Need to Know: Bruins vs. Rangers 

BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers on Saturday at TD Garden for a matinee, Original Six matchup.

The 1 p.m. puck drop marks the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams; the B’s fell 6-2 to the Rangers on Nov. 28 when they were dealing with injury adversity. Now closer to full strength, the Bruins aim to secure two points against New York.

"Looking back to the other game, it was a frustrating night for us. Lost a lot of players that day. Came back from the road and we didn't play good. I expect a different effort, different game tonight. Since then, a lot of games, a lot of days passed by. I think we are a different hockey team, too. We are going to keep moving forward, try to get better every day and it is going to be a good challenge tonight."

​Boston is coming off a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday, which opened a five-game homestand. Sturm is not changing the winning lineup and will roll with the same look on Saturday, he said.

Wait, There’s More

• Charlie McAvoy enters the contest on a four-game point streak. The defenseman is skating on the first pair with Nikita Zadorov and averaging 24:02 of ice time per night. McAvoy’s sister, Kayla, is an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Rangers. The Long Beach, New York native has a total of 23 points (one goal, 22 assists) through 32 games this year.
• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Tuesday in Seattle and made 20 saves. Swayman has a 2.91 goals against average and a .902 save percentage through 30 games.
• Sean Kuraly posted his third multi-point performance of the season on Thursday against the Flames with a goal and an assist. The 32-year-old forward has anchored the fourth line and is skating alongside Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic. Kuraly has a total of 13 points (four goals, nine assists) through 44 games.

Opposing View

• The Rangers most recently fell 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck scored in the loss, and netminder Jonathan Quick made 16 saves. New York has dropped four of its last five games ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Bruins.
• The Rangers’ regular starter, Igor Shesterkin, was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. The goaltender had a 2.45 GAA and a .913 SV% through 34 games before getting hurt. New York recalled Spencer Martin from the AHL to pair with Quick while Shesterkin is out.
• Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers with 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists) through 44 games. The 34-year-old forward has been skating on the first line with Zibanejad and Will Cuylle, and is on the first power-play unit. Panarin has posted 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in the last five games.