Bruins Can Clinch A Playoff Spot In St. Louis

8 p.m. ET
Scottrade Center – St. Louis, MO
TV: NBCSN
Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub

Season Series/Schedule
Date      Game                                    GWG
2/1         STL 1 @ BOS 3                    Patrice Bergeron
3/21       BOS @ STL          

Team Leaders
Bruins                                                                                   Blues
Brad Marchand, 75                          Points                   Brayden Schenn, 60
Brad Marchand, 31                          Goals                    Vladimir Tarasenko, 27
Brad Marchand, 44                          Assists                  Pietrangelo/Schenn, 35

The Boston Bruins can punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs win one point against the St. Louis Blues tonight. 

You'd think that would be a difficult task with the likes of David Backes, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy and Rick Nash all out with injuries, but this team has defied the odds all season long when it comes to being shorthanded. 

The Blues come into tonight's game winners of four of their last five games, including a thrilling overtime win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.  They are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff spot. 

The Blues are three points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the second Western Conference wild card spot.  Catching the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division seems unlikely at this point as they are seven points back of them.

Anton Khudobin will get the start in goal for the Bruins tonight and he will not have to worry about facing the Blues best goal scorer.

Vladimir Tarasenko will miss his second straight game with after suffering an upper-body on this play versus the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Not having Tarasenko on the ice will surely take some stress of the shorthanded Bruins defense.

Probable Bruins Lineup
FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Riley Nash - David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen - David Krejci - Ryan Donato
Jordan Szwarz - Noel Acciari - Brian Gionta
Tim Schaller - Sean Kuraly - Tommy Wingels

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
Torey Krug - Brandon Carlo
Nick Holden - Adam McQuaid
Matt Grzelcyk - Kevan Miller

GOALTENDER
Anton Khudobin (15-6-4, 2.50 GAA, .917 save %, 1 SO)

INJURY REPORT
LW-Anders Bjork (shoulder) out, C-Patrice Bergeron (foot) out, D-Charlie McAvoy (knee) out, LW-Jake DeBrusk (upper-body) out, D-Zdeno Chara (undisclosed) out, RW-David Backes (knee laceration) out, RW-Rick Nash (upper-body) out

Probable Blues Lineup
FORWARDS
Jaden Schwartz - Brayden Schenn - Alex Steen
Dmitrij Jaskin - Patrik Berglund - Tage Thompson
Vladimir Sobotka - Kyle Brodziak - Ivan Barbashev
Nikita Soshnikov - Oskar Sundqvist - Chris Thorburn

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
Carl Gunnarsson - Alex Pietrangelo
Vince Dunn - Colton Parayko
Joel Edmundson - Robert Bortuzzo

GOALTENDER
Jake Allen (23-21-2, 2.79 GAA, .905 save %, 1 SO)

INJURY REPORT
C-Robby Fabbri (knee) out, D-Jay Boumeester (hip) out, LW-Scottie Upshall (knee) out, G-Carter Hutton (neck) out, RW-Vladimir Tarasenko (upper-body) out