Although the Bruins-Penguins matchup isn’t at the top of many people’s lists for the top rivalries in the National Hockey League, the two teams have had some intense battles in the past. From Ulf Samuelsson cheap shotting Cam Neely to Shawn Thornton sucker punching Brooks Orpik and the Bruins triumph over the Pens in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final, there’s no shortage of bad blood when these two passionate squads take the ice.

As the Bruins and Penguins meet for the first time this season tonight at TD Garden, things should be no different. The two teams are going in opposite directions.

The Bruins have taken points in 11 of their last 12 games and sit within striking distance of second place in the Atlantic Division. They will jump to that spot with a win and a Senators loss in regulation or overtime to the red-hot Capitals. Regardless of the outcome in DC, the B’s will surpass the Red Wings in the standings if they win tonight.

The Penguins, meanwhile, are in a little turmoil. This past weekend, the team fired coach Mike Johnston and replaced him with Mike Sullivan, who coached the Black and Gold for two seasons in 2003-04 and 2005-06. Things didn’t get off to such a good start in the Sullivan regime as they fell 4-1 to the Capitals on Monday night. Thanks to a slew of injuries — including Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) and Kris Letang (undisclosed) — and underwhelming play from perennial top scorers Sidney Crosby and first year Penguin Phil Kessel, Sullivan faces a tall task of trying to get Pittsburgh back on track.

Gametime: 8:00 p.m.
TV/Radio: NBCSN/98.5 The Sports Hub
Records: Bruins 16-9-4 (36 points), Penguins 15-11-3 (33 points)
Location: TD Garden

Bruins projected lines

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey-David Krejci-Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes
Landon Ferraro-Max Talbot-Tyler Randell

Zdeno Chara-Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg-Colin Miller
Torey Krug-Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson

Penguins projected lines

Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-David Perron
Sergei Plotkinov-Evgeni Malkin-Patric Hornqvist
Phil Kessel-Eric Fehr-Daniel Sprong
Matt Cullen-Nick Bonino-Kevin Porter

David Warsofsky-Olli Maatta
Ben Lovejoy-Brian Dumoulin
Trevor Daley-Ian Cole

Jeff Zatkoff
Matt Murray

Matchup to watch: Bruins vs. Penguins D

Dennis Seidenberg and the Bruins D hope to shut down Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

Although the Bruins have improved by bits and pieces defensively, there are still some things they need to work on to be more well-rounded. They have played better in front of Tuukka Rask in spurts as seen in the first two periods of Saturday’s Bruins-Panthers game.

When the Bruins play well in their own end, it leads to much better transition from defense to offense. It also allows them to establish their own tempo and avoid a track meet. Despite the Pens struggles offensively, they still have plenty of talent with Crosby, Kessel and Evgeni Malkin who can take over a game on any given night. If the Bruins blue-liners aren’t careful, the Pens will turn this into a track meet tonight.

On the other side, the injury to Fleury and Kris Letang puts the Penguins D in a big hole. The acquisition of Trevor Daley from Chicago on Monday gives them a little depth on the blue-line, but their top defensive pairing of Olli Maatta and David Warsofsky isn’t anything to write home about. They have the tall task of facing a Bruins offense that has the league’s top power play (29.7 percent) and ranks second in goals per game (3.42).

Storyline to watch: Sullivan trying to establish an identity with Pens

Sullivan has waited a long time for another head coaching job in the NHL. His nearly 10-year wait ended on Saturday when Pens General Manager Jim Rutherford tapped him to be the 22nd head coach in franchise history.

Down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Sullivan guided the Baby Penguins to another hot start in the AHL before he was promoted to the big club. The Marshfield native and former Boston University standout will need to get the most out of his elite talent like Crosby, Malkin and Kessel. That will ultimately dictate the short-term direction in Pittsburgh.

Sullivan faces a tough task, but if there’s anyone more deserving of turning things around in the ‘Steel City’, it’s him.