Game Preview: Rick Nash's Jersey Goes To The Rafters Before Former Captain Nick Foligno Makes Return To Columbus

BOSTON BRUINS

33–18–4 (70 points; .636%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE

7:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, MARCH 5TH NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH

Bally Sports Ohio NHL Network

It's a night that's been nearly 20 years in the making.

And for a very different reason, it's a night that's been nearly ten years in the making.

Rick Nash — the only first overall selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets — will become the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired by the club Saturday night when they host the Boston Bruins.

Nash was selected June 22nd, 2002 and would play with the team until an offseason trade following the 2011-12 season. He's the franchise leader in games (674), goals (289), assists (258), and points (547). His 44 game-winning goals is a franchise record, too, and his 83 goals on the power play is one away from doubling up Cam Atkinson's 42, which is second in club history. Prior to the trade, Nash spent five seasons as team captain.

Columbus' decision to pull the trigger on moving Nash was announced July 1st, 2012, and 22 days later the Blue Jackets made another move: the club shipped defenseman Marc Methot to the Ottawa Senators for a 24-year-old forward named Nick Foligno.

Saturday, nearly ten years after Foligno was dealt to Columbus, he'll be back at Nationwide Arena — this team as a member of the visiting Bruins. How apropos that Nash's jersey retirement ceremony comes in Foligno's first game against the team he led as captain for six seasons.

Of course, the game itself is a big one too. The Blue Jackets, who picked up one point in an overtime loss Friday to the Los Angeles Kings, are nine points back of a potential wildcard spot. A Columbus win, coupled with a Washington Capitals loss in a game against the Seattle Kraken that has an identical faceoff time, would cut the deficit to seven points — with the Capitals having played one more game. The time is now if the Blue Jackets want to make a run. 

RE: BOSTON

Let's get this out of the way first: Foligno has had a tough first season in New England. In 38 games, he has just two goals to pair with seven assists. Two of those points — a goal and an assist — came Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. That win snapped the Bruins' five-game win streak, but they rebounded Thursday night with an impressive 5-2 win in Vegas against the Golden Knights. 

Saturday's game with Columbus is the end of six straight road games for the Bruins, and is the 10th of their last 11 away from Boston. The road hasn't been a hurdle for Foligno's new team yet, though: the Bruins are 6-1 in their last seven games (six on the road) and have outscored their opponents 29-12 during the run.

David Pastrnak has been a key catalyst in the recent run: seven goals and four assists in the last seven games, and he's went +8 on the plus/minus. His 31 total goals leads the team, as does his 56 points. Brad Marchand is on his heels in the points category at 54, and is the team leader in assists with 31.

The defense is worth talking about, too. The combination of Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk ranks number one among defensive pairings in the NHL on expected goals against. At #2? Their second pairing of Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton. Mike Reilly and Brandon Carlo check in at the 16th best. Those first two pairings have been in a bit of a rotation recently, but when they're 1-2 in the league, what's it matter? The depth and balance that Boston has to offer will make them a tough out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

STORYLINES

• USE THE ATMOPSHERE
  It's almost a lock that Saturday's game will be the highest attended of the season. A warm Saturday night, Foligno's back, Nash's retirement, and a mini-rival in the Bruins as the opponent. The crowd at Nationwide should be buzzing from before the puck even drops. If you're a Blue Jacket, you absolutely have to bottle up that momentum.
   
• MAKE BIG SAVES.
  The defense has done him absolutely no favors, but it would be a fair statement to say that Elvis Merzlikins is in a slump. He looked phenomenal in the first 30 minutes of Friday's game, then gave up four in the final 30 + overtime. Two of them were bad goals to allow, and the argument could be made that three of them were easy saves. Merzlikins got away with mistakes against the New Jersey Devils in Tuesday's win — he can't do that against good teams. Boston is a good team, so, voila, he can't do that.

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