Columbus @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 2, 2019 ) Boston 6, Columbus 2

The Boston Bruins knew if they survived their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the reward would be a matchup against the league's best team. However, with the Tampa Bay Lightning suffering a shocking loss in their opening series, the Bruins kick off a best-of-seven set against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Boston nearly didn't hold up its end of the deal, needing to win Game 6 in Toronto before easing to a 5-1 victory in Tuesday's Game 7 to advance to the conference semifinals versus Columbus. "They're well-rested. They won ... four in a row against arguably a favorite going into the Stanley Cup playoffs," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said of the Blue Jackets. "They made a lot of changes. They've come together. They present a lot of challenges and we're going to have to be at our best in order to beat them." Columbus, idle since April 16, spotted the Lightning a three-goal lead in Game 1 before roaring back and completing a stunning sweep of the Presidents' Trophy winners for the first series win in franchise history. "Other than Tampa, I think they're probably the best team in the National Hockey League," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said of Boston, which won two of three meetings this season -- all coming in the final month.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Columbus, perhaps the most active team at the trade deadline, did not click until a 7-1-0 closing stretch -- the only loss was to Boston -- and carried that momentum into the postseason by outscoring Tampa Bay 19-5 after the first period of the series opener. Matt Duchene, the prime acquisition at the trade deadline, led the team with three goals and seven points versus the Lightning while eight other players had at least three points. The key, however, will be two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who turned aside 109 of 117 shots by a team that tied the NHL record for most victories.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Netminder Tuukka Rask also has a Vezina Trophy on his resume but he had an uneven season, posting a career-worst .912 save percentage and his fewest wins since 2012-13, but he permitted five goals in the last three games versus Toronto. "Hopefully, he can continue to build on his playoff legacy. It's a big Game 7 win," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said after Rask's 32-save performance on Tuesday. "I believe he was our best player." Brad Marchand paced the offense with four goals and five assists as he combined with linemates Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak for 20 points versus Toronto.

OVERTIME

1. Columbus was 5 of 10 and Boston 7 of 16 on the power play in the first round.

2. Pastrnak missed two meetings with Columbus but has scored at least 34 goals in each of the past three seasons.

3. Blue Jackets F Alexandre Texier, signed in each April, scored twice in the clincher over Tampa Bay.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2