The Boston Bruins end a three-game homestand Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets dominated the Bruins in a 6-2 win on Dec. 27 at Nationwide Arena, and the B’s are well aware of what happened that night.
“It sure was ugly,” Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said. “It’s nothing that the guys in this room are proud of, but after that, we decided to take a look at ourselves and try and get back to doing what Bruins hockey does.
“That’s playing with that competitive edge, and being a hard team to play against and being solid and sound defensively. That was a game that was way out of hand. It wasn’t who we are, and we weren’t happy with that.”
Since that loss, the Bruins have taken points from nine straight games, including a season-high five-game win streak that will be on the line Saturday night.
Here’s a quick preview of Bruins-Blue Jackets.
TV, Radio Information: NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub
Season Series: Boston won 4-3 in a shootout on Nov. 21, Columbus won 6-2 on Dec. 27
Record: Boston (24-15-6, fourth in Atlantic), Columbus (18-21-3, seventh in Metropolitan)
Bruins Player To Watch: Krug has a five-game point streak, which is tied for the longest of his NHL career. He extended the streak in Thursday night’s win over the New York Rangers with two nice assists, including one with a beautiful slap-pass setting up a David Krejci goal in the second period.
Krug now is tied with Dougie Hamilton for the team lead in scoring among defensemen with 23 points. Krug’s vision, playmaking ability and power-play skill are among the factors behind Boston’s recent offensive improvement improvement.
Blue Jackets Player To Watch: Blue Jackets No. 1 center Ryan Johansen has a 12-game point streak with seven goals and seven assists in that span. He also has one goal and three assists in two games against the Bruins this season. Expect the Patrice Bergeron line to defend Johansen and his linemates Saturday night.
Key Stat For Bruins: Boston ranks 13th in penalty killing with an 81.8 percent success rate and the unit has shown improvement over the last couple of weeks. The Bruins have allowed just one power-play goal against in seven January games (25-for-26 overall).
Key Stat For Blue Jackets: Columbus has the NHL’s third-best power with a 23.5 percent success rate. The Blue Jackets have scored a power-play goal in eight of their last 10 games, including a tally versus the Bruins on Dec. 27.
Thumbnail photo via Russell LaBounty/USA TODAY Sports
