The Boston Bruins take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday after losing 5-2 in their last matchup on Nov. 27.
The Boston Bruins enter the second leg of a back-to-back, returning to TD Garden after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The two sides squared off less than a week ago on Nov. 27, where the Blue Jackets won 5-2 to hand Boston its third loss in a row. Columbus took a 4-0 lead before two Bruins garbage-time goals and an empty-netter for the Blue Jackets in what was the lowest point of the Bruins season thus far.
“I thought every part of our game was tough, to be honest,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the loss. “I thought we had a pretty good start to the first 8-10 minutes, and then they slowly but surely started to take over the game.”
Jeremy Swayman was notably pulled shortly after Boston went down 2-0. He made 17 saves on 19 shots through 26:14. It was the first time Montgomery made a goalie switch midgame this season, but ultimately it didn’t affect the result.
Swayman rebounded on Thursday with a 26-save shutout in Boston's 3-0 win against the San Jose Sharks, and he’s expected to get another crack against Columbus after Ullmark played against Toronto on Saturday.
“Definitely excited to get another whack at it [against San Jose],” Swayman said on Wednesday, his first availability after the Columbus loss. “It’s a long season, we roll day by day. Yesterday’s in the past, and that’s what our culture is, that’s what our mindset is.”
One thing to watch heading into Sunday’s matchup is if Johnny Beecher will return to the lineup. After starting every previous game on the fourth line, Beecher was scratched against Toronto on Saturday. Morgan Geekie shifted to fourth-line center, while Oskar Steen returned to the lineup on the right wing.
Montgomery said he wanted to see more from the 22-year-old forward, and thought he could benefit from taking a night off.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. as the Bruins look to get revenge on Columbus and extend their winning streak to three games.
Five Things to Know About the Blue Jackets
- The Blue Jackets are 4-2-0 since snapping their nine-game losing streak with a 7-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 22.
- Spencer Martin is expected to start on Sunday. He made 31 saves in the 5-2 win on Nov. 27, and has a .903 save percentage and 3.20 goals against average this season.
- Cole Sillinger participated in Sunday’s optional morning skate, but he remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
- Columbus has the second-best penalty kill in the NHL (88.6%), just behind the Los Angeles Kings (89..4%).
- Zach Werenski registered two assists in Columbus’ 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Friday. He leads the Blue Jackets with 18 points this season.