We're in for a good one Thursday night.
The Boston Bruins will host the Detroit Red Wings in a game with massive playoff implications. If the Red Wings win, they're in, and their streak of consecutive playoff appearances will run to 25.
Detroit played Wednesday night, and did what it needed to do: beat the Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings did it in style, with Jimmy Howard recording his first shutout since the season opener in a 3-0 win.
Head coach Jeff Blashill is making sure his team is ready to play again 24 hours later, even though the Red Wings arrived at their Boston hotel at 2:45 a.m. ET.
"We worked on it with our nutritionist and our athletic trainers and strength coach to try to have as good a plan as possible to get rejuvenated," Blashill said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James. "It's physical and mental. We'll find a way to make sure we're at our very best. There'll be zero excuses."
Howard's expected to get the start in net after his excellent game Wednesday.
The Bruins, meanwhile, have lost two in a row and three of four, their last defeat a 2-1 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. A win will put the Bruins and Red Wings in a tie at 93 points.
The Bruins head into Thursday tied with the Flyers at 91 points, but the Flyers hold the second wild-card spot in the East thanks to a game in hand. Boston must win its final two games, and get some help. The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Thursday, so they're almost guaranteed two points.
"It's still in our hands, so we need to go out there and do our jobs," Patrice Bergeron said, according to CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty. "The biggest thing is you have to be confident, and you have to believe. But at the same time there are no more chances here. We have to seize it, and go out there and do it."
Matt Beleskey is relishing the moment.
"It's an exciting time of year, and it's do-or-die," he said. "We're going to take it one step at a time, and I think we are an excited group. ... You just need to play our game, and get the emotion going, get the (Garden) going and hopefully that will be what we need to get it done."
