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For this contest against the Lightning, the Bruins will be going with goaltender Jeremy Swayman as their starter. Swayman, 26, played in the Bruins' last contest against the Oilers. While the Bruins lost, he was not the problem, as he stopped 35 out of 38 shots he faced in the shutout loss.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.

The Bruins’ struggles have made this game a lot more important than it otherwise should be, and so now they face a potentially season-defining game.