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Columbus Blue Jackets (34 pts) vs. Boston Bruins (42 pts) Game Preview

jason newland
·2 min read

The Columbus Blue Jackets play the Boston Bruins in the first leg of a home-and-home back-to-back tonight. The Jackets hammered the Bruins 5-1 back on November 18th. It was a game that got their head coach fired.

Since the firing of Jim Montgomery, the Bruins have played pretty well. They're 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, have won two straight, and since that November 18th game, the Bruins are 11-4-1. They've also moved back into a familiar spot - the top three in the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins seem to be this year's version of the Washington Capitals. Winning games despite what the stats say. They're currently a minus-14 in goal diff, 31st on the PP, 22nd on the PK, 25th in goals scored, 20th in goals against, and 32nd in PIMs given up. They're still winning games, so I guess they'll take it.

The Bruins are currently 3rd in the Atlantic, 6th in the East, and 12th in the League.

Series History vs. The Bruins

  • Columbus is 9-8-5 at home and 16-16-10 in 42 all-time meetings vs. Boston.

  • The CBJ are 5-3-2 in the last 10 at NWA.

  • The Blue Jackets are 1-2-2 in the last 5 against Boston at home.

Who To Watch For The Bruins

  • Brad Marchand leads Boston with 15 goals. He also has 29 points in 30 games against the CBJ.

  • David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 23 assists and 35 points.

  • Jeremy Swayman is 12-10 with a .887 SV%.

  • Joonas Korpisalo is 7-3 with a .904 SV%.

CBJ Player Notes vs. The Bruins

  • Sean Monahan has 15 points in 19 games vs. the Bruins.

  • James van Riemsdyk has 38 points in 50 games.

  • Elvis Merzlikins is 3-2-2 with a 2.38 GAA and .930 SV% against the Bruins.

Injuries

  • Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (35 Games)

  • Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (32 Games)

  • Yegor Chinakhov (upper body) is on Injured Reserve (14 Games)

  • Justin Danforth (lower body) is on Injured Reserve on Dec.10; (7 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 138

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

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