Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference face off in a major litmus test for both sides.
The Pittsburgh Penguins found out on Monday that they will be without reigning MVP Evgeni Malkin for two weeks. "(Malkin) is not a guy we're going to replace. Everyone knows that," Captain Sidney Crosby said. "But we don't want to change too much; we know the way we need to play and our identity."
The team played without Malkin on Sunday against the New York Islanders and came away with a dominant 6-1 win. The stars of the show were Crosby (five assists) and Chris Kunitz (three goals and two assists).
"He's not a flashy player, not a guy who goes end-to-end or tries to beat guys 1-on-1," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said of Kunitz. "He's straight-line, real simple in how he plays: He goes to the front of the net. Right now, he's finding the back of the net over and over again."
Kunitz attributes his success to playing with Crosby. "I get to play with the best player in the world every night - it makes going out and playing a lot of fun," Kunitz said.
However Crosby was also complimentary of his winger's performance. "The way (Kunitz) is firing the puck right now, he makes all of us look good," Crosby noted.
The Bruins are coming off a hard fought win against the Ottawa Senators. The team trailed 2-0 for most of the first period but obtained goals from Shawn Thornton and Dan Paille to force overtime. Neither side scored in the extra frame but Boston eventually reigned victorious in the shootout.
This is the first match of the season between the two sides. Pittsburgh leads the Atlantic division with 36 points and sits in second place in the East. The Bruins have 37 points but trail the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the Northeast division; they sit in fourth place.
Predictions: Boston wins 4-3.
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: NBCSN