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Boston Bruins

GAME 4 PREVIEW STANLEY CUP FINALS | BOSTON BRUINS VS. ST. LOUIS

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The Boston Bruins once again face the St. Louis Blues in a pivotal Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals. Saturday’s throttle of the Blues saw the Bruins win 7-2 as they continue to escape an overtly physical St. Louis team.

MILESTONES

Saturday night’s clash came after the St Louis beat the Bruins 3-2 in overtime back in Boston, tying the series 1-1. It turned out to be an historic night for the Bruins as many players hit personal milestones. Torey Krug became the first Bruins defenseman to have four points in a Stanley Cup Final game. Patrice Bergeron nabbed his 100th playoff point and is now tied with Phil Esposito.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: NHL.com)

The momentum has shifted back Boston’s way, and tonight they will be looking to close out Game Four. For the Bruins, their special teams have made the difference as evident in Saturday’s game. Boston went four-for-four that night. Boston will need to continue to play up their on-ice skills  and avoid any collisions with St. Louis.

DIALING IT BACK

The Blues will need to continue to make adjustments and be more disciplined as they attempt to win one on home ice. For goalie Jordan Binnington, he will need to have his emotions in check as he gains his confidence back after being pulled in Game Three. After allowing five goals to get past him, the rookie-goaltender look downtrodden as Jake Allen replaced him the net. The Blues announced that defenseman Vince Dunn will return to the lineup tonight. He’s been out since taking a puck to the face in Game Three against the San Jose Sharks. More than likely this will make Robert Bortuzzo a healthy scratch.

Oskar Sundqvist will also return after a one-game suspension following a hit on Matt Grzelcyk in Game Two.  Grzelcyk is still listed day-to-day. Zach Sanford will move up on the lineup with Robby Fabbri sitting our for tonight game. Expect Tuukka Rask in net for Boston and Jordan Binnington in net for St. Louis.

PROJECTED LINEUPS FOR BOSTON

Marchand –Bergeron – Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Krejci – Backes

Johansson – Coyle – Heinen

Nordstrom – Kuraly – Acciari

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Clifton

Tuukka Rask

PROJECTED LINEUPS FOR ST. LOUIS

Schwartz – Schenn – Tarasenko

Sanford – O’Reilly – Perron

Maroon – Bozak – Blais

Barbashev – Sundqvist – Steen

Edmundson – Pietrangelo

Bouwmeester – Parayko

Dunn – Gunnarsson

Binnington

WHEN TO WATCH: Tonight with puck drop after 8:00 pm

WHERE TO WATCH: NBC

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Boston Bruins

GAME 3: STANLEY CUP FINALS|BOSTON BRUINS STOMP ST. LOUIS

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With the series tied at 1-1, the Boston Bruins arrived at Enterprise Center determined to make a statement, and boy, did they. The Bruins know what’s at stake, and as they looked upon photos of past Stanley Cup victories that decorated their dressing room, the team was reminded to embrace the challenge. The ultimate prize is within reach, and the boys in Black and Gold overcame a head-hunting St. Louis team, defeating them in spectacular fashion 7-2 . The series is now 2-1 in Boston’s favor.

STRONG START

In what was supposed to be a special homecoming in St. Louis, things quickly went downhill for the Blues. For St. Louis, this was the first Stanley Cup final game played there since 1970. Despite the obvious pronounced physicality in an attempt to rattle the Bruins, Boston did not bite. The Bruins went four-for-four on the powerplay last night, and scored four goals in five shots. The first goal of the night came off a power-play, as Patrice Bergeron scored off a deflection from Torey Krug’s wrist shot. Charlie Coyle would score later off the rush, making it 2-0.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

In the last moments of the first period Sean Kuraly would score on a wrist shot, making it 3-0. St. Louis, however, did challenge the goal as offside, but officials along with the Situation Room kept the call on ice. The Blues were assessed a penalty after the failed challenge (delay of game penalty) and Boston was on the power play going into the second. David Pastrnak would score 41 seconds in, making the score 4-0.

