Written by Hunter Skoczylas of DraftKings Network

This article originally appeared on DraftKingsNetwork.com!

The Boston Bruins went 1-1 last week, topping the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 26 and losing to the Philadelphia Flyers two days later. Entering the new week, Boston finds itself in fifth place in the Atlantic Division and eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-21-5 record, 71 points and a +13 goal differential.

On tap for this week's slate of games, the Bruins will face the Pittsburgh Penguins twice –– once at home and once on the road –– along with the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh is currently tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 75 points, while Washington is right behind Boston in ninth place with 69 points, so Boston must be at the top of its game.

Boston Bruins' upcoming schedule for the week of March 3:

• Tuesday, March 3 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
• Thursday, March 5 at Nashville Predators
• Saturday, March 7 vs. Washington Capitals
• Sunday, March 8 at Pittsburgh Penguins

Boston Bruins' DraftKings Fantasy Preview

Tuesday, March 3 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and Sunday, March 8 at Pittsburgh Penguins

• The Pittsburgh Penguins are in second place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 31-15-13 record, 75 points, and a +30 goal differential.
• These two teams have faced each other once already this season, with the Bruins winning 1-0 on Jan. 11. It has been a surprising season for the Penguins, who were expected to tank the entire season for a chance at Gavin McKenna. However, the club started winning games, and it never looked back. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in goals per game, while allowing the sixth-fewest goals per game. The special teams' play has been particularly impressive, with the Penguins ranking third in PP% and second in PK%.
• The club's in-season trade acquisitions, Stuart Skinner (2.76 GAA, .891 SV%) and Egor Chinakhov (13G, 7A), have been significant, with Skinner providing above-average goaltending and Chinakhov making his mark in the goalscoring department. The most important factor is the absence of 38-year-old Sidney Crosby (27G, 32A). He leads the club in points by a healthy margin, and Pittsburgh will need its depth pieces to step up while he's sidelined. It doesn't seem to have affected the Penguins too much, as they've won two of three games since returning from the break, with their loss coming in a shootout against the New York Rangers. Crosby has averaged a healthy 11.2 DraftKings fantasy points (DK FPTS) this season, so those points will need to be made up by depth players such as Anthony Mantha (21G, 24A) and Bryan Rust (20G, 23A), among others.

Thursday, March 5 at Nashville Predators

• The Nashville Predators are in fifth place in the Central Division and 10th in the Western Conference with a 27-25-8 record, 62 points, and a -30 goal differential.
• This will be the second of two meetings between these teams this season, with the Bruins claiming the first game 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 27. Since the new year, Nashville has gone 9-8-4 and allowed the third-most goals against in that span. On the season, the Predators rank 21st in goals per game, while allowing the fourth-most goals per game. Perhaps the hockey gods have been unkind to the Predators this season, as the club ranks ninth in 5v5 xGoals% but third-to-last in 5v5 Goals%. Positive regression may be coming, but the season is slowly dwindling, and it doesn't help that Nashville also allows the fifth-most 5v5 goals against per 60.
• Nashville's roster is certainly on the older side, with players like Ryan O'Reilly (21G, 37A), Filip Forsberg (26G, 23A) and Steven Stamkos (30G, 16A) leading the way in terms of points. Stamkos has averaged 10.1 DK FPTS this season and is just one of 14 players in the NHL to reach the 30-goal threshold at this point in the season. Five years ago, these forwards would've struck pure fear into their opponents, but they're older now, and Nashville's goaltending has been below average. Juuse Saros (3.19 GAA, .892 SV%) played well in the Olympics, but he has struggled this season and is in danger of posting the worst season of his career to date. Among 92 eligible goaltenders, Saros ranks 86th in goals above expected and 68th in SV% above expected.

Saturday, March 7 vs. Washington Capitals

• The Washington Capitals are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 31-24-7 record, 69 points, and a +11 goal differential.
• This will be the second of three meetings between these teams, with Boston claiming the first game 3-1 in its first game of the season. Washington started off very strong, but it has slowed down a bit since the new year, posting a 10-10-2 record since Jan. 1. The Capitals have won two of three games since returning from the break. The club ranks seventh in 5v5 goals per 60, while allowing the seventh-fewest 5v5 goals against per 60. It's going to be hard to string together solid winning runs when the special teams' play is mediocre, and that's been the theme in Washington this season. The Capitals rank second-to-last in PP%, despite seeing the sixth-most power play opportunities in the NHL. They rank 17th in PK% and ninth in penalties taken per 60.
• The club is led by none other than Alex Ovechkin (24G, 26A), but overall, the point production has been a bit underwhelming. Just six skaters have notched at least 40 points, and one of those players, John Carlson (10G, 36A), is expected to be sidelined with a lower-body injury. Washington's whole schtick isn't about running up the scoreboard, though. Logan Thompson (2.40 GAA, .913 SV%) has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL this season, ranking second in goals saved above expected and 11th in SV% above expected. His average of 12.6 DK FPTS per game ranks third among goaltenders.

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