A victory against one of the elite teams in the Western Conference would do wonders for the Bruins’s playoff hopes.
A victory would give Boston (40-24-8, 88 points) another highlight on an up-and-down stretch.
In their latest outing, the Bruins overcame a 3-2, third-period deficit and were 4-3 overtime winners in Buffalo. Pavel Zacha scored the game-winning goal -- his career-high 24th of the season -- off an assist from David Pastrnak, who used a three-point performance to run his league-leading point streak to 11 games.
The Bruins are in a six-team logjam that includes the Blue Jackets, who will host the Bruins on Sunday night.
Coach Marco Sturm knows that he needs big-time performances out of his key players. The aforementioned Czech mates have done just that.
“He’s our guy. He needs to be our driver,” Sturm said of Pastrnak. “I feel like when he does it, we all feel it. ... Down the stretch, that’s just the way it is. Those guys have to step up, and they did (on Wednesday).”
The Bruins would love to see Morgan Geekie find another gear, as he has been stuck on a team-leading 34 goals during an 11-game scoring drought. That recent struggle is also contributing to Boston’s 3-for-28 stretch on the power play.
Let’s get into the preview:
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: NESN+, NHL Network, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Minnesota -120. O/U: 6.0.
WILD
Season record: 41-20-12. vs. spread: 36-37. Over/under: 38-30, 5 pushes
Last 10 games: 4-4-2. vs. spread: 3-7. Over/under: 2-7, 1 push
BRUINS
Season record: 40-24-8. vs. spread: 46-26. Over/under: 39-32, 1 push
Last 10 games: 5-2-3. vs. spread: 7-3. Over/under: 5-5
TEAM STATISTICS
Goals scored: Minnesota 235, Boston 237
Goals allowed: Minnesota 205, Boston 221
Power play: Minnesota 24.9%, Boston 23.5%
Penalty minutes: Minnesota 559, Boston 907
Penalty kill: Minnesota 78.5%, Boston 76.7%
Faceoffs won: Minnesota 46.9%, Boston 52.5%
Stat of the day: Jeremy Swayman is 6-2-1 in his last nine starts.
Notes: Minnesota (41-20-12, 94 points) has alternated wins and losses over six games, and despite putting up 50 shots, still needed Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal with 4.4 seconds left in the third period Thursday to post a 3-2 win at the Florida Panthers, who tied the game with 1:13 to go ... It was Minnesota’s first regulation triumph since March 10 ... Despite an uneasy patch, the Wild’s record is the third-best in the West, trailing only their playoff-bound Central Division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars ... The win served as more than just two points, as Minnesota put out a fully healthy lineup for the first time all season ... Marcus Foligno returned from a 12-game absence (lower-body injury) and skated on a line with his brother, Nick, a former Bruin that was acquired from the Blackhawks in a March 6 trade. In fact, they skated on the same line .... After the Wild started Thursday’s game with a clean bill of health, defenseman Jared Spurgeon left in the third period holding a towel up to his face after colliding face-first into the post.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.