Boston Bruins vs. Utah Mammoth | Game Preview | 12/16/2025
[music] Oh, Christmas [music] music. Very nice. The Bruins are back home. David Pastnok in a very [music] Euro outfit if I do say so myself. Uh they're back home for a long time. There's Hampas with the Christmas tree. They kick off [music] a fivegame home stand. Oh yes, David Posanok looking a little bit [music] selfie vibes. Zero vibes and Souy vibes. Uh, Zidorov looking fresh. [music] Anywh who, they kick this home stand off at the garden versus the Mammoth. And speaking [music] of the TD Garden, it is a garden party this week as we are celebrating 30 years of the [music] Garden and this building. So, for the next three games, guys, we're going to live some memorable moments, relive those, and we're going to [music] be joined by some very special guests, including Bruins Legends. Speaking of Bruins legends kind of. This is uh Bruins pregame hub presented by Awaken 180 weight loss. Sophia Billy and PJ Stock. You're the legend I'm talking [music] about. >> Oh, thank you. >> Am I right? >> Well, in my mind. In my mind. All that matters. >> Yeah, it's all that matters. True. In my mind, I am. That's all that matters. >> Yes. >> Good to have you back. >> Great to be back. You didn't get the color coordination though. >> I did not like and honestly I thought this like I look really >> look like Ivon Dragua from like Rocky 4. >> Yeah. I'm keeping this on though. It's a little chilly in here. It's a little big for TV, but you got to try things out and figure it out later, you know. >> Uh we'll get there >> eventually. >> So PJ's on our show today and Thursday. Uh PJ, as I mentioned in the opening there, the Bruins are back home after a threegame road trip. And on the road trip, those were the numbers. 21 and0. So four points of a possible six. They scored 13 goals. They were looking great, but they allowed six in their last one. So that number's been inflated because of Sunday's [music] game. two for six on the power play, five for nine on the penalty kill, and as you see, four of a possible uh six, Billy, you were covering those games. What' you make of the road trip? >> Um, pretty good. I I I really I like their workmanlike attitude in St. Louis. Get down, but then doesn't matter. No problem. Hap, they get down in in Winnipeg, no problem whatsoever. They come back with three goals in rapid succession in the first period. Um and they had if I remember correctly going into uh in their previous three games going into the last game was nine different goal scorers. So I really like the depth that they've been showing. You know the Minnesota game >> really good in the first not bad in the second not so good in the third. Sof said Pete that led to a explosion of goals from Minnesota but overall you will take four of six points all the time on the road. >> And we're talking about the road. They also had a a win just before that road trip. So, some extra points. But going into that Minnesota game, there was so much noise around that. Of course, the huge trade with with Quinn's coming to that and the electricity in the building. Uh, they started off great. They started off great and it's just, you know, that it was a long, it wasn't a long game road trip, but we talked about this this morning. It was for days. It was it was longer than the normally three or three or four. You're just hockey hockey hockey. When you have a couple days off in between, you start to think about different things. And I don't think they were as sharp as that game progressed. They were playing again. Again, I thought Minnesota's one of the top teams out west. Lots of noise in that building with the trade with Quinn Hughes and I thought they started off great and it tallied off towards the end. >> Yeah, it was Listen, the only thing it was I people look at that final score and I have no issue with that. >> They did a good job and now you got to come back and make hay here at home. >> Well, speaking of home, they were on a three-game winning streak at TD Garden and 92 and 0 over their past 11 games. So here back at the garden, especially during the garden party, hopefully the building is alive. Good opportunity to secure some points. >> I think so. Uh you know, and we talked about it this morning. Speaking of long, how long was that show this morning? >> Yeah, we got kept going and going. But we talked about that traditional, maybe that's the wrong word, but expected first game back. And >> so Peach, we hope that that's not the case in this one. Um because the Bruins where they are they can afford to get off to a slow start and play a passive game against a highskilled team. They don't want to check as much this team. They want to play pace pace pace. With all that said, five in a row coming up here and we like their opponents. We like that this this is a good opportunity to build. I I think this is a great um first game for them because they're a real hardworking team. And it's funny as a player, I never thought of this, but now that we are analysts in this world and we watch games and we watch sequences, it's it's so funny. After a road trip, that first game you come back, >> teams seem to lay an egg. And I we we we don't know why. And as a player, I never even thought about it, but now that's just we were just talking about it this morning. We were going through it and I don't know why, but tonight's a great team that has a lot of talent, but works. And I think that's kind of what Boston needs tonight. They need to play against a team that has a great work ethic. The skill set, yes, they do have, but they work. And I think that's something that Boston