Daily Bean: Bruins Gameday; 2027 Winter Classic, Olympic Rosters Revealed

The Boston Bruins (22-19-2) are back on home ice tonight after wrapping up a five-game road trip on Tuesday. 

The Calgary Flames (18-21-4) are tonight’s opponent, and they come into Boston having lost their last three games. Calgary is on the second game of a five-game road trip, and they played last night in Montreal and dropped that contest 4-1. 

Around the league, there were plenty of reveals since yesterday’s edition of the Daily Bean. Four national teams released their Olympic rosters, with 29 NHL players named to those four rosters. The NHL is going back to the cold outdoors; they announced the two teams playing in the 2027 Winter Classic on Wednesday. Also, trade talks continue with the NHL Trade Deadline two months away. The standings are tight, though, there are four teams with a sub-.500 points percentage. The dominant teams are no longer going to pick apart those who are selling. 

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are hosting the Calgary Flames for the final meeting of the season series. On December 29, the Bruins dropped a 3-2 overtime decision in Calgary; the Flames scored on a power play goal in the overtime period. Since the first meeting, Boston is 2-1-0. On the other hand, Calgary is 1-3-0 since the first game.

Careless penalties, and specifically one with no time on the clock, were in the Bruins’ way last time they played Calgary. Penalties happened again in Seattle, and they proved to be costly. It is a quick turnaround for Boston. The team flew back from Seattle and is back on the ice for a morning skate on Thursday morning, then a 7:00 PM puckdrop. 

The Fourth Period: Per David Pagnotta, the Boston Bruins remain in on Vancouver forward Kiefer Sherwood. The New York Rangers, as well as six other teams, are interested in the forward, and all fit as potential suitors. Sherwood, 30, is on an expiring contract and will be due an extension. Vancouver has reportedly been working on an extension for Sherwood. 

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The newest NHL team will get its first shot at hosting an outdoor game. Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the Utah Utes, will host the 2027 Winter Classic. Paul Bissonnette mentioned the possibility of an outdoor game coming to Utah on Tuesday’s episode of Spittin’ Chiclets. Gary Bettman and the Smith Family confirmed that report on Wednesday night from the stadium.

Colorado Hockey Now: Utah will take on the Colorado Avalanche in the 2027 Winter Classic. This will be Colorado’s fourth outdoor game, and first since 2021 at Lake Tahoe. Colorado hosted two Stadium Series games and lost both; this Winter Classic will be their first appearance in that event. Although the NHL has not yet confirmed the date for the Winter Classic, it is expected to land around the New Year.

Sportsnet: The NHL standings are tight, and the Trade Deadline is shaping up to look slightly different because of it. Nick Kypreos dives into what teams are deciding ahead of the trade deadline, and he says, “Gone are the days when a small handful of teams would dominate the standings and be able to pluck off needed pieces from those buried at the bottom.” 

Evgeni Malkin is listed in the article, but it is hard to imagine Pittsburgh moving on from him if they remain in a playoff spot. Vincent Trocheck and Anthony Stolarz are mentioned as trade deadline chips as well. 

The Fourth Period: Sticking with trade talk, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn is open to a change of scenery. Schenn, 36, is on an expiring contract that carries a $2.75 million cap hit. However, he comes with a lot of experience. Schenn has played in 1,100 games in his NHL career and has played in seven playoffs. This season, he has a goal and five points in 28 games.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: After Flames’ defenseman Zayne Parekh made headlines at the World Juniors for calling NHL players “robots” and “not having any personality.” So, Shelly Anderson took that to the Penguins’ locker room and got some noteworthy responses out of players on how they act in front of a camera. 

Sportsnet: The Dallas Stars signed 24-year-old forward Justin Hryckowian to a two-year extension. The Northeastern alum signed out of college and is finishing the second year of a two-year entry-level contract this season. Hryckowian has six goals and seven assists this season, and has 14 points in 47 career NHL games. 

NHL.com: Four teams have revealed their Olympic roster ahead of February’s games in Milan. On Wednesday, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland revealed their 25-man roster, and Slovakia released its roster on Thursday. Switzerland’s roster features ten NHL players, Germany and Slovakia each have seven, and Denmark has five. Additionally, the United States will play against Denmark and Germany in the group stage.