SINGING THE BLUES

St. Louis got on the board at 11:05 in the second period when Ivan Barbashev scored, making it 4-1. However, Krug would send one in on a power-play a minute after, making the score 5-1. Blues’ goalie Jordan Binnington was shortly pulled out and Jake Allen would step in. St. Louis would get a power-play in the third period, and Colton Parayko would score at 5:24. With an empty net down St. Louis’s end during the last five minutes of the game, Noel Acciari easily netted the puck, making it 6-2. With Allen back in the net, Marcus Johansson would bury one past him, making the final score 7-2.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

QUICK STATS

Binnington allowed five goals on 19 shots, and was pulled for the first time in his 52 start career. Jake Allen had three saves for the night. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask made 27 saves on 29 shots, and has a save percentage of .939 with a goals-against-average of 1.91. Defenseman Torey Krug had a historic night as he became the first Bruins in history to have four points in a Stanley Cup Final game with one goal and three assists. Patrice Bergeron also had three points with one goal and two assists. He leads the playoffs with seven power-play goals.

“I think it was just a night where everything went our way. We tried to be more decisive and assertive getting pucks to the net after one or two passes.”

Bruins Torey Krug

The Bruins will be looking to continue playing to their skill over hitting as they face the Blues this Monday night in St. Louis.

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Boston Bruins

GAME 2-STANLEY CUP FINALS| Boston Bruins vs St. Louis Blues

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After a wild comeback that included a very angry Torey Krug, the Boston Bruins took Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2.  Despite the slow start that saw the Bruins looking a bit rusty after an 11-day layoff, they quickly found their legs and dominated the rest of the game. Tonight, Boston will be looking to keep the momentum going as they face a St. Louis team who will no doubt come out looking to take at least one game at the TD Garden.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

EVERY LINE COUNTS

Monday night’s game saw great plays from all lines, with contributions from the back end to the first line.  With the Bruins down 2-0, both defensemen Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy got Boston on board, tying up the game. Blue-liner Sean Kuraly once again notched the winning goal that moved the Bruins ahead of the Blues. Brad Marchand placed the final nail on the coffin when he scored an empty netter, making the final score 4-2.

PUSHBACK

Expect continued strong shifts from all Bruins lines tonight, and a more ready Blues team, who undoubtedly will make adjustments to their game. Boston held practice yesterday and will hold an optional pregame skate this morning. For St. Louis, Jordan Binnington will most likely get the start in net. The rookie goaltender made 34 saves, and understandably looked less than happy with the goals that squeaked by him. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made 18 saves, and now has .940 save percentage in the post season, with a 1.85 goals against average.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Players to watch: Brayden Schen and Vladimir Tarasenko.  Blues Coach Craig Berube stated Robert Thomas will sit out for tonight’s game. Thomas was famously hit by Torey Krug in a shot heard around the hockey world. St. Louis has been in this position before when they faced the San Jose Sharks, dropping Game One to battle back to win the Western Conference. The Bruins will continue to play a fast and more physical game as they look to once again get through the Blues big defense.

LOOKING AHEAD

“We knew what our best game looks like and we’re confident we can win. We know the first one wasn’t what we wanted and we’re going to respond and tie the series up. That’s our plan and we’re just going to keep taking it one day at a time.”

