PREVIEW: Blue Jackets return home to take on Bruins

BLUE JACKETS (32-32-5) vs. BRUINS (43-20-5)

Columbus has struggled out of the gates in the last two games, being outshot 14-5 by the Islanders in the first period on Thursday night and 15-5 by the Bruins on Saturday night. While the Jackets were able to escape the first period tied 1-1 against the Boston, they'll definitely be focused on doing better in the home-and-home rematch tonight against the Bruins.
"It's just not good enough," forward Gus Nyquist said after Saturday night's 5-2 loss to the Bruins, the team's sixth loss in a row. "It's something we talked about before the game, that we didn't like our start to the last game. Yeah, not good enough in the first, and we are fortunate we end that period 1-1."
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In both of the last two games, the Blue Jackets were able to overcome the starts and go into the third period tied at 2, but in each game, the opposition was able to pull away to matching 5-2 victories.
The lesson to be had is that the Jackets have to play a full 60 minutes, especially against teams that are dialing it up for the postseason.
"I think that's something we need to focus on next game," said Justin Danforth, who scored for the second straight game Saturday night. "We know what to do. We're 65 games into the year or whatever we are. We know what kind of team we are and what makes us successful, and that's playing north, playing simple, putting it behind their D, using our speed and playing in the offensive zone. That's where we're most successful. We know what we have to do, it's just being ready."
Associate coach Pascal Vincent has been in charge the last three games and sees a team that has been putting in the effort despite the fact the team's postseason hopes are fading. The problem has been execution over effort, as the Jackets have found their game in pockets of the last few matchups but need to do it more consistently to have success.
"We adjusted, we made faster decisions with the puck, moving the puck behind their D, and that's when we started to create some momentum," he said of the Saturday night game. "We were in this game. It's a 2-2 game. They score. We're doing a good job on the penalty kill, and one shot, one tip, and then you're pushing the pace from there. We competed hard."

Know the Foe

The Boston Bruins have to be pretty high on the list of teams you just don't want to face at the moment.
The veteran-laden Bruins have cranked things up with the playoffs nearing, with the team's 4-2 win over Columbus on Saturday night moving the team to 16-3-1 in its last 20 games. Boston has outscored teams by an average of 3.90-2.35 during that streak, and the Bruins have scored 24 goals in the last three games.
"We are playing a good hockey team, and against a good team, their tracking is really good, their gap control is really good, and making those east-west plays was not necessarily there," Vincent said.
On the whole, the Bruins are just 14th in the NHL with 3.16 goals per game, but that mark is rising considering the hot streak the team is on. Boston does have a strong power play that checks in tied for fifth in the NHL at 24.4 percent, while the team is elite defensively, allowing just 2.66 goals per game (sixth in the NHL) and placing eighth in PK at 81.7 percent.
The names that lead the way for the Bruins remain familiar, with David Pastrnak at the top of the list. The Czech star has been one of the top goal scorers in the league this season, scoring 38 goals to tie for ninth in the league while adding 33 assists for 71 points on the season.
Coming off a three-point night in Boston, Brad Marchand is next with a 31-40-71 line for the 33-year-old's fifth 30-goal season, while Taylor Hall has fit in nicely as the 2018 Hart Trophy winner has a 16-36-52 line. Patrice Bergeon has 18 goals and 52 points, while Charlie McAvoy leads the way from the blue line with eight goals and 39 assists. Jake DeBrusk (19 goals), Craig Smith (15), Charlie Coyle (15) and Erik Haula (12, two Saturday night) are also in double digits in goals.
In net, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have split the starts. Swayman is 20-9-3 with a 2.23 goals-against average and .920 save percentage, while Ullmark is 21-9-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .910 save percentage.