The annual NHL holiday break allows players and fans alike to step away for three days, spend time with family and enjoy everything that comes with the season.
Dean Evason hopes the Blue Jackets didn’t have too many Christmas cookies, though.
We’re kidding, of course, but after Columbus hit the holiday break Monday night with a 5-4 win over Montreal, the CBJ head coach said he hoped his players would both enjoy the holiday but be ready to go when they come back tonight’s game vs. Boston.
“Do we want them to do some kind of exercise, get on the bike or whatever? They’re pros,” Evason said. “But no, we want them to enjoy their family. It’s an important time. It’s a nice break to just get the heck away. There will be some of them sticking together, dinners and all that kind of stuff. They’ve created a nice culture in there, a nice atmosphere of team, so I’m sure they’ll spend it together. But just be with your families, enjoy it and come back ready to go.”
The win against Montreal was the perfect way to finish things off before taking a breather, as the banged-up Blue Jackets took leads of 2-0 and 3-1, then battled back themselves in the third period with a tying power-play goal and Kirill Marchenko’s late winner with 2:12 to go.
It wasn’t perfect, but the Blue Jackets rolled with the punches and did enough to get two points that moved them into a tie for fifth in the division and within four points of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Highlights included a solid NHL debut for defenseman Denton Mateychuk plus standout performances from the entire top line (a combined eight points for Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov and center Sean Monahan) as well as three more points from Zach Werenski.
“It’s a big win for us,” Werenski said. “Obviously we have a couple days off here before a back-to-back against Boston, and to end on the right note, have a couple days to reset, get our bodies right and get back at it in a couple of days, it’s going to be great. A huge win for us.”
Columbus will also be back in the home confines of Nationwide Arena as they get back to action. The Blue Jackets come into this game against the Bruins with a 9-2-3 mark in their last 14 home games.
Know The Foe: Boston Bruins
Head coach: Joe Sacco (First season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.64 (26th) | Scoring defense: 3.03 (16th) | PP: 13.6 percent (31st) | PK: 77.3 percent (22nd)
The narrative: The Bruins have been one of the most consistently successful franchises in the NHL, making the playoffs 15 of the last 17 years, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and going to the Final in 2013 and ‘19 as well. But the retirements of such core players as Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have left some holes in the lineup that the Bruins are trying to fill with younger pieces, and this year has had its fair share of ups and downs culminating in the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery after a November loss to the Blue Jackets.
Team leaders: The two players at the top of the scoring chart are certainly familiar names, as David Pastrnak leads the way with 12 goals and 35 points, while Brad Marchand is next with a team-best 15 goals among his 30 points. Elias Lindholm follows with a 6-12-18 line, while Pavel Zacha has eight goals and eight assists and Charlie McAvoy leads the blue line with five goals and 11 helpers.
In net, Jeremy Swayman leads the team with 25 starts and is 12-10-3 with a 3.05 GAA and .887 save percentage.
What's new: Boston acquired such pieces as Cole Koepke, Mark Kastelic, Morgan Geekie and Nikita Zadorov to try to fill out the lineup while also turning to such youngsters as John Beecher (23 years old), former Ohio State defenseman Mason Lohrei (24) and Matthew Poitras (20) for potentially bigger roles. Struggles at the start of the season led to the dismissal of Montgomery with the team holding an 8-9-3 record; Sacco is 11-4-1 since taking over and the team has allowed just 2.50 goals and 23.3 shots on goal per game in his tenure.
Trending: Columbus’ 5-1 win in Boston on Nov. 18 led to Montgomery’s end, and it was just the second in the last 10 games for the Blue Jackets in the series (2-5-3).
Former CBJ: Joonas Korpisalo went to Boston in an offseason trade and is 7-3-1 in seven games with a 2.42 GAA and .904 save percentage. Defenseman Andrew Peeke has returned from an upper body injury and has six assists in 30 games.