Blues Forward Ryan O’Reilly

“We weren’t too happy with the way the game was going….weren’t playing our game and I think after the second goal, our guys, that kind of woke us up. We needed something good to happen and it did.”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

WHEN TO WATCH:  Tonight with puck drop just after 8:00 pm, TD Garden, Boston

WHERE TO WATCH: NBCSN

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The Big Bad Bruins are Back

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The Boston Bruins showed a bit of rust in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. That was to be expected after having ten days off. In the first period they ended with only eight shots on goal and down 1-0. It didn’t take long to shake that rust off, however. After going down 2-0 early in the second period the Bruins finally found life. Goals from defensemen Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy tied the game at 2, and the St. Louis Blues wouldn’t score again. Meanwhile, Sean Kuraly would score the go-ahead goal and Brad Marchand sealed the game with an empty netter. In the last two periods the Bruins out-shot the Blues 30-12 and beat them 4-2 to take a 1-0 series lead.

That Old Feeling

In a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals from 1970 it’s appropriate that this game had a feeling of ‘70s hockey. It was physical and the referees let the boys play. Also appropriate is the Bruins felt like their brutally physical ‘70s counterparts. Just as they were nicknamed in that era, last night the Big Bad Bruins returned. At one point Brad Marchand made a play on goal and Blues goalie Jordan Binnington hit Marchand with his stick, losing it in the play. After the play was blown dead, Marchand skated past Binnington, giving him a shoulder bump along the way. That was one of the friendlier interactions of the night.

Changing Momentum

Photo by Bob DeChiara

The key moment in the game came from defenseman Torey Krug. While in the Bruins defensive zone, in front of Tuukka Rask in net, Krug and Blues forward David Perron got into a wrestling match. It started with a couple of hacks of the sticks, then Perron began shoving Krug from behind several times while Krug stood his ground. Perron fell on top of Krug and pushed his head down once before trying to get back to his feet, pulling Krug’s head back twice and yanking his helmet off. Krug, not backing down, held Perron’s right leg, causing both of them to fall down again. Perron then successfully got back to his skates, straddled over Krug, and pushed his head back down, before skating after the puck, now in the Blues defensive zone.

Torey Krug was clearly angry. He got to his skates, flew up the ice, and with no helmet he ran full-speed into rookie forward Robert Thomas, knocking both of them down. No penalty was called on any of it. The wrestling match was questionable, but Krug’s hit on Thomas was legal. Thomas had the puck, the hit was shoulder to shoulder, and while Krug’s skates did come off the ice it wasn’t until after the contact. The Big Bad Bruins, led by Torey Krug of all people, were back in force in Game 1.

David Backes perfectly summed it up after the game. “That gave me goosebumps. He doesn’t have a helmet on but he goes right up the ice and lays a big hit. He thinks he’s playing thirty, forty years ago.”

Getty Images
Boston Bruins

GAME ONE: STANLEY CUP FINALS| Boston Bruins vs. St Louis Blues

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The buzz is real down Causeway Street and if you didn’t know by now, the Boston Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Finals. Both teams have endured quite a few obstacles this season: Bruins persevering through a stretch of injuries, and the Blues coming from dead last to being Western Conference Champions. The two best teams are in the Finals and whoever wins, deserves to win. This is going to be a tough one, folks.

GAMEDAY NOTES

Coach Bruce Cassidy recently confirmed that Captain Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand will be in the lineup tonight. Yesterday many players participated in Media Day, answering questions and posed for pictures before final preparations for tonight’s game.

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Tonight will mark 49 years since the Boston Bruins swept the Blues in 1970, and tonight Boston knows that they are facing a very tough St. Louis team. For a few players this mark their third time being in this position: Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, and Tuukka Rask:

“I’m very thankful to be in this opportunity and to compete for a Cup. I think in a way its different, where I’ve matured and I’ve come to realize that it’s not easy to get to this point and make the most of it.”

Bruins Center Patrice Bergeron

With an 11-day lay-off, the Bruins have kept their legs fresh, but ultimately it’s always tough to mimic an actual Playoff game. Fans were able to enjoy a scrimmage this past Thursday, as well as show support and raise money toward the Boston Bruins Foundation.