needs some of that work ethic to forget about trying to change up that first game back. The best way to do it is a lunch pail match. And hopefully that's kind of what they can turn this thing into tonight. >> Well, good segue for me because we're going to talk about the Utah Mammoth, the opponent for tonight. Let's [music] take a look at uh their season so far. So, starting with October, great record there, 83 and 0, then worse in November, and then pretty even through eight games in [music] December. Uh, and last night, guys, a great comeback win. So, they're going to be uh they are [music] definitely going to be riding high on that. >> Sunday, this is actually the biggest comeback in the history of the team in the third period. They came back and put four past the Penguins. Team playing pretty good hockey up until the last little bit, but a big moment for them to build on. Hopefully they don't build too much on it as they take on Boston tonight. >> Yeah, this is a team that can score in bunches. We're going to get into a couple players coming up here, but you notice that record that it wasn't split personality though monthto month. It's been triple split, you know, triple personalities. I mean, they've been really a team that is [music] running the roller coaster all over the place. That last game though, they started feeling it and they started getting going and they got in a roll. Now, these three guys are the guys that are leading them. We do not have Logan Culie in the lineup. He's out at least for seven more weeks. Schmaltz free agent to be having a free agent type year. Keller, he signed their captain long-term. Another solid point per game season. Dylan Gunther, I know a player we'll touch on coming up a little later. He can shoot Beach. He's got to be the guy that's going to be the you focus on the skill set of some guys and the one guy that can change a game in one second, that's Gunther. The way he can shoot the puck can change it from so many different directions. other guys creativity and then Gunther gets it on his on his stick and it's changed. So, not a lot of time and space for him tonight. >> Okay. Well, Billy, you were watching obviously the road trip and you wanted to talk about how against Minnesota uh they gave up too many slots. Not not just many in general. Okay. And talk to my friends at Sports Logic. Just phenomenal analytic stuff. And you know, I don't use [music] too many of them. So PE, you'll learn that. But to me, this is telling 7.9 slot opportunities given up per game on average. That's third most or 29th rank in the NHL. And the Bruins have to clean that up. They they they have to because eventually that's going to bite him in the you know what if you continue allowing pucks to get to that area. These are good mini highlights. dope because this happened a lot. But on the trip, >> they went five against in the first St. Louis, 12 against Winnipeg they gave up, believe it or not, and then six against me. So a total of 23. And again, there's your average of seven and a half per game. They got to get it down into the five. And you say, "What's the big deal? What's that difference?" Two of those is a big big difference. [music] And it's it's okay, you know, it's okay to have those shot slot chances [music] if you have players in between the the goalie and and your and your net. So, if you're in between that slot chance and you are great at blocking it, if [music] you're just there and you're giving up those opportunities, you saw what could happen. But we were watching that premium skate this morning. There's not one guy on the team that can't shoot. Like, you can't give anyone in this league an opportunity from the slot because they can all wire it so well now. >> All right. Uh well guys, there was a roster move to announce for the Boston Bruins. They moved Jonathan Aspiro to Iir and they claim left Shot Dmen [music] Vladislav Kolia Chonok off waiverss. Thanks guys. God bless you. Uh the 24year-old appeared in 11 games. Barry's not here >> with the Dallas Stars this season, 85 career NHL games. And he actually had this [music] goal against the Bruins last season as a member of the Utah Hockey Club. So some irony there. He's not going to suit up tonight, but when he does, guys, eventually if and when, he'll be the 11th team. >> Well, right. And I'm just wondering, spitballing here as we see the goal again, does that mean not good things for Jonathan Aspo? Does that mean he's out for That's just me thinking out loud here. I hope not cuz he's been so valuable. Kona now it's his fifth or sixth franchise. He was with Arizona a little and you know he just was with Dallas this year but he's 6'2 200 skates well >> but given their situation PJ that you got to have the depth and and you know they they need it they whether it's here Providence now he can't go down to Providence right away without clearing waiverss so they're not they're going to try him up here but they need this depth there's no question about it >> makavoy you know he's wearing a fishbowl trying to play hockey out there as well there's injuries that happen it's so what a crazy week last two weeks for injuries in the National Hockey League. And then the back end's so important. We just talked about slot chances and we're talking about my point is they can give it to them as long as your defenseman still between the net and the goalie. So the defense area is so important. Obviously the offensive studs, but you need those guys to defend as well.
The Bruins kick off their Garden Party week tonight against the Mammoth. Sophia, Billy, and PJ Stock preview tonight’s matchup on Bruins Pregame Hub!
