NHL Game of the Week: Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins have been on fire recently, but will the Bruins come into the Steel City and put it out?

In a crucial game for the Eastern Conference playoffs, Boston heads to Pittsburgh for a double black and gold Saturday night matchup.

While the Bruins have clinched a playoff spot, they are fighting to hold onto the number one seed in the Atlantic Division, where they are one point ahead of the Florida Panthers with 107 points.

Meanwhile, the Penguins have not yet clinched a playoff spot and are currently sitting in the number two Wild Card spot with 86 points. They are three points behind the New York Islanders, who are currently sitting in the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, and one point ahead of the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers, all of whom have 85 points.

Boston lost their most recent game against Carolina 4-1 on Tuesday, but they have won six of their last ten games. They have three games remaining: at Pittsburgh, at Washington, and vs. Ottawa.

Right winger David Pastrnak currently leads the team with 107 points. He also leads the team in goals scored with 47 and assists with 60. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy has 46 points on the season, which is the most among Boston defensemen.

Veteran winger Pat Maroon will likely make his debut for the Bruins in Pittsburgh. He was acquired via trade with the Minnesota Wild on March 8 but has not played since January 27 due to a back injury.

Pittsburgh is coming off a 6-5 overtime win Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, who is also fighting for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They host the Bruins and Nashville Predators before heading to New York to take on the Islanders in the regular season finale.

Center captain Sidney Crosby leads the team in points with 89, including three points in Thursday’s home victory, and right winger Bryan Rust has 27 goals in just 59 games played. Defenseman Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang each have 10 goals on the season.

Karlsson will be honored before the beginning of the game as it will be his 1,000th career game. He enters this milestone with 813 career points, which is the ninth-most points by a defenseman through his first 1,000 games all time.

While it is unclear whether Boston will rest their starters since they have already clinched a playoff spot, Pittsburgh will need to come out and get a win to hold on to their number two spot in the wild card.

The Penguins will be watching a few other games closely and are hoping for losses by the Islanders, Flyers, Capitals and Red Wings, who all play today. Boston will be hoping for the Red Wings to defeat the Maple Leafs and the Sabres to pull out an upset against the Panthers to keep their number one spot in the Atlantic Division.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday evening at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Ashley Mascaro is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email aem6398@psu.edu.