From Last to First

The St. Louis Blues have completely turned their season around to reach the Finals for the first time since 1970. In the final 45 games of the regular season the Blues have posted a 30-10-5 record, and ended with 99 points. One of the biggest components of the St. Louis success is rookie goaltender, and former Providence player, Jordan Binnington. After taking over in January, the 25-year-old posted a 24-5-1 record with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.

This will be the Blues third time in their franchise history to reach the Stanley Cup finals. Unfortunately each time they’ve made to this point they were swept; twice by the Montreal Canadiens and once by Boston.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

Matching Up

The Bruins and St. Louis met twice during the regular season and split the series, with Boston winning 5-2 on January 17th and losing 2-1 in a shootout on February 23. In the past, Boston has won the Cup each time they’ve met the Blues in the Playoffs (1970 and 1972). St. Louis and Boston are no strangers when facing each other in a championship round and luckily the edge is given to Boston. Aside from the Stanley Cup, Boston has faced and won against St. Louis in the NBA Finals (1957-W, 1958-L, 1960-W and 1961-W), the Super Bowl (2002-W), and have split the World Series (1946-L, 1967-L, 2004-W, 2013-W).

Expect this series to be very physical and low-scoring, with Boston looking to outskate to get past a big-bodied Blues defense. Either team will need to take advantage of special teams when given the opportunity. Both goaltenders are playing hot lately, and each team has had a chance to rest. Coach Bruce Cassidy stated recently:

“I think they’re very similar to us, the way they play, forechecking yeah… they play pretty North-South, use all four lines, fourth line particular gets a lot of assignments like ours… think they’re a bit of our twin, so to speak…I see a lot of similarities.”

WHEN TO WATCH: Tonight at 8:00 PM

WHERE TO WATCH: NBC

STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE:

Game 1: Monday, May 27 at 8 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA) – NBC

Game 2: Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA) – NBCSN

Game 3: Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m. (Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO) – NBCSN

Game 4: Monday, June 3 at 8 p.m. (Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO) – NBC

Game 5: Thursday, June 6 at 8 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA) – NBC*

Game 6: Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m. (Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO) – NBC*

Game 7: Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA) – NBC*

*IF NECESSARY

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McAvoy

Charlie McAvoy: What’s Next?

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The 2018-2019 NHL season is rapidly coming to a close. The Boston Bruins have clinched the Eastern Conference and are four wins away from winning the Stanley Cup. This would be their first time in eight years and the seventh time in franchise history. The Cup is close to coming back to Boston. No matter what happens, the off-season is looming in the near-future, and with it contract negotiations.

Photo by Joshua Kloke

Contract Extension

One of the biggest off-season moves for the Bruins is extending defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who becomes a restricted free agent at the end of this year. McAvoy has been a reliable staple on the blue line lately, partnered with Zdeno Chara. He recently turned down a long-term offer by the Bruins, suspected to be due to recent offers to similar players such as defenseman Esa Lindell. Lindell was extended by the Dallas Stars on a 6 year, $34.8 million contract, giving him $5.8 million a year. He scored 11 goals this season and put up 32 points. Making that more enticing is his youth. Lindell is only 25. McAvoy wants a similar contract and why not? The kid’s young with plenty of potential that he’s sure to live up to.

Value

Charlie McAvoy was an integral part of the USA team in the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. He received the Player of the Game honor in their gold-medal game win. McAvoy’s also got youth on his side, at 21 years-old, and his stats are impressive this season. He’s missed 28 games due to a concussion, a lower-body injury, and a one-game suspension. Despite that, he has 8 goals and 35 points thus far. McAvoy has the ability to become a superstar on an already star-studded Bruins roster.

(Getty Images)

Salary Cap Era

Unfortunately, we live in the salary cap era. Dallas can afford to pay Lindell $34.8 million over 6 years because they have the cap space. The Bruins aren’t as fortunate. GM Don Sweeney is still filling the hole that was dug by former GM Peter Chiarelli. McAvoy would be in the upper-echelon pay scale of Bruins players with a contract similar to Lindell’s. He’s a great defenseman who looks to only get better, but is he worth paying as much or more than someone like David Pastrnak? More to the point, is he worth paying so much against the cap that the Bruins can’t afford to keep some of their other top-tier players for much longer? The Chicago Blackhawks did that a few seasons ago with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and it hurt the team.

