The Bruins get right back at it tonight in St. Louis, and there’s a familiar face waiting on the other bench.
Boston finishes its two-game road trip against the Blues, with Jim Montgomery lining up against the team he coached from 2022-24. The Bruins are trying to respond after Tuesday’s regulation loss in Carolina, a result that snapped an eight-game point streak and marked their first regulation defeat since October 5.
Montgomery, who was hired by St. Louis five days after being fired, is 0-2-0 against Boston since leaving.
The Bruins come in at 9-3-1, still riding a strong start even with the streak gone. They’ve won seven of nine and remain near the top of the league in both goals scored and goals allowed per game.
St. Louis, meanwhile, has dropped two straight by shutout and has not scored in 123:55 of game time.
Boston also has a new face at the top of its ownership ladder. Jeremy Jacobs announced that Charlie Jacobs will take over as the team’s governor, effective immediately.
Charlie has served as the Alternate Governor for the last 26 years. Jeremy had already stepped down as Chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors in September, and the board unanimously chose Capitals owner Ted Leonsis as his replacement.
The Bruins will get their final on-ice look before puck drop with a morning skate at 12:30 PM, 11:30 AM CT in St. Louis.
Around the league, the latest trade board is out, and the top of it is exactly where you’d expect. Dylan Larkin leads Chris Johnston’s list for The Athletic, and the former Red Wings captain has not rescinded his trade request.
His list still includes 10 teams. Johnston reports that the Canadiens and Sabres are interested, though neither is on Larkin’s list of acceptable destinations.
Simon Edvinsson checks in right behind him, while Pavel Zacha is No. 9, just behind Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
There’s also more buzz around Quinn Hughes’ contract situation. On TSN, Wild GM Bill Guerin said, “What am I going to do, say ‘please, please, please?’”
when asked about a potential extension. Guerin said he has not set a plan if Hughes is unsigned by the March 1 trade deadline and isn’t putting a date on the talks.
Sportsnet’s cap projections are also pointing up again. Frank Seravalli reports the NHL salary cap could climb to $150M by the 2029-30 season, with projections at $113.5M next season and $127.5M in 2028-29.
There’s plenty more movement elsewhere, too. Jacob Fowler turned in a 46-save shutout for Montreal, and Hockey Stat Cards said his game score of 5.52 topped the previous season high of 4.72 set by Jeremy Swayman in Boston’s 6-1 win over Utah.
New Jersey’s four-game winning streak ended in a 5-2 loss to Colorado. Chicago snapped a three-game skid with a 2-1 win over Los Angeles, and the Blackhawks’ new-look third line of Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, and Patrick Kane clicked, with Kane now one assist shy of 900.
San Jose, meanwhile, shuffled Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith before facing Buffalo, but the Sharks couldn’t score and sit 31st in the NHL in 5-on-5 scoring.
Tonight’s schedule is packed, with Bruins-Blues set for 8:00 PM on NESN. Earlier games include Jets-Lightning, Mammoth-Penguins, Blue Jackets-Hurricanes, Blackhawks-Red Wings, Capitals-Predators, Canadiens-Stars, Islanders-Wild, Sabres-Ducks, Senators-Kings, and Canucks-Sharks.
In Other News...
Bruins Top-Six Problems Are Putting Pastrnak At A Real Crossroads
Bostons latest look at its top six only sharpened the concern around David Pastrnaks current fit. Against Carolina, the line with JJ Peterka and Pavel Zacha never found any rhythm, and the underlying numbers were as bleak as the eye test suggested. The group spent too much time defending, too little time threatening, and for a team already searching for answers up front, that is the sort of combination that can force a coach to start shuffling pieces again.
One path back to stability is sitting right there in the recent history of the lineup, where Pastrnak had more traction alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten. The Bruins also have Morgan Geekie in the mix as another forward whose own struggles add to the pressure on the top-six configuration. With the offense still trying to find a cleaner structure, the question is whether Boston decides to keep pushing this version of Pastrnaks line or goes back to a combination that already showed it can work. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away After Early Lead
The Bruins had enough early to feel like they could take something out of Raleigh, with Pavel Zacha giving them the only goal they would need to lean on if the rest of the night broke their way. Jeremy Swayman did his part with 28 saves, and for long stretches Boston had the look of a team capable of grinding out a road result before the game tightened and the margin for error disappeared.
Instead, a one-goal cushion turned into a one-goal loss, 2-1, and Bostons point streak came to an end in a game that had been there for the taking. The Bruins now get a day off to reset before turning to the St. Louis Blues, with the lingering concern being how quickly a solid start can unravel when a road game stays this close for too long. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Pavel Zacha Dilemma They Can't Ignore
Pavel Zachas next contract has become one of those quiet Bruins storylines that could wind up mattering a great deal. Chris Johnston reported that Boston and Zacha do not see the financial picture the same way, which puts the organization in a familiar spot: valuing a useful top-six forward while trying to keep its books pointed in the right direction.
For the Bruins, the tension is less about what Zacha has become than what they are willing to pay to keep him in that role. Johnstons reporting suggests the club has its own line in mind, and the gap with the players side is enough to make this more than routine negotiation. If Boston wants to avoid letting a stable piece of its forward group become a bigger offseason question, this is the kind of discussion that will need clarity sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]