I have nothing worthwhile to get in to in regards to Thursday night’s game against the Golden Knights. It was a nice sleepy weeknight game that was like watching paint dry. Riley Nash and Sean Kuraly each got their first goal of the season… took them long enough.

Ok, that might have been a little mean. Oh well, get over it. Our lineup is a patchwork quilt right now, so it’s inevitable that someone has to score. It was encouraging to see Jake DeBrusk get back on the score sheet, and Austin Czarnik also chipped in with his first assist of the season. However, until some of the top-end talent gets healthy and back on the ice, it will likely be a painful few weeks to be a Bruins fan.

Here are a couple of things just to catch everyone up on how an NHL roster is constructed: All teams have a salary cap of $75 million and a floor of $55.4 million. All teams are to dress 18 skaters (generally 12 forwards and 6 defenseman), and 2 goalies per game. Usually, teams can keep around 21 skaters on their active lineups, having 3 extras around for some wiggle room with injuries/ call ups, what have you. Through eleven games, the Bruins have already had 26 different skaters dress for at least one game, including 17 forwards and 9 blue-liners.

Let me dig a little deeper for you. Part of the reason the Bs have played eight reserves in the young season is because of a myriad of injuries/illnesses to some of the team’s key players. Very expensive players.

• David Krejci: $7.25mil, has missed 5 out of 11 games and is currently out
• Tuukka Rask: $7mil, has missed 4 out of 11 games and currently has 2 wins
• David Backes: $6mil, has missed 6 out of 11 games and is out for 8 weeks
• Matt Beleskey: $4mil, has been a healthy scratch 4 out of 11 games and currently has 0 points
• Ryan Spooner: $2.875mil, has missed 6 out of 11 games and is currently out
• Adam McQuaid: $2.75mil, has missed 5 out of 11 games and is out 8 weeks

That’s just a hair under $30 million (40%) of the team’s $75 million cap being spent on a bunch of players who either can’t stay healthy, or aren’t good enough to make the lineup on a regular basis. *please insert slow clap here*

As for that less than favorable couple of weeks that I mentioned are on the horizon, the siege begins tomorrow against Washington.

Braden Holtby is currently holding a 2.79 GAA on the season and has a 6-3-0 record in 9 starts, with no shutouts. Don’t let those numbers fool you. In 13 career games against the Bruins, Holtby has an 11-2 record, a .945 SV% and 3 shutouts. The only team he has shutout more than Boston is New Jersey (4), and that’s in significantly more games as the Devils are a divisional rival of the Capitals. The only team Holtby has a better SV% against is Carolina (.947).

Alex Ovechkin doesn’t really need an introduction. The hot-headed Russian (I won’t dignify him with the nickname “Alex the Great”, that can be left to sorry Caps fans) has played at a point-per-game clip against the Bruins. Over his career he has 18G+23A=41P in 42 games, including 6 power play tallies and 4 game-winners. His linemate Nicklas Backstrom has also been supremely efficient when facing the Black and Gold. Backstrom has 6G+29A=35P in 31 career games, with a large chunk of those helpers undoubtedly going Ovie’s way.

Saturday will be Holtby’s first shutout of the season. He has owned the Bs the last 3 seasons and this lineup will need miracles upon miracles to put more than one puck past the stingy netminder. You can pencil in Ovechkin for at least 2 goals as well. After all, he has to keep up with the 3.5 goals per game pace he set for himself two games in to the season. Final score: WSH 4 – BOS 0