What Can Be Done

One potential solution is extending the time on the contract. An amount such as $30 million over four years is unrealistic, but over six or seven years could be manageable. It comes down to McAvoy and what he’s willing to accept versus what he feels he’s worth. Would he be willing to take a pay cut to stay in Boston? Furthermore, what happens if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup? The way McAvoy plays combined with his ice time would be factors in that win, giving him a much larger bargaining chip. However, the salary cap is ruthless and inflexible. Only time will tell but this will certainly be an interesting and potentially exciting off-season.

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Silence Hurricanes; Rask Tremendous

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The Boston Bruins knew going into Tuesday night that they would be facing a desperate Hurricanes team. Up 2-0 in the series, Boston had to be ready. And if it weren’t for the outstanding performance by goaltender Tuukka Rask, things could’ve been a lot different.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

The ‘Canes were coming off a perfect 5-0 winning streak at home in the playoffs, and were looking to make a huge push from the get go. From the drop of the puck Carolina was all over Boston, as they drew the first penalty 55 seconds into the first. In the first of many penalties of the period, Rask mimicked a brick wall and shut down every Carolina shot. As more Black and Gold jerseys sat in the box (at one point they were down two players), Rask kept things alive. Boston was able to keep the Hurricanes scoreless in the first, with Carolina out-shooting the Bruins 20-6.

(Photo Credits: AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

RASK KEEPING IT IN

In the second period, the Bruins quickly found their legs as Chris Wagner opened up the scoring. And within a few moments Brad Marchand tallied one of his own, giving Boston a 2-0 lead. Carolina did not rest however, as they continued to shoot point-blank at Rask as their frustration continued to build. Rask kept the night rolling, allowing only one shot to get past him. A potential goal in the third by the Bruins would’ve seen the score 3-1, however after review by the officials, it was taken off the board due to goaltender interference.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits:AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The Boston Bruins are now up 3-0 in the series and have a chance this Thursday to sweep the Hurricanes to advance into the Stanley Cup Finals. With the emerging success of the fourth line, and the continued tremendous play by Tuukka Rask, the Bruins are this close to achieving that goal. Boston’s Head Coach Bruce Cassidy offered some insight about Rask’s performance last night:

“I think he was our best penalty killer for stretches there. What it does for the team, obviously, is it allows you to take a deep breath knowing you go into the first period intermission haven’t played our best, but it’s 0-0.”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

Rask made 35 saves last night, and now boasts the second best goals-against-average in the post-season at 1.69. His save percentage is .939, and he leads the league with 11 wins.

“Being in the zone, nobody knows what that means. The way I usually want to play, I want to play calm and make myself look big and maybe even tough chances, try to make it look easy. If that’s in the zone then so be it. I just try to be focused and give us a chance.”

Bruins Goalie Tuukka Rask

NOTES

As the Bruins gear up to face an even more desperate Hurricanes team on Thursday, there may be a possibility that Chris Wagner will be out. Late in the third period, he blocked a slap shot by Justin Faulk with his wrist. In obvious pain, Wagner was seen going down the tunnel. David Krejci played his 100th career playoff game, hitting a personal milestone.

NEXT GAME: Boston Bruins at Carolina Thursday May 14th.

WHERE TO WATCH: NBCSN with puck drop at 8:00 PM

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Eliminate Blue Jackets: Heading Into ECF

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The stage was set for Game 6 in Columbus and the Boston Bruins came out victorious, denying the Blue Jackets a Game 7 back in Boston. The battle in the net had emerged as the story throughout the series, and both Tuukka Rask and Sergei Bobrovsky played outstanding. Last night, Rask earned a shutout against the Blue Jackets 3-0, and led the Bruins to the Eastern Conference Finals—their first since 2013.

