Need to Know: Bruins at Maple Leafs

TORONTO -The B's are in Leafs territory on Wednesday night for the second time this season with the aim of snapping their season-long, three-game losing skid in the final game before the All-Star break. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Divisional Battle

It will be a loud one at Scotiabank Arena as the top two teams in the Atlantic Division face off. The B's sit pretty at the top of the division with an outstanding 38-7-5 record and 81 points. Behind them are the Leafs, checking in with an impressive record of their own at 31-12-8 and 70 points.
"It's a team that's got a lot of speed, great transition," said Patrice Bergeron. "So we know it's going to be a battle and it's always exciting to play these guys, they're a great team."
The last time the two met was at TD Garden on January 14 when the B's got the 4-3 win over the Leafs. "I thought both teams played really well," said coach Jim Montgomery. "Both teams made plays offensively and defensively and both goalies made some great saves...hopefully we have a great game like that again tonight."
As for lineup changes, David Pastrnak will move back up to the top line to skate with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, while Taylor Hall will slide down to the second line to skate with David Krecji and Pavel Zacha. Jakub Lauko will slide in on the fourth line after being called up from Providence on Tuesday. Lauko played seven games with the B's eariler this year from October 12-November 3.

Bounce Back

The B's are in the midst off their longest losing streak of the season, falling to the Lightning, the Panthers and the Hurricanes last week. "I think we slipped a little bit," said Coach Montgomery. "We weren't playing our best, we played some really good teams, so it's going to happen."
As for the Captain's opinion, Bergeron said the B's must keep moving forward. "You're going to have some moments like that," said Bergeron. "For us we have been pretty fortunate this year, we haven't really had a losing streak and I think we have to learn from it, and that's all you can do is grow."

Opposing View

The Leafs are coming off a two-day rest, following a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. William Nylander leads the Leafs with 28 goals and 31 assists for 59 points. "He's a dynamic player, makes plays, incredible release," Montgomery saic when asked about Nylander. "That's someone we have to be aware of when he's on the ice."
Leafs star Auston Matthews suffered a knee sprain against the New York Rangers on Jan. 25 and will not play tonight against the B's. Matthews scored the only two goals to give the Leafs the win back in November.

Wednesday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS

Brad Marchand
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Patrice Bergeron
-
David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall -
David Krejci
-
P
avel Zacha
Nick Foligno
-
Charlie Coyle
-
Craig Smith
A.J. Greer
-
T
rent Frederic -Jakub Lauko
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Grzelcyk
-
Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm
-
Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort
-
Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
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Jeremy Swayman