Game 71- Boston Bruins @ Penguins

The Penguins may have suffered a horrible shootout loss to a bad team on Saturday, but as it turns out, the day wasn't so bad at all. The Penguins gained a point on both the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers, and are now a full game inside the playoff line with tiebreakers on their side, tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. None of their competition for the playoffs won, as the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers also lost their games in the shootout.

Now, the best team in the conference will pay a visit to Mellon Arena for today's 3:00 matinee with Penguins. The Bruins have 99 points, and are rock solid up and down the lineup.

Tim Thomas has garnered Vezina Trophy consideration, and Boston's top nine forwards are deeper and better rounded than any other in the league, bar none. Marc Savard, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron provide depth down the middle only rivaled by the Pens and a couple other opponents. At the same time, Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi, and Phil Kessel are quality wingers, to name a few of Boston's sidecars. Zdeno Chara has arguably been the best defenseman in the NHL this year, and Dennis Wideman has emerged as a top pairing stud.

The Pens will face the Bruins with backup Mathieu Garon in net. For Garon, it is his second start since being acquired by the Penguins in mid-January, and his first in nearly 30 games.

Evgeni Malkin needs to wake up and contribute offensively for this one, or it could be a long day at the Igloo. Past history indicates he will, and it is an absolute necessity today.

Penguins-

Kunitz-Crosby-Guerin
Fedotenko-Malkin-Sykora
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Adams-Talbot-Godard

Gonchar-Orpik
Letang-Eaton
Scuderi-Gill

Garon

Bruins-

Wheeler-Savard-Kessel
Lucic-Krejci-Ryder
Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew
Axelsson-Bitz-Thornton

Chara-Wideman
Ference-Montador
Ward-Stuart

Thomas

GO PENS!