Stars vs Bruins: The Dallas Stars will travel to TD Garden to face the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. The Stars will enter with a 1-0 record after beating the Rangers 3-2 overtime on Thursday. This will be Boston’s first game of the season.
The Stars did not make the playoffs in 2020-21, so they will be looking to rebound this season. The Bruins were bested in the second round of the postseason, so they will be looking to improve their championship pedigree.
Both rosters have exciting players who should make for a great opener at TD Garden on Saturday night. The B’s are favored on the puck line and -174 to win. The Stars are +146 on the money line. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET.
Bruins Looking to Storm the Net
The 2021-22 Bruins should make hockey fans in Boston very excited. This team has the roster to make a deep playoff run, especially if they get hot at the right time. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand should get a lot of shots on goal in the opener.
The trio combined for 72 goals and 93 assists last season. Additionally, Taylor Hall will play a big role for the B’s once again. In 16 games last year, he found the back of the net eight times and added six assists.
Charlie McAvoy is the defensive guru for Boston. On Friday, he signed a massive eight-year deal worth $76 million. McAvoy is just 23 years old, but he is one of the highest-paid defensemen in the game.
Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk will return to support McAvoy in the defensive zone. Jeremy Swayman will start in the crease for the B’s, and his future is bright. In ten games last year, he had a .945 save percentage.
Dallas Will Rely on Defense
The Stars won in overtime against the Rangers to start the year at Madison Square Garden. The main scorers on the team are Jamie Benn and Ryan Suter, who will be forces at both ends of the ice.
In 2020-21, Dallas relied on defense to win games. The team let in 2.64 goals per game, and if they replicate this stat, they could find themselves in the postseason. Brady Holtby will be in the net for Dallas and will look to build off a great Stars’ debut where he saved 25 of 27 shots.
Bruins vs Stars: The Matchup
The Bruins have a better team than the Stars, but Dallas upset an excellent Rangers team at Madison Square Garden. Boston will have to eliminate their momentum very early in the game and try to get on the board in the first period.
The Bruins offense against the Stars defense will be the matchup of the night. Whatever unit wins this battle will likely prevail at TD Garden.
The Stars will have a difficult time getting shots on goal because of McAvoy and the remainder of the defense. However, Swayman is young, so a mistake could be in his future on Saturday night.
