Marco Sturm just locked in Joonas Korpisalo and left Nikita Zadorov hanging, and the Boston Bruins feel the tension heading into the New York Rangers game tonight.

Sturm confirmed Korpisalo will start, with Zadorov a true game-time decision after the ankle issue.

Boston is clearly riding the hot hand in net.

Korpisalo's last four starts are a perfect 4-0-0, and the stretch comes with a 1.50 GAA and a .947 save percentage.

That kind of run changes the vibe on the bench, because skaters play a little looser when they trust the next save.

The Bruins also need every point they can grab, and they enter tonight at 30-20-2 with the schedule tightening fast.

Now the worry shifts to the blue line.

Zadorov tweaked his ankle Saturday against Montreal, missed Sunday's practice in New York, and nobody has offered a clean update since.

If he cannot go, Boston loses a chunk of bite, plus a penalty-kill option who helps with net-front scrambles.

It also forces tougher minutes onto other pairs, and that can show up quickly against a Rangers team that attacks off broken coverage.

Nikita Zadorov uncertainty tests the Boston Bruins

Bruins fans are already bracing for the dreaded “warmups will tell us,” because that usually means you are about to watch a lineup get taped together.

If Zadorov sits, the Bruins likely have to simplify, chip pucks out, avoid cute reverses, and keep shifts short in their own end.

If he plays, the question becomes how strong that ankle is when the first heavy forecheck hits.

Either way, Korpisalo becomes even more important.

His overall record is 10-8-0 with a 3.08 GAA and a .897 save percentage, but the recent form is the story Boston is betting on tonight.