Bruins vs Rangers Preview: Will Bruins Play ‘Lunchpail Hockey’?

The last time the Boston Bruins played the New York Rangers, the Rangers embarrassed the Bruins and beat them 7-4 on Nov. 25 in arguably the Bruins’ worst defensive performance of the season.

That was also the game that Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba wasn’t penalized for taking a two-hander to the head of Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic right in front of a referee and also faced no repercussions from a listless Bruins squad.

Trouba was fined a measly $5,000 the following day, but will he face retribution tonight? The TD Garden faithful will surely be urging that and a much more physical game from the Bruins than the one they displayed down at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago.

That would certainly be fitting, considering the Boston Bruins will be hosting their third Centennial Era Night in honor of the “Lunch Pail Athletic Club (A.C.)” (1977-85). Per the Bruins in a press release:

‘Led by the iconic Don Cherry, who served as head coach for five seasons in the ‘70s, the “Lunch Pail A.C.” era Bruins were known for their charisma, camaraderie and most notably, their signature grit. A time of transition for the club following the success of the Big, Bad Bruins, the Lunch Pail era boasted the rise of more superstar talent in Boston, such as Rick Middleton, Terry O’Reilly and Brad Park. The late ‘70s Bruins reached two Stanley Cup finals in 1977 and 1978 and created a spectacle for hockey fans throughout New England.’

Of course, the NHL is a much different league now, and the Bruins and Rangers probably couldn’t pull off even a fifth of what the ‘Lunch Pail A.C.’ did tonight. However, with the top spot in the Eastern Conference on the line, the Bruins could at least use the spirit and tenacity of that storied era of Bruins hockey in this Original 6 matchup.

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Bruins Game Day Preview:

Boston Bruins (19-5-4, 42 pts) @ New York Rangers (20-7-1, 41 pts)

Time: 7:08 p.m. ET

How to watch: NESN, MSG

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Betting Lines:

Money Line: Bruins (-120), Rangers (+100)

Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+210), Rangers +1.5 (-258)

Over/Under: Over 6 (+105) Under 6 (-125)

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Bost0n Bruins Notes

–David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist and then scored the shootout winner in the Bruins’ 5-4 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Friday night. Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals (17), assists (24), and points with 41 in 28 games.

-Morgan Geekie and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist on Friday night. Geekie now has two goals and two assists in his last three games. van Riemsdyk now has a goal and two assists in his last two games.

-Goalie Jeremy Swayman will be back between the pipes tonight. Swayman is 9-1-3 with a 2.07 GAA and .933 save percentage.

-Derek Forbort (lower-body, LTIR), Charlie McAvoy (upper-body, IR), Pavel Zacha (upper-body, IR), and Milan Lucic (NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program) are all out.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Danton Heinen-Morgan Geekie-David Pastrnak

Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-Jake DeBrusk

James van Riemsdyk-Matt Poitras-Trent Frederic

Jakub Lauko-John Beecher-Oskar Steen

Defensemen

Hampus Lindholm-Ian Mitchell

Matt Grzelcyk-Brandon Carlo

Mason Lohrei-Kevin Shattenkirk

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman

New York Rangers Lineup

Forwards

Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Blake Wheeler

Artemi Panarin-Vincent Trochek-Alexis Lafreniere

Will Cuylle-Adam Edstrom-Jonny Brodzinski

Jimmy Vesey-Barclay Goodrow-Tyler Pitlick

Defense

Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox

Erik Gustafsson-Jacob Trouba

Zac Jones-Braden Schneider

Goalies

Igor Shesterkin

Jonathan Quick

Officials

Referees: Peter MacDougall, Pierre Lambert

Linesmen: Tyson Baker, Ben O’Quinn