NHL Wednesday: Habs, Bruins rivalry intensifies

The Wednesday night platter of hockey goodness was short but sweet, with some Jaromir Jagr magic, classic Habs vs. Bruins hockey and stunning rookie netminding to fill you over until the gauntlet of games begin again. Let’s get to what you might have missed last night.

Get caught up on last night’s NHL scores with recaps from our network of SB Nation team blogs. Here’s a quick glance at the full night of action:

It’s hard to believe this guy is 40 years old. He’s certainly not showing it.

With his 668th career goal, Jagr is now tied with Luc Robitaille for 10th all-time and could conceivably end up even higher up the list by the end of the season.

Gotta feel good for Beauchemin. I can’t speak for Leafs or Ducks fans, but just as a general observer he seems like a fairly reliable guy on the blue line. He’s certainly been a consistent name for the Ducks ever since he broke through back in 2007, and it seems only fitting that he notches a goal during his 500th career game with the team he helped win a Stanley Cup with.

Meanwhile that goal might’ve put the Avs away for good the way they’ve been scoring lately.

1. Who wins the Habs vs. Bruins special teams battle?

The Canadiens are one of the best offensive teams in the league, and their power play has been potent, helping those numbers. The Bruins, meanwhile, are third-worst in the league on the PP, converting at just 10 percent. The Bruins penalty kill, however, has been successful 94.1 percent of the time. Special teams could tip the scales tonight.

It will be the first of three meetings between the two teams this season.

While head coach Ralph Krueger stated that Nugent-Hopkins could have played, he expressed that the organization didn’t want the young star playing if he wasn’t 100 percent ready to.

Playing in NBC Sports Network’s “Rivalry Wednesday” broadcast, the two Northeast Division foes will each be bringing six wins into the contest and are only separated in the standings by a single point.

Here’s a full look at the schedule and tonight’s starting goaltenders:

Arcobello has yet to play in an NHL, but has excelled with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. In 43 games this season, Arcobello has registered 14 goals, 25 assists, 39 points and 20 penalty minutes.

However, he did not play in the third.

Julien stated after the game that Marchand could have played but the team wanted to be cautious. The coach did not believe that he would be forced to miss any more time.