TD Garden tips: Bruins eye bounce-back win over struggling Blackhawks

The Boston Bruins welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to TD Garden on Sunday morning at 4:00 am AEDT, with both sides arriving off contrasting fortunes in their most recent outings. Boston sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 9-3-1 record, while Chicago languish near the foot of the Western Conference ladder at 4-8-0.

The Bruins are coming off a 1–2 loss to Carolina on Wednesday night, snapping a three-game run that had seen them put six past both San Jose and Nashville at home. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, scraped a 2–1 win over Los Angeles in their last start — a rare bright note in what has been a difficult campaign so far.

Boston's home form has been tidy when they've been in front of their own fans, with back-to-back wins over the Sharks (6–4) and Predators (6–0) before the road stumble in Carolina. Chicago's season has been punctuated by narrow defeats and the odd spark of life, but they've yet to string together consecutive victories. The visitors will need to find another gear if they're to trouble a Bruins outfit that averages 3.77 goals per game and concedes just 2.15.

Who will win?

The Bruins hold the edge in almost every meaningful category. They sit third overall with 19 points from 13 games, while Chicago's eight points from 12 outings place them 30th in the league. Boston's 49 goals for and 28 against tell the story of a side that can score in bunches and keep things tight at the back. Chicago, by contrast, have managed just 26 goals while shipping 44.

Across their last five games, the Bruins have averaged 3.8 goals for and 2.0 against, winning three and losing two. Their wins in that stretch came by margins of 3, 6, and 2 goals, while their losses were both one-goal affairs. The Blackhawks have averaged 1.8 goals for and 3.0 against in their last five, winning twice by a single goal and losing three times by margins of 1, 3, and 4 goals.

At home, Boston have been even more emphatic in their last two outings at TD Garden, scoring six goals in each. Chicago's last five have all been played at home, where they've managed just 1.8 goals per game and conceded 3.0. The Blackhawks' road record this season stands at 1-3-0, and they'll be walking into a building where the Bruins have been piling on the goals when they get rolling.

The head-to-head ledger between these two isn't deep in recent memory, but Boston's current trajectory and home environment give them a clear advantage. The Bruins are sitting at short odds to collect the two points here, and it's hard to argue against the logic of that price.

Final thought

This shapes as a get-well fixture for Boston after the Carolina setback. The Bruins have the firepower to punish a Chicago defence that has been leaking goals all season, and their own defensive structure should be able to contain a Blackhawks attack that averages just over two goals per game. For punters chasing nhl tips this weekend, the home side represents the safest route through a Sunday morning card that kicks off in the early hours.

Chicago's win over Los Angeles was a welcome result, but it came against a Kings outfit that had also been struggling. Facing a Bruins side that ranks in the top handful for both goals scored and goals conceded is a different proposition altogether. Boston should have too much class and too much form at home to let this one slip.