Need to Know: Bruins vs. Wild

BOSTON - The Bruins, in the midst of a four-game homestand, will be looking to continue building momentum on Tuesday night when they welcome the Minnesota Wild to TD Garden. Boston has won four straight and seven of nine dating back to the end of December, as the team has begun to get healthy and receive more consistent contributions throughout the lineup.
"I think we're getting production from the whole group right now which is great," said Brad Marchand. "When you look at our fourth line, they've been our best line the last few weeks. When you have that throughout the whole lineup it makes it tough to play against and also having essentially our whole team back, we're able to get a good look at our group.
"We've always had that depth, but with guys out consistently it's been tough to kind of keep it steady. It's good to have everyone back now and we're just kind of rolling from that."

During their four-game winning streak, the Bruins have been buoyed by plenty of secondary scoring, particularly from that fourth unit. Sean Kuraly grabbed the winning goals in the first two victories over Buffalo and Chicago, while Noel Acciari (at Buffalo) and Chris Wagner (vs. Buffalo) have added a goal apiece.
The Bruins also received goals from Jake DeBrusk, David Backes, and John Moore during the winning streak.
"It's huge. Obviously you saw it last game, over this stretch," said DeBrusk, who has three goals over the last four games. "You need secondary scoring to win games in this league. Guys have a done great job here. We've been working for a while. Pucks haven't been bouncing for a lot of guys. It's a matter of now it's their turn and obviously nice to see guys capitalize on chances."
Nevertheless, the Bruins feel there is still room for improvement, especially with some important games on the docket over the next week (i.e. Washington on Thursday, at Toronto on Saturday, and Montreal on Monday).
"I think there's always areas of your game you want to improve," said Patrice Bergeron. "Obviously been going well. It's a big week for us, playing some very good teams. I think it's about improving and keep getting better and work towards the goals that we're setting for ourselves as a team…it's been good, but there's some areas that we can be better."

Everything else you need to know ahead of Tuesday night's game with the Minnesota Wild (7 p.m. ET on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub):

McAvoy Skates

Charlie McAvoy was back on the ice for the second straight day before practice as he continues to rehab from a lower-body injury, which has caused him to miss the last five games. The blueliner has been ruled out for Tuesday's game with the Wild, but could join the team for practice on Wednesday.
"I think Charlie because we're not a structured practice today, it's kind of his call to stay out," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who held an optional morning skate on Tuesday. "Probably be a better determining [factor after Wednesday's practice] because then the contact comes in and you're a little more alive than pregame skate."

Opposing View

Minnesota (21-17-3, 45 points) enters Tuesday night's game as the second Western Conference Wild Card team. The Wild, who have three straight, are on the second end of a back-to-back after Monday night's tilt in Montrea, a 1-0 shutout victory.
Minnesota is paced offensively by assistant captain Zach Parise (19-19-38) - who is a candidate for the Central Division's 'Last Men In' at the 2019 All-Star Game in San Jose - and Mikael Granlund (12-27-39).
Backup Alex Stalock is expected to get the start in goal. The St. Paul native is 5-3-0 with a 2.60 goals against average and .903 save percentage this season.

Studnicka on the Move

Bruins forward prospect and OHL standout Jack Studnicka was traded from the Oshawa Generals to the Niagara Ice Dogs on Tuesday morning. The 19-year-old, the B's second-round pick in 2017, was captain of the Generals and ranked fourth on the team in scoring (34 points).

Wait, There's More

• Zdeno Chara is two goals shy of the 200th of his career. He would become just the 21st defenseman in history to reach that milestone.
• The Bruins and Wild are meeting for the 23rd time in history, with the Bruins having an 8-13-0-1 record, including a 3-8-0 mark at TD Garden. "We don't necessarily keep track of those [stats]," said Bergeron. "Obviously we know in the past it's been tough matchups against the Wild. They're a good team. They have a lot of depth and I guess their record shows. Hopefully we can turn this around tonight."

Tuesday's Projected Lineup

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - David Backes
Danton Heinen - Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson - Ryan Donato
Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari - Chris Wagner
Colby Cave
Zdeno Chara - Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug - John Moore
Matt Grzelcyk - Kevan Miller
Steven Kampfer
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak