The Blue Jackets are 1-1 in their last two games and are playing the second game of a three-game road trip. This is a big game for the Bruins as they try to build momentum toward the Olympic break that begins on Feb. 14. This is also the beginning of three games in four days for the Black and Gold so they want to start off strong.
WHEN AND WHERE
Thursday Jan. 21, 7 p.m. (NESN)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
RECORDS
Bruins (23-17-8, 54 points, third place in Northeast Division, seventh place in Eastern Conference)
Blue Jackets (19-24-9, 47 points, fifth place in Central Division, 14th place in the Western Conference)
HEAD TO HEAD
This is the first and only meeting of the season between Columbus and Boston. Last season, the Blue Jackets shut out the Bruins 2-0 on March 10. The last time the Bruins beat Columbus was Dec. 15, 2007, when they shut out the Blue Jackets 2-0.
The Bruins lead the lifetime series 4-2-0-2.
SKINNY
Claude Julien is hoping his team can find the intensity level that it had during their recent three-game road trip out West, when it went 1-1-1 and gained three of a possible six points, despite missing key players and suffering new injuries.
"It is one of those things that, if you bring your compete level up, you have a chance," Julien told the media Wednesday. "We have a lot of guys out of our lineup but you have to hope that they guys that you have in your lineup, that their compete level is where it should be. We should make a game out of it. We didn’t make a game out of it last game and we look to rebound from that."
Blue Jackets defenseman Milan Jurcina was originally a 2001 eighth-round draft pick for the Bruins. Jurcina became a Blue Jacket recently when he, along with forward Chris Clark, were acquired for forward Jason Chimera on Dec. 28.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Bruins
Forwards
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Miroslav Satan
Marco Sturm*–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille–Trent Whitfield–Michael Ryder
Milan Lucic–Vladimir Sobotka–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart–Johnny Boychuck/Adam McQuaid
Matt Hunwick–Derek Morris
Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
*Sturm left practice early on Wednesday. Drew Larman was recalled after practice and could replace Sturm.
Blue Jackets
Forwards
R.J. Umberger–Antoine Vermette–Rick Nash
Raffi Torres– Derick Brassard –Jake Voracek
Kristian Huselius–Sammy Pahlsson–Chris Clark
Fredrik Modin–Derek Dorsett–Jared Boll
Defensemen
Jan Hejda–Mathieu Roy
Fedor Tyutin–Anton Stralman
Kris Russell–Marc Methot
Goaltenders
Steve Mason
Mathieu Garon
GOALTENDER MATCHUP
Bruins
Tim Thomas is 13-12-5 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Thomas has four shutouts. He was pulled in the second period on Monday after allowing three goals on nine shots.
Tuukka Rask may get the nod in net Thursday after Thomas struggled Monday in the 5-1 loss to Ottawa. Rask is 10-5-2 with a 2.09 GAA and a .928 save percentage. Rask relieved Thomas in the second period Monday and stopped 15 of 17 shots. Rask is second in the NHL in GAA and second in save percentage, and he also has two shutouts.
Blue Jackets
Steve Mason has had a rough season after winning the Calder Trophy and being a Vezina Trophy candidate in 2008-09. Mason is 11-16-6 with a 3.32 GAA and .890 save percentage. Mason has two shutouts. In his last start, a 6-5 loss to Chicago, he allowed six goals on 31 shots. He also relieved Mathieu Garon in a 5-3 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday, stopping all seven shots he faced.
Mathieu Garon is 8-8-3 with a 2.80 GAA and .904 save percentage. Garon has two shutouts. In his last game, a 5-3 loss to the Flyers, he was pulled after allowing five goals on 30 shots.
STAT SHEET
Bruins
Patrice Bergeron leads the team in points (11 goals, 20 assists) with 31.
Zdeno Chara leads the team in assists with 23. Chara also leads the defense in assists and points with 27.
Milan Lucic had a helper Monday, his second assist in as many games. Lucic now has five assists this season. Lucic also has two goals in 15 games played.
Johnny Boychuk had an assist Monday, giving him three in his last two games. Boychuk has seven helpers this season.
Daniel Paille scored Boston’s lone goal Monday and has two goals in his last three games. Paille now has six lamp-lighters and 13 points this season.
The Bruins killed off five of six Ottawa power plays Monday and have killed off 23 of the last 25 power plays they have faced. They’ve allowed only 21 goals on 174 power plays faced and lead the NHL with an 87.9 percent success rate.
The Bruins' power play went 0-for-2 Monday and they are now 0-for-9 in their last five games. It is 28-for-160 with a 17.5 percent success rate this season.
The last time the Bruins dropped a 5-1 decision, they went on to win their next two games.
The Bruins are 12-2-1 when leading after two periods of play.
The Bruins are 3-14-0 when they have trailed by two goals at any point of a game.
Blue Jackets
Rick Nash had a goal and an assist Tuesday and has four goals in his last three games. The Columbus captain has 23 goals and 47 points this season.
Kristian Huselius has six assists and seven points in his last three games. Huselius has 25 helpers and 40 points this season.
R.J. Umberger scored two goals on Tuesday and has five points in his last three games. Umberger has 17 goals and 35 points this season.
Anton Stralman leads the Columbus blue line with 24 points. Stralman had two assists Tuesday and has four in his last three games.
The Blue Jackets have allowed 39 goals on 210 power plays faced. They have an 81.4 percent success rate. Columbus, along with Anaheim, is second only to Montreal (213) in power plays allowed.
The Blue Jackets are 40-for-193 on the power play and ranked seventh with a 20.7 percent success rate.
The Blue Jackets have lost seven times this season when leading after two periods, the most in the NHL.
BLACK AND BLUE
Bruins
Marc Savard is out a minimum two more weeks with a knee injury, but says he is recovering well.
Andrew Ference is out for at least four more weeks with an injured groin.
Steve Begin did not practice Wednesday and is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Byron Bitz did not practice Wednesday and is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Marco Sturm practiced Wednesday, but he left the ice early and is questionable.
Blue Jackets
Rotislav Klesla is on injured reserve and out indefinitely with a torn groin.
THIS DAY IN BRUINS HISTORY
On Jan. 21, 1973, Wayne Cashman scores a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the California Seals.
OVERHEARD
"It's hard because you don't want to use the injuries as an excuse but yeah, they're taking their toll and we just need to battle through."
—Michael Ryder, on the Bruins' struggle with consistency
PRESS BOX
Bruins
Dennis Wideman needs to find his swagger again.
Marco Sturm is doubtful.
Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas need to hold the fort down again.
Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline writes a great Blue Jackets blog.
The Blue Jackets have a revolving door of alternate captains.
Here's the game story from the Blue Jackets’ last contest.
NHL
Habs goalie Carey Price was ready to drop the gloves
The Bruins have had their share of injuries but they’re nowhere close to as beat up as the Oilers are this season.
Team Cherry beat Team Orr in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Windsor, Ontario.
OUTLOOK
One can forgive the Bruins for being flat because of injured players, even after losing on Monday. But no team should be forgiven for the effort the Bruins gave as they mailed it in for a 5-1 defeat. Regardless of all the injuries, the Bruins need to at least give their all, and that means sticking to their game plan and playing with more intensity.
Columbus is a team that has struggled to find consistency and after coming into the season with high hopes after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season. They have stumbled back to the cellar. The Bruins need to jump on the Blue Jackets right from the opening faceoff and take advantage of their fragile state instead of letting Columbus take advantage of their low confidence and depleted lineup.
