Scouting Report: The Blue Jackets Ship Off to Boston In An Effort to Find Two Points

By Jeff Svoboda on December 18, 2017 at 7:05 am
The Blue Jackets and Bruins renew acquiantances
Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
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Columbus Blue Jackets (20-12-1) at Boston Bruins (15-10-5)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2017, 7 p.m. (TD GARDEN)

In some ways, this Boston team feels like it's trying to hold on to the end of an era.

The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and nearly did so again in '13. Of that second team, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin remain.

There are some new names – young star David Pastrnak jumps to the top of the list – but the bulk of the team remains. The result, though, is that as the team has aged, it has become something approaching average.

The team enters at .500 on the year and also sits 19th in the NHL in scoring (2.83 goals), 12th in defense (2.80 goals allowed), 13th in power play (19.8 percent) and ninth in penalty kill (83.2 percent). 

The Bruins do still have Pastrnak and Marchand filling up the net, but finding depth scoring behind them has been a problem. No player other than the two has more than seven goals, though the team has seen its offense fill the net more consistently of late with at least three goals in the past seven games


You Oughta Know: Brad Marchand

OK, if you're an NHL fan, you probably already know Brad Marchand. But it's worth pointing out again how a 5-foot-9 third-round pick has become one of the most consistently good goal scorers in the NHL. Marchand has 13 tallies this far in just 22 games after posting 39 goals a year ago and 37 the year before that. Still a pest – it doesn't feel like a game if Marchand doesn't get under the skin of someone, and he has neared 100 penalty minutes each of the past three seasons – Marchand has to be respected as one of the league's top finishers. Coming into the game, No. 63 is riding a career-best eight-game point streak with has five goals and seven assists in that span.

Fast Facts
  • The Bruins and Blue Jackets had each lost exactly one one-goal game apiece before Saturday. That day, the Jackets fell 2-1 at Carolina while Boston dropped a 3-2 final vs. the Rangers.
  • Defenseman Adam McQuaid could return to the Boston lineup after missing two months with a broken leg. The 31-year-old has played in 430 NHL games, all with the Bruins.
  • Goaltender Tuukka Rask is 3-0-1 in his last four starts with a .938 save percentage and seven goals allowed.
Previous Matchups

THIS YEAR: Blue Jackets lead 1-0-0, capturing a 4-3 shootout win Oct. 30.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Columbus is 10-9-6

Keys to the Game

ONE: Boston has averaged 10:57 penalty minutes per game, making the team the third most penalized team in the NHL. In other words, Columbus should get some power-play chances; we've been saying it all year, but this is another opportunity for the Jackets to straighten things out with the man advantage.

TWO: Columbus has essentially doubled up Boston's production for goals from the blue line. While Zach Werenski has reached double digits for Columbus, Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy each lead Boston with four apiece. Getting scoring from the defensemen could be the difference.

THREE: Columbus has given up more than three goals per game this month while Boston is averaging more than three. Turning up the defensive pressure and keeping from leaving Sergei Bobrovsky on an island should be important for the Jackets, especially against a team with established big guns.

Bruins Projected Lineup

Forwards
# Player Stats # Player Stats # Player Stats
20 Brad Marchand 22 GP, 13-14-27 37 Patrice Bergeron 25 GP, 7-13-20 88 David Pastrnak 30 GP, 15-15-30
43 Danton Heinen 26 GP, 7-11-18 20 Riley Nash 30 GP, 2-9-11 42 David Backes 13 GP, 2-2-4
74 Jake DeBrusk 26 GP, 6-8-14 46 David Krejci 18 GP, 5-9-14 51 Ryan Spooner 11 GP, 1-4-5
59 Tim Schaller 30 GP, 3-4-7 52 Sean Kuraly 30 GP, 3-3-6 55 Noel Acciari 16 GP, 2-1-3
Defensive Pairs
# Player Stats # Player Stats
47 Torey Krug 26 GP, 4-14-18 25 Brandon Carlo 30 GP, 0-4-4
33 Zdeno Chara 30 GP, 3-6-9 73 Charlie McAvoy 30 GP, 4-12-16
48 Matt Grzelcyk 12 GP, 1-2-3 86 Kevan Miller 28 GP, 0-5-5
Goaltenders
# Player GP W-L-OL GAA SV% SO
40 Tuukka Rask 20 8-8-3 2.44 .913 1
35 Anton Khudobin 12 7-2-2 2.67 .915 0

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