-scoring them 16-1 over those three games. Revenge likely played a role in the comeback win. This game was significant for Boston in that it marked the 12th home win in a row for the Bruins to start the season. The streak set a new NHL record for most home games won in a row to start a season. It was fitting that Linus Ullmark was the starter, as Ullmark played superbly at home once again for Boston and remains a perfect 8-0 while playing in Boston this season. Unfortunately, Ullmark did have to leave the game early with a lower-body injury, but Jeremy Swayman came in and stopped six shots to seal the win.
There wasn’t a ton of fantasy news and notes to report on stat-wise this week. David Pastrňák remains the leading scorer and nabbed a goal in both games. David Krejčí also continued his great run, grabbing two more goals against Carolina. He’s now scored six goals in five games for Boston and is clearly loving his role alongside David Pastrňák on the de facto second line. Linus Ullmark’s injury doesn’t seem serious and it’s already been reported by head coach Jim Montgomery that Ullmark will be active (as a backup or starter) in the Bruins’ Tuesday game against Tampa Bay.
Top Goal Scorer: David Pastrňák, 14 goals (Patrice Bergeron is second with 9 goals)
Top Point Getter: David Pastrňák, 32 pts (Patrice Bergeron is second with 19 pts)
Top Goalie: Linus Ullmark - 13-1-0, 2.00 GAA and .935 save%
Bruins upcoming schedule for the week of November 29:
- Tuesday, November 29 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Saturday, December 3 vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Monday, December 5 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Bruins DraftKings Fantasy Preview for Upcoming Games
Injury update: Derek Forbort (IR)
Tuesday, November 29 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning and Bruins have already played once this season with Boston grabbing a 5-3 win in Tampa. That loss is significant as it represents the Lightning’s only loss over their last seven games. The Lightning have outscored opponents 32-23 over their last seven games and are averaging 4.6 goals scored per game over this stretch as well. This will be a tough test for whichever Boston goalie starts, and with the team likely to be cautious with Linus Ullmark, there is a good chance Jeremy Swayman gets the call. Considering how up and down Andrei Vasilevskiy’s season has been, the goals in this game could come in bunches. Expect a close, higher-scoring affair and for the stars on both sides to potentially shine for fantasy purposes.
Saturday, December 3 vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Bruins have a very tough schedule this week as they’ll take on the Avalanche in Boston in their second game of the week. The good news for the Bruins is that they’ll be coming in well-rested with three full days off after their game against Tampa Bay. Colorado has started to pick up the pace after a slow start and has won four of their last five games. Avs goalie Alexandar Georgiev has been very impressive of late, allowing just three goals over his last three games and stopping 41 of 42 shots faced in his last outing. Both these teams rank in the top five of the league in terms of goals allowed per game and feature elite goaltending. Expect a closer defensive battle to develop. It’s not the greatest matchup to go diving deep down the Boston roster for fantasy purposes, so stick with the elite trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrňák when targeting forwards for daily fantasy lineups.
Monday, December 5 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
The Bruins finish off the week with another tough Western Conference opponent. Vegas sits atop the Western Conference standings with 35 points and has just six regular-time losses on the season. Like Boston, the Golden Knights have gotten better than expected goaltending this season with Logan Thompson playing well above expectations to this point. Vegas is a disciplined team that has taken the third-fewest penalties in the league to this point and is very strong 5v5, ranking sixth in xGF% (expected goal for percentage) on the season. This game will mark former Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy’s first return to Boston, so expect a game with lots of emotion. The Golden Knights have slumped a bit after a hot start, going just 4-4 over their last eight games, but they are 10-1-1 on the road this season.
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