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| BOSTON BRUINS |
| 7–1–0 (14 points) |
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7:00 P.M. – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 NATIONWIDEARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market) |
Despite the tough October schedule, the Columbus Blue Jackets likely have their most difficult game in the opening month Friday night when they battle the Boston Bruins.
Boston comes to Nationwide Arena winning seven of their first eight games, with a 7-5 loss to the Ottawa Senators the only blemish on their record. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are off to a 3-5-0 start — opening the season with a brutal stretch of eight games in 14 nights and against six teams that were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
But, for those looking for a glimmer of hope, the Bruins visit Columbus on the second night of a home-then-road back-to-back. Boston has only played one other back-to-back this season, and the second night of that was the Bruins only loss of the season. In other words, fatigue could be a factor.
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | BOS |
|---|---|---|
| 3.13 | GOALS FOR | 4.25 |
| 4.13 | GOALS AGAINST | 2.63 |
| 0.0% | POWER PLAY | 25.0% |
| 81.5% | PENALTY KILL | 93.3% |
| 30.8 | SHOTS FOR | 35.3 |
| 32.1 | SHOTS AGAINST | 31.1 |
| 46.5% | CF% (EVEN) | 53.7% |
| 50.6% | FACEOFF % | 57.3% |
| PROJECTIONS | ||
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK | 46.3% | |
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538 | 44.0% | |
| CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK BETTING | BOS -170 | |
| BRUINS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| THU, 10/27 | vs DETROIT | W, 5-1 |
| TUE, 10/25 | vs DALLAS | W, 3-1 |
| SAT, 10/22 | vs MINNESOTA | W, 4-3 (OT) |
| BRUINS: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | DAVID PASTRNAK | 6 |
| ASSISTS | DAVID PASTRNAK | 9 |
| POINTS | DAVID PASTRNAK | 15 |
TALKING POINTS: BRUINS
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The Bruins are near the top of the league in every offensive category. They're top 10 in goals per game (2nd), power play percentage (10th), shots per game (7th), faceoffs (2nd), and 5-on-5 possession (Corsi For; 5th).
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David Pastrnak is a big reason for the Bruins success. He's their team leader in goals, assists, and points. The 26-year-old native of the Czech Republic is seeing more than 20 minutes of ice time per game, and he'll be the focal point of the Boston offense.
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Boston went with Jeremy Swayman in net Thursday night, a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. That means it seems as if Linus Ullmark will get the start Friday night in Columbus. Ullmark is 5-0-0 with a 2.01 goals against average and .936 save percentage.
- The Bruins rank third in penalty kill percentage through the first couple of weeks this season. The Blue Jackets, who can't seem to score a power play goal to save their collective lives, will have to battle extra hard Friday night to get something going on the man-up.
STORYLINES
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DAVID'S DEBUT
The not-so-long awaited debut of David Jiricek comes Friday night. Adam Boqvist broke his foot blocking a shot in Tuesday's loss to the Arizona Coyotes, and the Blue Jackets have seen enough of Jiricek in just a few games in Cleveland to bring him to the big leagues. It's rare for an 18-year-old to play in the NHL as a defenseman, but Jiricek is a rare breed. He's played against professional competition in the Czech leagues and has great potential to be a long-term fixture on the Columbus blue line.
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CENTER CHANGE?
Jack Roslovic, not Boone Jenner, was between Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine at practice Thursday. He's not the two-way player that Jenner is, but Roslovic should give the Blue Jackets top line a bit more speed — something that will make Gaudreau and Laine all the more dangerous. A career 43% winner at the face-off dot, Roslovic is having a career year at winning draws: he's won 52 of 102, good enough for 51% and second on the team behind Jenner.
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NEARING INFAMY ON THE PP
They're 0 for 20. Somehow, that's not the club record. They did not convert on their first 21 power play attempts in the 2011-12 season. If they can't connect on their first power play attempt against the Bruins, they'll tie the record.PROJECTED LINES*
Updated: 7:05a.m.
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 29 | Patrik Laine |
| 59 | Yegor Chinakhov | 34 | Cole Sillinger | 93 | Jakub Voracek |
| 14 | Gus Nyquist | 38 | Boone Jenner | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| 4 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 55 | David Jiricek |
| 22 | Jake Bean | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Elvis Merzlikins | 40 | Daniil Tarasov |
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE
