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Bruins-Wild Preview

Nov 24, 2009 - 8:44 PM By PAUL DIGIACOMO STATS Senior Editor

Boston (11-8-4) at Minnesota (8-12-2), 8:00 p.m. EDT

After not having much success away from home to start this season, the Boston Bruins are thriving on their road trip. Facing the Minnesota Wild may not be the ideal way for them to end it.

Boston looks for its second win in 10 games against Minnesota as it tries to conclude a perfect four-game trip Wednesday night.

The Bruins (11-8-4) won twice in their first seven road games before starting this trip with a 4-3 shootout win over Atlanta on Thursday. Boston beat Buffalo 2-1 in overtime the next night before posting a 4-2 victory over St. Louis on Monday, giving it a season-high three-game win streak.

The Bruins will look to extend that run against the Wild, who have outscored Boston 29-13 in going 8-1-0 in the series since joining the NHL for the 2000-01 season.

Patrice Bergeron led the way for Boston against the Blues with four assists. Milan Lucic scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and Marco Sturm scored short-handed midway through the third for a two-goal cushion.

"To be honest, the puck was just bouncing our way and the puck was going in," Bergeron said. "So we'll take it, but at the same time it's more about the win than anything else."

Bergeron leads the Bruins with seven goals and 18 points while playing in all 23 games. He missed 18 games last season and played in 10 in 2007-08 due to injuries.

"From the beginning of the year he's been our best forward," coach Claude Julien said. "He shows up every night. What you saw tonight is what you get every night."

Boston has points in eight of nine, going 5-1-3.

Minnesota (8-12-2) ended a four-game skid by beating the New York Islanders 3-2 at home Friday. Trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, Mikko Koivu tied it for the Wild at 6:58 and 37-year-old Owen Nolan won it with his second goal of the game with 1:07 remaining.

"He's been a leader by example. It's every day in practice," said Wild first-year coach Richards, whose team was 0-2-2 in its previous four. "You ask the players to do things out on the ice, and he's the first one doing it."

Nolan is tied for second on the team with six goals.

On Monday, Minnesota acquired left wing Guillaume Latendresse from Montreal in exchange for center Benoit Pouliot. Latendresse, who scored at least 14 goals in each of his first three NHL seasons, had two in 23 games for the Canadiens.

Pouliot, the fourth overall pick in 2005, scored twice in 14 games this season.

"Probably both players will benefit from a change of scenery," Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "They're both young players that have had a lot of expectations on them. Sometimes players will work out better in certain spots."