No. 2/3 Terriers host No. 17 BC, No. 6 Lowell in weekend homestand

The argument could be made that this upcoming weekend could stand as the toughest test that the No. 2/3 Boston University men’s hockey team has faced thus far this season.

Returning to the friendly confines of Agganis Arena, the Terriers (12-3-4, 7-1-2 Hockey East) will play host to archrival No. 17 Boston College Friday night before ushering in No. 6 University of Massachusetts Lowell Sunday afternoon — signifying a two-game stretch that could have a big impact on Hockey East standings for the scarlet and white.

Just don’t tell any of that to head coach David Quinn. For BU’s bench boss, it’s business as usual.

“I mean, if you look at our schedule, I think we’ve played the toughest schedule in Hockey East up to this point, so we’ve played a lot of good teams,” Quinn said. “Anytime you play BC, it’s a special game and Lowell’s the two-time defending league champion, so it’s a different weekend. I don’t know if it’s more difficult, every game is difficult.”

The Terriers are coming off of an up-and-down series against the University of Wisconsin last weekend, as BU needed a miraculous two-goal comeback to earn a 3-3 draw on Jan. 9 before securing a decisive 6-1 victory over the Badgers (2-12-2) the following night.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, Quinn shuffled his lines, pushing senior assistant captain Evan Rodrigues up to the first line alongside freshman forward Jack Eichel and junior forward Danny O’Regan while slotting junior forward Ahti Oksanen next to senior assistant captain Cason Hohmann and sophomore forward Robbie Baillargeon on the second line.

The results from the roster shakeup were encouraging to say the least, as Eichel, O’Regan and Rodrigues scored a combined five goals and 10 points in the victory.

Quinn remarked that he expects those two lines to remain the same going into this weekend, noting that the swap of Rodrigues and Oksanen could prove to be advantageous for both groups.

“I actually liked both of the lines. I thought E-Rod gave that line a little bit more pace, and Ahti gives them a little bit more shooting and a little bit more size,” Quinn said. “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while and it just seemed to be the right time to do it. I think we saw the benefit of it.”

Friday’s contest will stand as the 267th meeting between the Terriers and Eagles (12-7-2, 5-4-2 Hockey East), with BU holding the series edge with a record of 130-119-17.

A four-goal third period helped the Terriers come away with a 5-3 win against their “B”-Line counterpart at Conte Forum on Nov. 7, but the Eagles have history on their side going into the second meeting between both teams this season.

In 14 career games at Agganis Arena, the Eagles have posted a dominating mark of 10-3-1, including a 5-1 win in their last appearance at Jack Parker Rink on Nov. 8, 2013.

BU’s victory against its Chestnut Hill foe earlier this year proved to be a big momentum boost to a team that won six out of its first seven games to open the 2014-15 season, but Quinn was quick to note that a lot has changed for both teams since their last confrontation.

“I think we’ve been sporadic,” Quinn said. “I think we’ve had some real good games and then there have been games where we’ve been inconsistent and been fortunate to come out with either a point or two, so we’re going to have to play better than we did last time against them because I know they’re a better team.”

One bullet in particular that the Terriers dodged in their first game against the Eagles was defenseman Steve Santini, who was sidelined for 17 games this season due to wrist surgery.

The hard-hitting blueliner returned to action on Jan. 10 against Northeastern University and recorded his first assist of the season in the 4-2 win.

Santini, who was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft, will look to bring his smashmouth style of play out on the ice Friday night — creating problems for Quinn and his skaters in the process.

“When you can play a guy 20-plus minutes, it certainly affects the game,” Quinn said. “A guy of his physical stature and the way he moves the puck and I know the leadership he brings to that team, so there’s a lot that goes into it.

“When you play [teams], you want to play their best, and you want to gauge where you are. With Santini in the lineup, I know we’re going to get BC’s best.”

BC’s defensemen have helped limit opponents to 2.33 goals per game this season, but have also made their impact on the score sheet as well. Out of the 64 goals that the Eagles have scored this season, 12 have come from defensemen.

The Terriers won’t earn much of a reprieve following their match against the Eagles, as the River Hawks (14-4-3, 7-1-2 Hockey East) will make the trek to Agganis for a matinee showdown Sunday.

Despite losing seven seniors and the 2013-14 Mike Richter Award recipient in sophomore goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, it’s been another fruitful campaign for Lowell, who have claimed the last two Hockey East Championships and are currently tied with the Terriers for the top spot in conference standings.

BU goaltender Matt O’Connor (1.83 goals-against average/.936 save percentage) will have his work cut out for him against Lowell, who pace all Hockey East squads with 3.71 goals per game.

The River Hawks feature a varied attack, with 10 skaters registering at least 10 points on the year, led by freshman C.J. Smith with 18 (seven goals, 11 assists).

For Quinn, the biggest key to a successful weekend for the Terriers lies in the team staying composed and opportunistic against two vaunted opponents.

“We need to understand that we don’t need to score a goal every time we have the puck,” Quinn said. “We have to make good decisions with it. Our puck movement, our puck support’s going to be huge, and how we defend. I mean, if we get to people quickly and end the play, we’re a pretty tough team to score goals on.”