The Calgary Flames will head to Massachusetts to face off against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston today.
According to the Associated Press, the Bruins have to go to the hockey rink without newcomer Brett Connolly. That's because the forward broke his right index finger after a puck landed on his hand in a practice session on Wednesday, causing him to miss out for six weeks.
"Boston (31-22-9) made a flurry of moves by Monday's trade deadline, picking up Connolly from Tampa Bay in the biggest one," the Associated Press wrote. "Connolly, who has 12 goals and three assists in 50 games this season, was called "a top-six forward" by general manager Peter Chiarelli."
Joe McDonald of ESPN described the events surrounding Connolly's injury.
"As [Don] DelNegro delivered the news that Connolly was on his way to be examined by the team's hand specialist, Chiarelli could be seen shaking his head in disbelief," McDonald wrote. "It didn't take long for the team to receive the results of the X-rays that indicated a break."
However, the Associated Press added that Max Talbot will make his club debut in this matchup. In addition, the Bruins lead Florida by two points in the quest for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"He comes to play, and he'll do whatever he has to fulfill his role," Bruins coach Claude Julien said about Talbot. "He's definitely a good addition to have with us, without a doubt."
According to the Associated Press, Talbot was most famous for scoring both goals in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, where Pittsburgh won over Detroit 2-1. Paul Carey will also be joining Talbot as they take on Calgary (34-25-4).
However, the Flames are dealing with sports injuries on their roster also. The Associated Press reported that the team's star defenseman, Mark Giordano, is out for the season with a torn biceps muscle, which will give rookie Johnny Gaudreau, who once played for Boston College, a chance to shine for the first time as a professional hockey player.
"I might go over to Boston College and have some campus food with my buddies," Gaudreau said. "We'll see. It's not too good anyways so it doesn't matter."
Flames coach Bob Hartley told the Associated Press that the key to victory may rely on Karri Ramo, who has 1.26 goals-against average in starting every game of this trip and made 35 saves.
"Ramo is the story of our past two weeks," Hartley said. "He's our best player. He's giving us lots of confidence; he's giving us key saves at the right time."
According to the Associated Press, Calgary is vying for the final Pacific Division playoff spot. The team is currently tied with Los Angeles and San Jose on that front.
The hockey game is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. ET on NESN, RSNW and the NHL Center ICE network. Although a subscription is required, online viewers can watch this game on various devices through NHL GameCenter LIVE.
