Need to Know: Bruins vs. Stars

BOSTON –– The push continues for the Boston Bruins.

​The B’s will host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday at TD Garden for a 7 p.m. puck drop in the teams’ second and final meeting this regular season.

“We’re playing against a really good hockey team. I feel like it feels a little bit the same when we played Minnesota the other night – on paper, a very good team. Obviously, on points and standings, too. Just very high-end talent throughout the lineup,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “It will be a handful, and we have to make sure we’re ready to go. Hopefully, we learned from big, emotional games in the past.”

Boston is coming off a 4-3 shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday; the group collected all four points available on its back–to–back weekend. Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic’s fights in Columbus sparked the comeback for the Bruins.

“We’re playing really good teams every single night,” Jeannot said. “It’s a really good build-up to the intensity of what’s to come, and we’re just going to continue to learn and grow from it, just like we’ve been doing all year. To have a come-from-behind win like that, it’s only going to help us.”

The Stars, who sit second in the NHL and the Central Division with 100 points, have clinched a playoff berth. The Bruins are in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 92 points.

“I think every game right now – it’s felt like playoffs for the last month or so. You can just definitely feel the urgency with every game. It’s no different tonight,” Kastelic said. “I think it’s great for everybody to get a taste of that, myself included. It’s really fun hockey to be part of this time of the year. With eight games to go, to be in the position we are, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had playing hockey in a long time. Hopefully there’s more to come, and tonight’s just another step.”

Henri Jokiharju will remain in the lineup for the Bruins in place of Mason Lohrei, who is working through a day-to-day upper-body injury, Sturm said. Jokiharju will skate on the second pair with Hampus Lindholm. The defenseman has 11 assists through 38 games this season while averaging 17:51 of ice time per night. ​

Wait, There’s More

• Joonas Korpisalo will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Wednesday in Buffalo and made 22 saves in the 4-3 overtime win against the Sabres. Korpisalo has a 3.28 goals against average and a .891 save percentage through 27 games.  

• Viktor Arvidsson enters Tuesday’s matchup on a three-game point streak; he has six points (two goals, four assists) through that stretch. The 32-year-old forward posted three assists in Sunday’s win over the Blue Jackets, setting up linemate Pavel Zacha for his two goals. Zacha is on a four-game point streak (with five goals in three games) and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday.

• Charlie McAvoy hit a new career-high 57 points on Sunday with a goal and an assist in the win. It was the defenseman’s 10th goal of the season, which puts him one away from tying his career-high 12 from the 2023-24 campaign. McAvoy leads the Bruins with an average of 24:24 of ice time per night, and remains on the first pair with Jonathan Aspirot.

Opposing View

• The Stars most recently fell 2-1 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Arttu Hyry had the lone goal for Dallas, and netminder Casey DeSmith made 28 saves. The Stars have dropped four of their last five games.

• Jason Robertson leads Dallas with 87 points (40 goals, 47 assists) through 74 games. The 26-year-old forward has been on the second line with Matt Duchene and Mavrik Bourque. Robertson is also on the first power-play unit; the Stars’ man advantage ranks second in the league at 28.8%.

• Justin Hryckowian is in his rookie season with Dallas after playing three seasons of NCAA hockey (2021-24) at Northeastern University in Boston. The 25-year-old forward has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) through 73 games and is projected to center the third line between Jamie Benn and Colin Blackwell, who is from North Andover, Massachusetts.