New Jersey @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2019 ) New Jersey 0, Boston 2

Denied in their bid for their first 4-0-0 start in 19 years, the Boston Bruins will return home Saturday for the first time since losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to St. Louis in June. After completing a season-opening 3-1-0 road trip, Boston will play the first of three straight at home when it hosts the winless New Jersey Devils.

The Bruins appeared on the way to completing a perfect four-game road trip but could not hold onto an early two-goal lead in a 4-2 loss at Colorado on Thursday night. "We're in a results-oriented business, we won three games, we lost one," coach Bruce Cassidy. "We're always going to look at that, talk about what we did well. ... Just keep building our game." New Jersey started the season with 40 minutes of great hockey and has been in a spiral since blowing a four-goal lead to Winnipeg in its opener. The Devils coughed up three one-goal leads before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to unbeaten Edmonton on Thursday night.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN Plus, MSG (New Jersey), NESN (Boston)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (0-2-2): New Jersey needs to solve its woes on special teams, giving up a pair of power-play tallies to the Oilers and seven in its past three games overall -- a startling development for a team that ranked fourth on the penalty kill last season. The Devils also have come up empty on all 11 power-play chances.“That was our best game of the year. It’s not even close,” forward Taylor Hall said Thursday. “So that’s an effort we need to duplicate, and if there’s one thing you want to change, it’s special teams. That’s really about it.”

ABOUT THE BRUINS (3-1-0): Second-line forward Jake DeBrusk, who netted a career-high 27 goals last season, has yet to register a point and his frustrations boiled over after Boston had two goals negated by video review at Vegas. "Any time you get production finally and it gets taken away from you -- twice -- you almost don't believe it, but that's how things are going for me," DeBrusk said. "It won't snowball for me, but I'm definitely (angry)." David Pastrnak failed to score in the first two games before amassing five points in the last two.

OVERTIME

1. Bruins F Brad Marchand needs one assist to reach 300 for his career.

2. Devils D Andy Greene (upper body), who sat out Thursday, was placed on injured reserve Friday.

3. Bruins G Tuukka Rask allowed one goal in winning both starts against New Jersey last season.

PREDICTION: Bruins 4, Devils 2