TUUKKA TIME

Rask made 39 saves last night in the shutout, as the Bruins won their third straight game in a best of seven games.  He is the third goaltender in Bruins history to record two-series clinching shutouts.

The Bruins scored first when Sean Kuraly netted one past Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period, however it was ruled as goaltender interference. David Krejci then scored at 12:13 of the second, officially getting the Bruins on board. Both Rask and Bobrovsky made it a tight game, keeping it a 1-0 game until the third when Marcus Johannson scored, making it 2-0. David Backes added more cushion as he extended the Bruins lead 3-0 later in the third.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: Boston.com)

MISSING THE NET

Columbus had plenty of opportunities to sneak one past Rask, however, only managing to hit the post and crossbar multiple times as they peppered the Bruins net. Despite having four power-plays, Columbus was unable to capitalize, despite coming into the series with the best power-play in the playoffs.

“You’ve got to create your own luck, obviously, but it would have been nice to see at least one of those go in. I think if one of those goes in it’s a whole different ballgame just because of the momentum you create of just getting one past him. We peppered him…Just disappointing…I thought we played really well tonight, just didn’t get a result. It’s frustrating for a game where I really thought, I wasn’t planning on sitting here talking to you guys about this. Don’t really have much to go on tonight, just one of those games. We had chances, just didn’t bury them.”

Columbus Captain Nick Foligno

COMING TO AN END

Columbus’s Seth Jones saw his effort diminish, as Rask made a stop which saw the goaltender’s mask fly off. Zach Werenski also made an attempt, but saw that attempt hit the left post. Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves in net. This was the Blue Jackets fourth time being eliminated at home in a qualifying game during the Playoffs. Columbus certainly had great looks during the series, but Boston surged back and was the better team in the end.

“We want to create the storm. We’re not interested in weathering any storm. We wanted to go out there and be aggressive and let them know we’re here to play be assertive, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.” 

Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy

The Boston Bruins will be back on home ice as they face the Carolina Hurricanes, a date which has not been announced yet. Charlie McAvoy will reportedly have a hearing on the the illegal check in last night’s win.



Boston Bruins

Game 5 | Round 2: Boston Bruins vs Blue Jackets

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TD GARDEN, BOSTON–The Boston Bruins head home after a wildly frustrating game in Columbus that saw the Black and Gold winning 4-1, tying the series at two-a-piece. Tonight, the Jackets will be looking to take the series lead after a shaky Game 4.

FIRST LINE SPARK

Patrice Bergeron scored off of two power-play goals with an assist from David Pastrnak (who started things off scoring minutes into the first period). Ohio’s own Sean Kuraly scored in the third to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. Columbus lone goal of the night came after a controversial play that saw the puck hitting the protective net. It was ruled that it was continuous play, with Artemi Panarin scoring.

HOT BETWEEN THE PIPES

Despite a love/hate relationship from the Boston Media, goaltender Tuukka Rask has been outstanding in this series, while Sergei Bobrovsky has been incredible in net for the Blue Jackets. Solving the Bobrovsky equation has been a sticky point for the Bruins team, however with the 4-1 win the Boston Bruins have shifted the momentum. Rask has two wins with a 1.80 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Bobrovsky has a .934 save percentage with a 2.23 goals against average.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)

The Blue Jackets were hit with multiple penalties in Game 4 and will be looking to keep out of the box:

“We let our emotions get the best of us last game. We took a lot of dumb penalties. They’re going to try to get in our heads but we need to keep our composure.”

Columbus Forward Cam Atkinson

Both the goaltending and special teams have dominated the series so far, and both teams will be looking to take the lead. Boston has the advantage in the 5-on-5 offense, however, both teams need to up their game. The Bruins top line was key in Game 4 and will need to continue to overcome their postseason struggles.

