Steeves tallied the game-opening goal against the Blues, his fifth goal in five games as he temporarily plays alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie on the top line. The New Hampshire native did not play in his first NHL game until Nov. 8 this season, working on his game with AHL Providence to earn a recall.
“A lot of guys say it. But to Steeves’ credit, a lot of guys don’t do it,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “He didn’t like to go down (after training camp), but I also remember he said, ’I will be back.’ … The way he said it, I believed him. I knew his time would come.”
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Friday also marked Charlie McAvoy’s second day skating in a non-contact jersey after taking a shot to the face on Nov. 15.
Here’s the preview:
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: New Jersey -130. O/U: 5.5.
DEVILS
Season record: 16-11-1. vs. spread: 10-18. Over/under: 13-14, 1 push
Last 10 games: 3-7-0. vs. spread: 2-8. Over/under: 4-5, 1 push
BRUINS
Season record: 16-13-0. vs. spread: 21-8. Over/under: 16-13
Last 10 games: 5-5-0. vs. spread: 7-3. Over/under: 4-6
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: New Jersey 81, Boston 90
Goals allowed: New Jersey 85, Boston 93
Power play: New Jersey 23.6%, Boston 25.3%
Penalty minutes: New Jersey 230, Boston 371
Penalty kill: New Jersey 80.8%, Boston 82.9%
Faceoffs won: New Jersey 49.9%, Boston 51.8%
Stat of the day: Thursday’s 5-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues was only the second victory that the Bruins won by more than two goals this season.
Notes: New Jersey hits the road to complete a back-to-back set and looks to change its luck after being swept in a four-game homestand. The Devils took their second straight shutout loss and third this season in a 3-0 setback against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. … Prior to the recent skid that dropped them out of a playoff position in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference, the Devils were 9-0-1 on home ice this season. They are 7-7-0 on the road. … Devils coach Sheldon Keefe searched for answers in another late-game situation, moving his top line to feature Hischier centering Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt. … Another change to the forward lineup came in the form of Angus Crookshank, who was recalled from AHL Utica and made his Devils debut on Friday. He had an even rating in 10:36 of ice time. Crookshank had five goals in 17 AHL games at the time of his call-up. The first 21 games of his NHL career were with the Ottawa Senators over the past two seasons.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.