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The NHL’s top two lines face off tonight in Bruins vs. Avalanche

By Bruin Belisle

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 08: Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) wait for linesman Steve Barton (59) to drop the puck during a regular season NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche on December 8, 2016, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Avalanche defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 08: Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) wait for linesman Steve Barton (59) to drop the puck during a regular season NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche on December 8, 2016, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Avalanche defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Bruins will travel to Colorado to face the Avalanche on Wednesday evening, pitting the NHL’s two highest scoring lines against each other.

Mikko Rantanen is taking the NHL by storm. He is currently tied with Connor McDavid for the league lead in points at 26 a piece. His Linemates Nathan MacKinnon (24 points) and  Gabriel Landeskog (19 points) sit at 4th and 25th respectively.

All three of the Bruins top line players have 20 or more points. Marchand (20 points) is the lowest scoring of the group, with the red-hot David Pastrnak in fifth overall (23 points) and Patrice Bergeron (25 points) one back of first overall through his blistering start.

Let’s break this down. The top six forwards in tonight’s game are all in the league’s top 25 in scoring. They hold the second, third, fourth, fifth, 20th and 25th positions. This is unprecedented and it’s going to make for an incredible game tonight.

Much of the Bruins success is built upon last season. After back-to-back 30+ goal seasons, 22-year-old David Pastrnak is currently breaking into an even higher level of play. He’s currently leading the NHL in goals scored (16) and has solidified himself among the league’s best scorers.

“Pasta” has 16 goals in 17 games. Three ahead of second place, four ahead of Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane. He is coming off of a four-goal weekend that earned him the NHL’s first star of the week award. He is easily one of the league’s most fun players to watch.

On the other end of the ice, Mikko Rantanen is building on his great 2017-18 season in which he accumulated a somewhat quiet 84 points.  Also a young 22-years of age, Rantanen is on pace to blow by the 55 assists he put up last season.

Rantanen and Landeskog are benefiting greatly from playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon, who has solidified himself as one of the league’s best and should be in the early conversation for the Hart Trophy this season. MacKinnon has 11 goals and 13 assists through 17 games.

Speaking of Hart Trophy candidates, Patrice Bergeron is having one of the best starts to his career that we’ve ever seen. The veteran Bruins centerman has nine goals and 16 assists and continues to dominate the face off circle, winning 56.9% of his draws.

Both teams are looking to make a run deep into the playoffs this season. The Bruins (10-5-2) are right in the mix in the Atlantic division and the Avalanche (8-6-3) currently sit in a wild card spot. It’s way too early to be talking playoff implications in any way, but both of these teams would love two points tonight.

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In goal, Jaroslav Halak will look to continue his hot streak for the Bruins, while Semyon Varlamov continues his starting duties for Colorado. Both goaltenders are currently in the top 10 for both save percentage and goals against average.

Tonight is about the offense, though. The NHL’s two best lines will go head-to-head for early season supremacy. Puck drops at 10:00 p.m. ET. Don’t miss this game, as it’s sure to be a showcase of the league’s highest talent.

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