NHL commissioner Gary Bettman met with Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier last week in Florida and made it clear to both that Thursday's game between Montreal and Boston had better not result in a gong show.
Neither team expects that will happen and the fact Boston is hosting the final game of what has been an emotional season series may help temper the pre-game environment as well.
More importantly, the Canadiens trail the Bruins by three points in the fight for top spot in the Northeast Division, so playoff implications will motivate these teams to play this one hard, but without incident.
The NHL isn't taking extraordinary measures to police the game, however veteran referees Dan O'Halloran and Dan O'Rourke have been assigned to manage the on-ice crew, while Terry Gregson, the league's director of officiating will also be on site to monitor the action from the press box.
Meanwhile, Montreal city police officials confirm the investigation into Zdeno Chara's hit on Max Pacioretty is ongoing. The Bruins have retained counsel to handle the case, but won't comment on specifics, while the NHL says it will continue to work with the police department until the case is closed.
