The Bruins (35-26-6, 76 points) have yet to lose consecutive games under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy. Coming off the heels of a lackluster performance in Ottawa, Cassidy and company made certain not to break that trend on Wednesday.
With the win over Detroit, the B's have now won six of their last seven games at TD Garden, pleasing the Boston faithful in the process.
"We've been playing well here for a little while now," said Torey Krug. "Our record is starting to separate wins and losses here at home, and if we can take another step forward [Saturday], it would be huge."
Unfortunately, the B's will be without forwards Ryan Spooner (concussion) and Tim Schaller (lower-body injury) on Saturday. Cassidy said it would be a game-time decision as to whether Peter Cehlarik or Matt Beleskey replaces Schaller in the lineup. Austin Czarnik will likely slot into Spooner's third-line center slot for the second straight game.
"We have Beleskey and Cehlarik and they're both left shots, so we certainly have options there. We'll make that decision tomorrow," said Cassidy. "Matt Beleskey's been working hard, he could help us. Cehlarik, I think it was beneficial for him to go upstairs. But, again, we'll make that decision tomorrow."
After Saturday afternoon's tilt, the team will head north of the border for a four-game road trip, which will conclude with what looks to be a massive game against Toronto on March 20.
"Anytime you leave for a road trip, you want to end on a good note at home so you can propel into the road trip," said Krug.
The Bruins will go on the road for their most important stretch of the season, and they know that every game from here on out is crucially important.
"We've got to take a rest when we can get it," said David Backes, who wants his team to be able to stay fresh in the midst of such an intense and compact final four weeks of the season. "But, when it's time to play for points and we've got a competition at hand, we need to take care of business."
Toronto's victory over Philadelphia Thursday served as a reminder to the B's that they will need to bring their best game every night rather than rely on help to get into the postseason.
"One game at a time," said Backes, who accumulated plenty of playoff-like experience during his stint in St. Louis. "We can't control what other teams are doing and games we're not playing in. But, we can beat our opponents and play great games every night."
The 11-year NHL veteran had praise for his team's ability to avoid falling into prolonged slumps, but wants his bunch to remain focused and goal-oriented.
"That's the sign of a maturing team that is bound together and knows what our next task is," said Backes. "Besides winning the game at hand, the longer-term goal is getting into the playoffs. We can worry about our next goal after that."
