Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres

Thursday night the Boston Bruins will welcome the Buffalo Sabres in TD Garden. The recent form of Buffalo is a bit alarming. Will they be able to surpise the Bruins tonight?

Same old song for the Sabres?

Just like last year the Buffalo Sabres started their season so well and it wasn't surprising that people started to wonder if they would finally be a worthy playoff team. This question has been answered in recent weeks, because November has pulled them back down to earth. The Sabres have lost eight of their last nine games, which is why they've dropped to fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

In particular, their lack of scoring has been exposed once again during the last three weeks. Besides Jack Eichel, no one's scoring more than one goal per game. Buffalo's captain stepped up during the Sabres only recent win, scoring all four goals in a 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators. The 4-1 loss in their own barn against the Minnesota Wild last Tuesday was a new low-point for head coach Ralph Krueger. Some things have to change quickly, and that will start tonight as the Sabres shuffle the deck.

Important win in New Jersey

The Boston Bruins looked like the team to beat during the first weeks of the new NHL season, but surprisingly they were on a four-game losing streak recently. Head coach Bruce Cassidy had to deal with some injuries lately. He missed Patrice Bergeron during the last two games of the Bruins. A penalty shoot out loss against the Washington Capitals was a bit unnecessary, but they followed it up with an expected win against the New Jersey Devils (5-1) .

Besides David Pastrnak, who scored two goals and lifted his season total to ninenteen, David Krejci excelled on the top line with two assists. Patrice Bergeron is expected to return to the lineup for the Boston Bruins tonight. The center, has been extremely important for Boston again in the first six weeks of the new season, with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 19 games.

The Bruins win again

The top line of Boston, consisting of Marchand, Bergeron and Marchand, will be intact again tonight. They are on a roll and it will be a tough task for Buffalo to keep them from scoring. Buffalo's lack of scoring is becoming worrying. Eichel can't carry the team on his own, so he needs his teammates if the sabres are to take a result from Boston. I just can't see Buffalo getting a few pucks past Tuukka Rask with their recent poor offensive play and expect the Bruins to book the second confident win in a row.