NHL Game Preview - Boston at Minnesota

Sat Feb 1, 2020 8:00 PM EST

The Boston Bruins relied heavily on their special teams to pick up where they left off in their first game following the NHL All-Star break.

The Bruins look to continue their winning ways on Saturday when they visit the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.

Jake DeBrusk and Patrice Bergeron each scored a power-play goal as Boston improved to 6-2-1 in its last nine games following a 2-1 victory over Winnipeg on Friday.

The pair fared well in the previous meeting with Minnesota, as DeBrusk scored early in the first period and Bergeron added four assists in the Bruins' 5-4 overtime win on Nov. 23.

Boston benefited from sterling special teams play on Friday, as it thwarted all six short-handed opportunities before DeBrusk cashed in with the man advantage at 3:07 of the third period.

"Special teams on both sides of the puck tonight were very good," defenseman Brandon Carlo said, via NESN. "That's something that we obviously take a lot of pride in, I know myself being a penalty killer, that's a big thing for myself is to kill it off. Whether that be 5-on-3, 5-on-4, we take a lot of pride in that, like I said. And same thing for the power play."

David Krejci converted on the power play to cap a two-goal performance in a 48-second stretch late in the third period of the previous encounter against Minnesota. The Bruins, however, also surrendered a pair of tallies while short-handed in that contest.

Jaroslav Halak is expected to draw the nod on Saturday after Tuukka Rask turned aside 37 shots versus the Jets. Halak sports a 4-3-4 record with two shutouts, a 2.21 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in 13 career starts versus the Wild.

Although they're in the cellar of the Central Division, the Wild made some noise prior to the break by winning three of their last four games.

Minnesota exits the break with its work clearly defined, as Saturday's contest against Boston begins a pivotal stretch of seven of its next eight games at Xcel Energy Center.

"It comes down to us," forward Zach Parise said. "We have a few games in hand on teams. It comes down to us winning those games and trying to avoid, as best we can, the standings watching. Just worry about ourselves."

Parise has done his part with a five-game point streak (five goals, one assist) and enters Saturday's tilt with a team-high 19 goals. The 35-year-old sits two assists shy of 400 for his career.

All-Star Eric Staal, who leads the team with 38 points, has recorded 37 (17 goals, 20 assists) in 50 career contests against Boston.

The Wild hope that Saturday's return to game action provides a more natural feeling than the team's recent practice, at least in the eyes of forward Jason Zucker.

"It felt terrible," Zucker said of Friday's practice. "It felt like I hadn't touched a puck in a couple of years. That's the way it goes. That's the way the first practice is. You've got to grind through it and push. It was good to get out there and skate and get that puck feel back a little bit."

--Field Level Media