Getty Goalie Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils will kick off their 2021 seasons at the Prudential Center in Newark Thursday.
The game starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on NESN (in Bruins market) and MSG+ (in Devils market). But if you don’t have cable, here’s how you can watch a live stream of the Bruins vs Devils online:
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Fans in the Bruins Market: FuboTV
Note: FuboTV is the only streaming service that has NESN and a free trial
Fans in Boston and eligible local markets can watch NESN and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can try for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Bruins vs Devils live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to re-watch the game within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Fans in the Devils Market: FuboTV
Note: FuboTV is the only streaming service that has MSG+ and a free trial
Fans in New Jersey and eligible local markets can watch MSG, MSG+ and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Bruins vs Devils live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
If the Game is Out of Your Market: NHL.TV
Fans can watch every out-of-market, non-nationally televised NHL game via NHL.TV. It costs $99.99 for an all-access pass (every team, all season), $84.99 for a single-team pass (all season) or $24.99 for a monthly pass (every team):
Once you’re signed up for NHL.TV, out-of-market viewers can watch the Bruins vs Devils live or on-demand on the NHL app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Android tablet or other supported device.
You can also watch on your computer via the NHL website.
Bruins vs Devils Preview
With no preseason games to help ease players into the upcoming NHL season, teams have had to get creative in their preparations. For the Bruins and head coach Bruce Cassidy, it has been about doing his best to simulate game situations by setting up scrimmages during practice time.
It will be difficult to evaluate talent without the usual preseason competitions, so Boston is doing its best to work with what they have. “We are watching a little more closely some of the younger candidates,” Cassidy told the Boston Herald. “But again, it was more a game situation than anything and to get guys playing against live competition. You can compete in practice and we do and I like our level of compete a lot of days. But it still is not going to simulate live competition so we thought (conducting a scrimmage) today was the best way to do that.”
The Bruins finished first in the Atlantic Division last year with a 44-14-12 record, with David Pastrnak leading the way, scoring 95 points (48 goals and 47 assists). Boston handled the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games to end their season, and they’ll be looking to improve even more this season.
The Devils finished at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division last season with a 28-29-12 mark. Their season got off to an unexpected start when their presumed starting goalie, veteran Corey Crawford, retired less than a week before competition begins. Crawford, who had signed with New Jersey just three months ago after a wildly successful campaign in Chicago, was the planned starter, and it has left the team scrambling a bit.
“Your initial thoughts are disappointment. Corey’s had an incredible career,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. “Conversations that I’ve had with him, I understand where he’s at, and I think the fact that he’s had a great career and he’s come to this point, you deal with it and you move on. It’s something that obviously was deep in his mind.”
With Crawford gone, it’s looking like Scott Wedgewood will be filling in at goalie, at least for the time being. “I’ve backed up a few games for a few different teams, traveled around. But honestly have been improving as a person and a player, and honestly excited for a second opportunity to come back and show what I can do,” Wedgewood said.
New Jersey averaged 2.68 goals per game last year, and it surrendered 3.25, which was ranked 29th in the league. They’ll have their work cut out for them here, as they’re going up against a Bruins team that ranked 9th in goals per game (3.24) and 1st in goals allowed (2.39). Boston goalie Tuukka Rask (26-8-6, .922 save percentage) was excellent, and should continue to be one of the league’s best this season.