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What To Watch For: Bruins Vs. Canadiens In The 2016 Winter Classic

BOSTON (CBS) -- Hockey's greatest rivalry is taking things outside for New Year's Day, as the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens square off on an outdoor rink at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.

Playing the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park was nice, but Bruins-Canadiens is what fans have wanted for the Classic all along.

Winter Classic Foxboro
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Bruins enter Friday's Winter Classic coming off a wild 7-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators, which featured several fighting majors in the final period. It was also another controversial night for Brad Marchand, who is suspended for the game and 2 more after delivering a low hit on the Sens' Mark Borowiecki.

The Bruins have shown some streakiness in recent weeks, winning three in a row then losing three in a row before Tuesday's win over Ottawa. They have already had to play without David Krejci, who remains on IR with an upper-body injury. They now have to adjust to life without Marchand for the next 3 games.

As for the Habs, they enter Friday having lost 11 of their last 13 games. The team has struggled mightily of late as the absence of All-World goaltender Carey Price catches up to them. Winger Brendan Gallagher's absence has also negatively affected the makeup of their top-six forwards. They lost to the Bruins at the Bell Centre for the first time in nearly two calendar years back on December 9 as part of their month-long slump.

Here's what to watch for when the Bruins and Canadiens take the ice at the Winter Classic...

Will the elements play a role in the game?

Winter Classic Gillette
(Image credit: NHL)

There's a good chance the sun will shine on Gillette Stadium for at least part of the game. Can't preview a Winter Classic without mentioning that giant fireball in the sky. It's bound to introduce factors that players almost never have to endure.

The weather at Foxboro on Friday is expected to be partly cloudy with a high of 42 degrees and no precipitation, so rain or snow won't be a factor, but the potential glare on the ice could be a distraction for players. It will be interesting to see if the sun adversely affects anyone's vision - especially that of the netminders.

Hopefully, the players are stocking up on eye-black.

Speaking of goalies...

Can Tuukka Rask Continue Winning The Goaltending Battle?

Boston Bruins v Montreal Canadiens
Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens and Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins watch the puck during the game at the Bell Centre on December 9, 2015. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

After a shaky start to the season (along with the team in front of him), Rask is 6-2 with a 1.54 goals-against average and .948 save percentage in 10 December games, including two shutouts. He overcame an agonizing losing streak against the Canadiens when he stopped 32 of 33 shots to backstop the Bruins to a 3-1 win.

Now Rask gets a home game against the Habs, and he'll have the support of Boston fans behind him like never before playing in front of 60,000+ at Gillette. He has elevated his game in the spotlight before; can he do it again in the Classic?

Needham native Mike Condon is expected to start in goal for the Canadiens, who continue to play without Carey Price. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is behind his initial 4-to-6-week timetable to return from an upper-body injury and will remain sidelined Friday, giving the Bruins a distinct advantage in net.

The Habs also recently traded for goaltender Ben Scrivens to back up Condon, who gets to fulfill his dream of playing in front of his family in the home of his favorite team, the Patriots.

Condon has been shaky lately, and will need to be on his A-game to compete with Rask.

How will the Bruins look on offense without Marchand AND Krejci?

Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs - Game Four
David Krejci of the Boston Bruins makes a pass to Brad Marchand against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on May 8, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Krejci is arguably the Bruins' most skilled offensive player, and Marchand has emerged as a dynamic goal-scoring threat in the Bruins' modified system. The Bruins still have the league's top-ranked power play and rank second in the league with 3.1 goals per game, but how will it perform against Montreal's fifth-ranked penalty kill now that it's missing both Marchand and Krejci?

The bright side is, Patrice Bergeron continues to score at a point-per-game pace. As long as they have Bergeron attacking and Torey Krug manning the point, the PP will be a legitimate threat. The question is whether they will be able to draw any penalties...

Will Tempers Flare?

2010 Bridgestone Winter Classic - Philadelphia Flyers v Boston Bruins
Dan Carcillo #3 of the Philadelphia Flyers fights against Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins during the first period of the 2010 Bridgestone Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 1, 2010. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Former Bruins winger Shawn Thornton made history at Fenway Park when he dropped the gloves against the Flyers' Daniel Carcillo in the Winter Classic's first-ever fight.

Unfortunately for Thornton, Carcillo got the TKO - but, still, first fight in Winter Classic history.

With no Marchand out there getting under the Habs' skin, it will be interesting to see if things get chippy in-between faceoffs. Zac Rinaldo could be next in line for Bruins to drop the gloves in the Classic; this game being in the Bruins' backyard, it's only proper.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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