The Boston Bruins are the team to beat in the NHL despite having their 19-game point streak snapped Sunday night.
Boston had not lost in regulation since Jan. 19 before its 4-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but still sit in second place in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins will need to put the loss behind them quickly and prepare for a three-game week with two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and one against the Winnipeg Jets.
The B’s still are without David Pastrnak (thumb), Jake DeBrusk (lower-body), Kevan Miller (upper-body) and Marcus Johansson (lung contusion), and now will be down another defenseman after Matt Grzelcyk suffered a right arm injury in Sunday’s loss.
So even though Boston has two tough opponents in the week ahead, it will need to find a way to get back in the win column and continue its “next man up” mentality.
Let’s take a look at what’s on deck for the Bruins.
Tuesday, March 12 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET
Thursday, March 14 vs. Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 16 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET
What You Need To Know
Winnipeg is first in the Central Division, but have faced a stretch of struggles of late, particularly in its defensive zone. Now with Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien sidelined with injuries, the Jets forwards will need to play harder in order to keep the Bruins away from their net. But that might be a struggle for the Jets with how well Boston has been playing. The Black and Gold have outscored their opponents 20-10 during their six-game winning streak.
But while the Jets have struggled in their own zone, they’re certainly not having trouble finding the back of the net, scoring 23 goals over their last six games, including an 8-1 dismantling of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Jets also have Blake Wheeler, who’s been a force for his team with an eight-game point streak (seven goals, eight assists).
The Blue Jackets are 3-3-0 in their last six games, including a 5-2 loss to the Jets and were shut out twice during that stretch. They sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division with just 14 games remaining and will be looking to make a strong push for the playoffs. Columbus has struggled mightily on the power play this season. It had a stretch in February when the Blue Jackets looked as if they found their groove on the man advantage, but that didn’t last and now are an abysmal 15 percent on the power play.
Who Bruins Need To Watch Out For
Both Columbus and Winnipeg have strong goalies between the pipes, and they both will need to be on their A-games in order to stop the red-hot Bruins.
Connor Hellebuyck is 28-18-2 on the season with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. The Winnipeg netminder hasn’t won more than four consecutive games this season, but has mad at least 30 saves in nine of his last 10 starts. Hellebuyck also had success against Boston earlier this year when he turned away 36 shots in the Jets’ 4-3 shootout victory back on Jan. 29.
The B’s also will need to contain Blake Wheeler, who has a whopping 83 points (19 goals, 64 assists) for Winnipeg. He’s amassed 15 points over his last 10 games, including a four-goal performance against Columbus.
The Blue Jackets goalie has similar numbers to Hellebuyck’s, but has not faced the B’s this year. Sergei Bobrovsky is toting a 29-21-1 record with a 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage. He also has not won more than four consecutive games, but held a six-game point streak from Dec. 13-23. Bobrovsky has won his last two decisions between the pipes against the Penguins and New Jersey Devils.
Artemi Panarin also will be on the Bruins’ radar. The winger has 73 points (28 goals, 48 assists), but has not collected a point since March 3.
