^{A Marchandless Boston team will be hard to recognize}
Utah looks to build on its two game win streak tonight as the Boston Bruins come to town. Boston comes in on the second half of a back to back, after falling to the Avalanche 4-1 in Denver.

These are not the same Bruins you remember. 16 year presence, Brad Marchand, has moved on to the reigning Cup champions – in no small part providing them with said Cup. Additionally, other mainstays, namely Jake DeBrusk, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo have also been traded or signed elsewhere. Between the four players, there was more than 35 years of Bruins tenure. It’s safe to say their culture has massively shifted since the last time we saw them play at the Delta Center a year ago.

Boston started the year off on a tear; they beat the Capitals on opening night, then won the second half of a back to back besting Chicago in OT, then Sabres last Saturday. Since then, three consecutive losses have brought them back down to .500 for the year.

In a very odd quirk, the Mammoth have now played two opponents in the first 6 games that are on the second half of a back to back. Utah has not played back to back yet this season. Calgary preceded Boston as the previous team to come in tired. Unlike Calgary, Boston’s not a team used to the altitude, so look for Utah to capitalize if they can after their tough game against a stacked Avalanche team yesterday.

Boston brings a different vibe to the Delta Center tonight, as they are much stronger on the penalty kill than the last four opponents the Mammoth have faced. The Bruins do give up a lot of shots per game, at nearly 30 given up, with Utah averaging just under 30 themselves. Boston also takes fewer shots than average at just 26 per game, while Utah is the best team in the league at shot suppression. Utah is giving up on average 21 shots a game, about 2 shots fewer than even the defensive juggernaut in Carolina.

Against a tired and less altitude adjusted Boston team, the Mammoth look to keep shots to a minimum and produce a high number of quality chances for themselves.

Boston’s penalty kill will likely pose problems for a struggling Utah power play as the Bruins post a 92% kill rate. If Utah is able to break through on the power play, consider that a major win for the unit.

The Bruins are likely to start backup Joonas Korpisalo in net, as stud netminder Jeremy Swayman took the loss yesterday and they’ll want him ready against Florida. This should be a benefit to Utah, as Korpisalo’s posting a sub .900 save percentage and slightly above career average 3.5 GAA.

Key points to secure a victory tonight:

Keep shot quality on Vejmelka low. Despite Boston’s lower shot totals, they score 3+ goals per game on average. Boston’s been good in the dirty areas, able to get high-quality, high-danger shots. Shot suppression is extremely important, but a high-danger shot is far worse to let slip through than those from the point. Limiting Boston to the perimeter will go a long way to keeping the goalie happy.

Clayton Keller saw his first goal on Friday, and we will see if this sets a spark for the captain. With Schmaltz tearing it up on both sides of the ice – and finally breaking through with his hat trick – Keller coming alive will rejuvinate not only his line, but take pressure off the Peterka-Cooley-Guenther unit and spread defenses thin. With an already tired team, any additional pressure can tip a game completely in Utah’s favor.

Watch out for a trap game. With the Avalanche coming on Tuesday, the team may be preparing for a revenge game. However, Boston is very dangerous. Overlooking the B’s will be a fatal mistake. Focus on the game at hand, then put all your attention on taking down the division leader.

Expected Lineup:
No information available from the NHL as of time of this writing, but the assumption tonight is no change in the lineup:

TUSKS UP!