Boston @ Columbus preview
Nationwide Arena
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2020 ) Boston 1, Columbus 4
The Boston Bruins will try to complete a successful road trip when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
The Bruins are 4-1-0 heading into the trip's finale, most recently cruising to a 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
Boston has benefited from superb goaltending from rookie Jeremy Swayman and veteran Linus Ullmark, and the Bruins have received solid contributions from their forward lines, which have combined for 20 of the team's 21 goals on the trip.
Six different forwards have scored at least two goals during the road trip, led by Jake DeBrusk with five and David Pastrnak with four.
DeBrusk has thrived since replacing Pastrnak on the top line in January, and Pastrnak has continued to produce on the second line with Erik Haula, who scored two goals in a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, and Taylor Hall.
"(Pastrnak and Hall) will try to make plays and create, so for me, I might not have the puck as much as those guys do," Haula said. "I just try to create space, get open when it's there, and things will just come to you. That's the thing is when you give those guys time and space and are able to do that -- they make good plays."
The third line hasn't missed out on the action either. Craig Smith boosted that trio with a hat trick against the Golden Knights.
"Good teams need secondary support," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "If that can be a thing, that you can get through some games where your top guys aren't going, or you don't get on the power play much or generate on it, then you're going to be dangerous, right?
"We don't necessarily need a great amount of offense from them, but pitching in is going to help us a lot, and that's what they've been able to do."
The Blue Jackets will try to bounce back after blowing a 3-1 lead to start the third period against the visiting Kings on Friday night and losing 4-3 in overtime. It was Columbus' third defeat in four games.
"Yeah, it's a tough one," Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand said. "I thought we had a good lead and played some good hockey, but they found a way."
The Blue Jackets scored three goals in a 46-second span of the second period, the shortest window in which they have accomplished that feat in team history, giving them the two-goal lead.
Zach Werenski, the top-scoring defenseman for the Blue Jackets, returned against the Kings after missing the previous four games with an upper-body injury. He produced five shots on goal in 32:26 of ice time, both team-high figures.
"Obviously it (stinks) missing games and watching, but it's part of hockey," Werenski said before the game. "Stuff happens. I'm happy to be back."
Werenski's return was important for the Blue Jackets, as earlier Friday they placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve. He suffered an upper-body injury Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Columbus forward Brendan Gaunce left the team's 4-3 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday with an upper-body injury and did not play against the Kings, but coach Brad Larsen also wanted to get Yegor Chinakhov into a game after he was a healthy scratch the previous two.
Chinakhov was minus-2 in 8:45 on Friday, so it's likely Gaunce will return against the Bruins if able.
Before Saturday's game, the Blue Jackets will retire Rick Nash's No. 61, the first number to be retired in franchise history. Nash is Columbus' career leader in games (674), goals (289), assists (258) and points (547). He played with the team from 2002-12.
--Field Level Media