Music: {allcanada} BRUINS (13-8-3) at CANUCKS (9-10-8)

Saturday, December 5, 2015

{allcanada} BRUINS (13-8-3) at CANUCKS (9-10-8)

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Saturday, December 5, 2015

10:00 PM ET

BRUINS (13-8-3) at CANUCKS (9-10-8)

TV: CBC, SN, NESN

Season series: The Vancouver Canucks swept two games from the Boston Bruins last season during an 11-day stretch in February, including a 5-2 win at Rogers Arena. Shawn Matthias led the Canucks with three goals; Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille scored goals for Boston.

Bruins team scope: Boston is 5-0-2 in its past seven games but comes to Vancouver for the finale of its three-game Western Canada trip after consecutive post-regulation losses to the Edmonton Oilers (3-2 in a shootout on Wednesday) and Calgary Flames (5-4 in overtime on Friday). The Bruins overcame an early 2-0 deficit and were less than two seconds from a comeback victory in Calgary, but couldn't close out the Flames. However, a win in Vancouver would make it a successful trip. "Four out of six points on a road trip is still a very good road trip, very successful," said forward Brad Marchand, whose penalty-shot goal with 1:06 remaining in the third period gave the Bruins a brief 4-3 lead. "We want to make sure we bounce back and have a big one [Saturday]." Tuukka Rask was in line to start in the second half of the back-to-back but relieved Jonas Gustavsson early in the second period in Calgary.

Canucks team scope: Vancouver should get defenseman Ben Hutton (lower body) back; he hasn't played since Nov. 18. Forward Chris Higgins (undisclosed) skated at practice Friday and said he hopes to play. The Canucks are 0-2-2 in their past four games, including a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. "We've lost so many close games, it's hard to believe sometimes it's going to turn around," coach Willie Desjardins said. "It's like if you climbed a mountain and there's fog at the top, you might be one step away [from the summit] when you quit. You don't know. The only thing you know is you can't quit. You've got to find a way. So we have to play hard." Goaltender Ryan Miller played against the Stars; Desjardins has been alternating goalies this week and might turn to backup Jacob Markstrom.

Team Stats