The Boston Bruins have won four in a row and continue to gain ground in the Atlantic Division standings. The Bruins (31-17-4) are now in the first wild card spot with 66 points, one point ahead of the Washington Capitals. Boston continues their West Coast swing with a date with the streaking Los Angeles Kings (29-17-7) tonight at Crypto.com Arena at 10:30 Eastern (NESN, NHLN). The Kings are 8-1-1 in their last ten games and just three points behind Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division.
Boston is led by Brad Marchand, who had two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over Anaheim on Saturday. Marchand leads the team with 52 points. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman has been a big part of the team’s resurgence with a 4-1-1 record, and a .951 save percentage in February.
The Kings have been under the radar for much of the season but are one of the league’s hottest teams. Anze Kopitar leads the way with 50 points, and Adrian Kempe has a team-leading 25 goals. Veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick has had a very good year with a .913 save percentage.
These are two of the league’s best defensive teams. The Bruins and Kings are 7th and 8th in the league in goals against. The difference tonight could be in special teams. The Kings are 28th on the penalty kill on the season at 76.03 percent, while the Bruins have the 8th beat power play at 23.68 percent.
These two teams are not very familiar with each other. The Bruins lost to Los Angeles 4-3 in Boston on December 18, 2019. This was the last meeting between the two clubs. Boston hasn’t visited the Kings in over three years. On February 17, 2019, the Bruins grabbed a 4-2 win. Both teams look to continue their recent surge towards a playoff berth tonight.
