The Boston Bruins were dealt yet another change to their 2021 schedule Monday, with an Apr. 20 meeting with the Capitals pushed from a 7 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. start time, as confirmed by NBC Sports Network. The time change will provide a more natural transition to a 9 p.m. meeting between the Blues and Avalanche, also set to air on NBC Sports Network.
That Apr. 20 meeting with the Caps is the end of what’s currently slated to be be a five-game homestand for the Bruins, and may very well be 14-year Bruins captain Zdeno Chara’s final game at TD Garden, with that game serving as the conclusion of the Black and Gold’s eight-game season series with Washington.
BUFFALO, NY – JANUARY 14: Zdeno Chara #33 of the Washington Capitals skates up ice with the puck during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on January 14 , 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
The B’s will have more tweaks to their schedule, too, with the league still assessing possible new dates and times for the latest round of postponed tilts, including last Saturday’s matinee in Buffalo and what would’ve been a Tuesday meeting with the Islanders at TD Garden.
That since-postponed Tuesday game was originally scheduled to be the first game with fans back in the stands at TD Garden (the Bruins’ first since Mar. 7, 2020). That honor, barring another round of postponements and with the C’s on the road, will now go to this Thursday’s meeting with the Isles at TD Garden.
The Bruins are currently on the shelf by way of five players landing on the league’s COVID list.