Top scorers square off in Boston-New York matchup
New York Rangers (12-9-2, sixth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Boston Bruins (17-3-5, first in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Friday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two of the NHL's best scorers, Brad Marchand and Artemi Panarin, meet when Boston and New York take the ice. Marchand ranks third in the NHL with 43 points and Panarin ranks seventh in the league with 32 points.
The Bruins are 10-2-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston leads the league shooting 11.9% and averaging 3.7 goals on 31.2 shots per game.
The Rangers are 4-2-0 against opponents from the Metropolitan Division. New York is fifth in the NHL averaging 5.9 assists per game, led by Panarin with 0.9.
Boston defeated New York 7-4 in the last meeting between these teams on Oct. 27. Patrice Bergeron scored three goals for the Bruins in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 23 goals and has totaled 39 points. David Krejci has totaled nine assists over the last 10 games for Boston.
Panarin leads the Rangers with 20 total assists and has recorded 32 points. Filip Chytil has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 6-3-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game with a .903 save percentage.
Bruins: 6-1-3, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.3 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .934 save percentage.
Bruins Injuries: Brett Ritchie: out (illness), Patrice Bergeron: out (lower body).
Rangers Injuries: Marc Staal: out (ankle).
