5 players to watch when Bruins end pre-break slate vs. Golden Knights

As we've learned time and time again this season, the Bruins can't solve all their problems with one victory. Their issues go beyond just one potential 'get right' kind of game or victory.

But Saturday will present the Bruins with yet another chance to feel better about their game and where they're going, as the Black and Gold will wrap up their pre-4 Nations Face-Off schedule with a nationally-televised showdown with Bruce Cassidy's Golden Knights in Boston.

And depending on what happens around the league, it may be enough for the Bruins to enter the break in a playoff spot, with Boston entering today's contest one point out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and two points back of Tampa Bay for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Here's five players to watch when the B's and Golden Knights get underway at TD Garden...

Even before he wore the 'C' as the team captain, Bruins winger Brad Marchand has been considered a tone-setting presence for his team. Hell, it's one of the reasons why he was made the captain following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron.

And there's no denying that Marchand will want to do exactly that to help his team head into their two-week break on a positive note. But sometimes Marchand can be too jacked up (his two penalties in Boston's home-ice loss to Winnipeg a few weeks back comes to mind), and Marchand is also coming off a game that featured a costly penalty on the way to a 3-2 loss in NYC. But, again, the Bruins need Marchand to be Marchand. And it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back in this contest.

Marchand has been feeling it of late offensively, too, with four goals and 10 points in his last 11 outings.

He also enters this game with solid career numbers against Vegas in his career, with five goals and eight points in 11 head-to-heads since the Golden Knights broke into the league in 2017.

I've always felt that Brandon Carlo is one of those players whose 'quiet' nights are typically his best nights. A defense-first kind of guy, Carlo can fly under the radar when his game is on. But when it's not, it can be glaring and painful. A victim of a bad read Wednesday night in New York, Carlo's first-period turnover put the Bruins in a hole, and really 'headlined' his night.

So, similar to Marchand, he's another player looking for a bounce-back effort. But I think with Carlo, you really want him to have a 'clean' game that leaves him feeling good about his game heading into the break. This is a player who the Bruins rely on in a major way, and given his deployment (lots and lots of defensive-zone minutes), you want his confidence to be where it's need to be for a team that needs stronger defense down the stretch.

Weird little stat as it relates to Carlo's (obviously limited) offensive production: The Bruins are 6-1-1 in 2024-25 when Carlo records at least one point.

Bruins forward Morgan Geekie's next goal will match his single-season career high of 17, set last season.

It may also be a sign of good things for the Bruins.

Going back to Jan. 7, the Bruins are 4-1-1 when Geekie scores a goal, and 3-5-0 when he does not. In fact, switch it from goals to just points, and the Bruins are 2-8-0 since Dec. 27 when Geekie finishes a game without a point, compared to 6-2-2 when he finishes a game with at least one goal or an assist.

Geekie, for what it's worth, had three goals in two head-to-heads with Vegas last season.

Looking at the Vegas roster, there's a considerable amount of high-end firepower pretty much everywhere in this lineup. But one name that may fly under the radar there is winger Pavel Dorofeyev.

This guy can create a ton of offense at five on five, and has done exactly that for Bruce Cassidy's club.

On the board with 22 goals and 35 points through 55 games this season, Dorofeyev is also one of 111 NHL forwards to play at least 700 five-on-five minutes this season. Among that group of 111, Dorofeyev ranks 19th in individual expected goals per 60 (0.93), 14th in individual scoring chances-for per 60 (9.37), and 28th in individual high-danger chances-for per 60 (4.05). 

The Russian-born winger also enters play as one of the Golden Knights' top scorers since January, with nine goals and 15 points over his last 18 games.

Here's a wild stat for you: Believe it or not, Saturday in Boston will be North Chelmsford, Mass. native Jack Eichel's first game back in his home state since Dec. 2019. OVER FIVE YEARS AGO! It's been so long that Eichel was actually still a member of the Sabres back then.

Eichel, who will represent the United States at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, has loved his Boston homecomings, too, with five goals and 12 points in eight career NHL games at TD Garden.

It's not as if he's arriving back home cold either, as the 28-year-old Eichel has been absolutely lighting it up lately, too, with eight goals in his last nine games overall, and 13 points in his last 11 outings.