Things to watch for in 2016 Winter Classic
-- FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The storied rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens continues Friday at the 2016 NHL Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.
No matter the outcome, it's slated to be a special event, as nearly 70,000 fans will witness another chapter in this heated battle. On the ice, it's an important game for both teams as far as the standings are concerned.
Here's what to watch for:
"It could change a lot," he said after the team's practice Thursday. "Everyone's seen our division and how tight it is. Every night we're looking at scores and you can go from first place to out of a playoff spot almost with two points. First and foremost, we have to concentrate on two points.
"If we can pull out a good game [Friday] and get the victory, it could be a good jump start for things to come."
The Bruins have been inconsistent this season, but snapped a three-game losing skid in dramatic fashion against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Boston believes it can build on that victory in the Winter Classic.
"I enjoy playing with Gally a lot because we've had a lot of good success in the past, but he's easy to play with and you always know what he's going to do with the puck," the captain said. "It's a simple game going out there with him. He's going to do the dirty work and makes it a lot easier on his linemates. We've had that chemistry for a couple of years now and hopefully we can pick up right where we left off."
The line of Pacioretty, Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec will be reunited.
"I know Brad's a big part of their team, so I'm sure they're going to miss him," said Montreal's P.K. Subban.
As a result of Marchand's suspension, the Bruins recalled forward Alex Khokhlachev from Providence of the AHL and assigned defenseman Colin Miller to the P-Bruins.
At the other end of the ice, rookie netminder and Boston native Mike Condon will get the start. He's 1-1-0 against the Bruins this season. Like Rask, Condon also honors the Patriots with a photo of coach Bill Belichick on the back of his mask.
"It could change a lot," he said after the team's practice Thursday. "Everyone's seen our division and how tight it is. Every night we're looking at scores and you can go from first place to out of a playoff spot almost with two points. First and foremost, we have to concentrate on two points.
"If we can pull out a good game [Friday] and get the victory, it could be a good jump start for things to come."
The Bruins have been inconsistent this season, but snapped a three-game losing skid in dramatic fashion against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Boston believes it can build on that victory in the Winter Classic.
"I enjoy playing with Gally a lot because we've had a lot of good success in the past, but he's easy to play with and you always know what he's going to do with the puck," the captain said. "It's a simple game going out there with him. He's going to do the dirty work and makes it a lot easier on his linemates. We've had that chemistry for a couple of years now and hopefully we can pick up right where we left off."
The line of Pacioretty, Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec will be reunited.
"I know Brad's a big part of their team, so I'm sure they're going to miss him," said Montreal's P.K. Subban.
As a result of Marchand's suspension, the Bruins recalled forward Alex Khokhlachev from Providence of the AHL and assigned defenseman Colin Miller to the P-Bruins.
At the other end of the ice, rookie netminder and Boston native Mike Condon will get the start. He's 1-1-0 against the Bruins this season. Like Rask, Condon also honors the Patriots with a photo of coach Bill Belichick on the back of his mask.
"I know Brad's a big part of their team, so I'm sure they're going to miss him," said Montreal's P.K. Subban.
As a result of Marchand's suspension, the Bruins recalled forward Alex Khokhlachev from Providence of the AHL and assigned defenseman Colin Miller to the P-Bruins.
At the other end of the ice, rookie netminder and Boston native Mike Condon will get the start. He's 1-1-0 against the Bruins this season. Like Rask, Condon also honors the Patriots with a photo of coach Bill Belichick on the back of his mask.