Tonight's Officials
Referees Tom Chmielewski (18), Wes McCauley (4)
Linesmen Ryan Daisy (81), Tony Sericolo (84)
Ntl. Anthem Nicole Talbot
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Bruins host the Blues tonight for the 1st of 2 games between these teams this season & the Blues’ lone visit of the season to TD Garden … The Bruins are 29-11-8 this season and are 16-6-4 on home ice thus far … They are 3-3-1 against Central Division foes and 10-7-2 against the Western Conference.
The Bruins play game 2 of a 3-game home stand tonight, concluding with Toronto on 2/3 before facing a 2-game road trip to Detroit on 2/6 & NY Rangers on 2/7.
WAYBACK MACHINE
BOSTON vs ST. LOUIS, LIFETIME SERIES
The Bruins and Blues are meeting for the 134th time in their histories with the Bruins having a 64-42-18-9 record and 487-395 scoring advantage in those contests.
The Bruins are 36-17-9-4 in 66 games played between the teams in Boston with a 259-181 scoring edge.
The Bruins have taken points out of 10 of their last 13 games vs. the Blues at 6-3-4 & these teams split last season’s series with each winning the road game … They are 1-2-3 in their last 6 games vs. St. Louis in Boston with their last home win over the Blues a 2-0 victory on Nov. 18, 2014.
Fun Fact: 10 of the last 11 games between these teams have been decided by 2 goals or fewer, including 4 OT/shootout decisions.
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2017-18: 164)
Charlie McAvoy underwent a successful procedure on 1/22 at the MGH to treat an abnormal heart rhythm. Following the Bruins game on 11/26, he told team physicians that he experienced heart palpitations during the game. Subsequently, he underwent an evaluation, which diagnosed him with a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The type of SVT he has is not considered to be dangerous to his health but can recur at any time and causes significant symptoms. After consultation with team physicians, as well as experts in this type of heart condition, he decided to have the condition treated with a procedure called an ablation. The decision to have the procedure done at this time is due to a high probability of recurrence. During the period from the initial occurrence through 1/20, he was cleared to play by the medical team and was monitored closely. The expected recovery period is 2 weeks.
Noel Acciari – Lower body, has missed 2 games
Anders Bjork – Upper body