“Hopefully that fuels them to get going and you keep it up…when your best players are your best players, we’re generally going to be a tougher team to beat.”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

UPDATES

It was announced that Noel Acciari is a game-time decision. Chris Wagner may possibly play if Acciari can not.

WHEN TO WATCH: Tonight with puck drop at 7:15 PM, TD Garden, Boston

WHERE TO WATCH: NBC

Boston Bruins vs Blue Jackets

ROUND 2, GAME 3 | BOSTON BRUINS VS. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

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The Boston Bruins are in Columbus as they face the Blue Jackets for Game 3 of the Second Round of the NHL Playoffs tonight.  Boston will be looking to redeem themselves after a loss in a second overtime in Game 2 that was played at the TD Garden. With the Bruins and the Jackets deadlocked 2-2, a penalty call on Patrice Bergeron in the second overtime lead to a power-play goal, with the Jackets winning 3-2.

TOP LINE WOES

Columbus’s Matt Duchene had the winning power-play goal Saturday night. Boston’s special team were roughed up as the Blue Jackets capitalized on penalties called against the Bruins.  While much of the media narrative has focused on David Pastrnak’s lack of scoring, the team itself has had to shuffle things around as the top two lines have struggled a bit in the post-season. Pastrnak had a goal attributed to him after a shot deflected off his skate; he had four shots in Game 2. The Bruins will need to continue to come out with more physicality as seen in Games 1-2. Zdeno Chara, Connor Clifton, and Sean Kuraly all had hits Saturday night.

Boston Bruins vs Blue Jackets
(Photo Credits: NHL.com)

REST FOR THE WEARY

Despite the loss on Saturday, the Boston Bruins team has had a chance to rest after playing a tough Toronto series only to face a fully rested Columbus team a day after winning Game 7.  After playing two overtime games against Columbus, Boston will be looking to get their re-charged legs back on the ice.

“It came at a good time for us to get the two days between games. We had a seven-game series, obviously high intensity, back and forth. It takes an emotional toll as well. Most seven-game series do, but the way we had to come back and then get right into it. I think we fed off that first night…but I think mentally we made some mistakes (Game 2) that we wouldn’t make if we were a little more fresh. That’s where it caught up to us, the seven games. I do believe that. We had some breakdown that typically we don’t do, especially on the PK on the last goal. We broke down. They made a good play, but we weren’t in the right spots and I think that’s part of it.”

Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy

RETURNING HOME

Sean Kuraly will be returning to his home state of Ohio where he’ll face the Blue Jackets in post-season for the first time. A native of Dublin, Ohio, the 26-year-old will be looking to disappoint some Columbus fans tonight as he continues to grind out plays for the Black and Gold.

HEADING BACK TO COLUMBUS

Look for Columbus to continue to shift momentum as they return to their home rink. The Blue Jackets are hoping to improve their 5-on-5 as their last few goals have come from power-plays and 4-on-4 situations. The Boston Bruins recent focus in practice has been their power-play production, and will need to stay out of the box to lessen any opportunities for Columbus to score.

Here were the Bruins practice line-ups:

Coach Bruce Cassidy announced that Karson Kuhlman will be in the lineup with Chris Wagner out for tonight.

Here are the projected lines for Columbus:

Artemi Panarin – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Cam Atkinson

Ryan Dzingel – Matt Duchene – Josh Anderson

Alexandre Texier – Nick Foligno – Oliver Bjokstrand

Riley Nash – Booner Jenner – Brandon Dubinsky

Zach Werenski – Seth Jones

Markus Nutivaara – David Savard

Scott Harrington – Adam Clendening

Sergei Bobrovsky

Joonas Korpisalo

WHEN TO WATCH:  Tonight with puck drop at 7:00pm, at the Nationwide Arena

WHERE TO WATCH:  NBCSN