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boston bruins march 2014

The Boston Bruins (42-17-5) are riding their first five-game winning streak of their 2013-14 NHL season going into Wednesday's showdown with the Montreal Canadiens. Their latest streak has hockey bettors such as those on MyTopSportsbooks.com going crazy.

Only four other NHL teams have a higher point total with the B's sitting at 89 points Tuesday, just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in the battle for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins started the season winning seven of their first nine games, including the first of four win streaks of four games prior to the current tear. Despite some off-season shuffling of players, the core of this team remains solid.

The recent trade deadline also saw the acquisitions of defensemen Cory Potter off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers and Andrej Meszaros from the Philadelphia Flyers (in exchange for third round draft pick).

The 30-year-old Potter only has 120 games of NHL playing experience with five assists for the Oilers this season over 16 games played. Meanwhile, Meszaros is a veteran of 517 NHL games over nine seasons in the league. Prior to the Flyers, he spent some time with the Ottowa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and forward Chris Kelly were once teamed up with Meszaros when all three were with Ottowa. Current Bruins general Manager Peter Chiarelli was Ottowa's assistant GM at the time. Meszaros played in 38 games with the Flyers this season with five goals and 12 assists.

Both of these acquisitions make things easier for the Bruins as they try to compensate for a recent injury to defenseman Adam McQuaid and the loss of Dennis Seidenberg for the season due to a December knee injury.

Chiarelli insisted the new blood he acquired is all about providing more depth as the team heads into the final month of the season.

Still, the Bruins face a tough contender in Montreal Wednesday. Their trade deadline resulted in the surprising pickup of forward Thomas Vanek of the New York Islanders.

Vanek has proven to be especially effective against the Bruins in the past, and he should be a key cog in the Montreal machine in their first tussle since the deadline. Vanek will no doubt be itching to prove he is ready to be a fixture in Montreal after already enduring a trade earlier this season from the Buffalo Sabres.

As far as the NHL statistical leaderboard, Bruins players only register in the top five in one offensive category. Both Johnny Boychuk and Patrice Bergeron are tied for second in the plus/minus column with 30 as of Tuesday.

Defensively, goalie Tuukka Rask comes in at number four overall in save percentage (.926) and fifth in wins (28). Center David Krejci leads the team with 55 points, including 16 goals and 39 assists. Left winger Brad Marchand leads the squad with 21 total goals on the season.

The Bruins are clear contenders for another Stanley Cup playoff run, and if they can keep their momentum going through the final month of the season they should be ready to avenge their heartbreaking collapse against the Blackhawks last year.

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