WHO: Bruins (20-16-1) at Canadiens (19-12-5)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: TD Garden, Boston
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
Geekie – E. Lindholm – Pastrnak
Mittelstadt – Zacha – Arvidsson
Jeannot – Minten – Kastelic
Steeves – Kuraly – Khusnutdinov
Caufield – Suzuki – Bolduc
Slafkovsky – Kapanen – Demidov
Texier – Danualt – Anderson
Blais – Veleno – Gallagher
The Boston Bruins play the final game of their five-game home stand with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens before Christmas.
Two points separate the Bruins and Canadiens in the Atlantic division. The Bruins know this is an important game. “We can feel the importance. You can call it the most important game we’ve had this year. It’s a big game for us and we need to bounce back ahead of the Christmas break,” David Pastrnak said on Monday. “It’s the Montreal Canadiens. It’s very easy to get motivated, especially the way the last couple of games went. It’s a must-win.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs fired former Bruin Marc Savard from their coaching staff. Savard was in charge of Toronto’s power play, which ranks dead last in the NHL at 13.3%.