Boston Bruins take on Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be in town today to take on the Boston Bruins. The B’s will be without the services of their best agitator as Brad Marchand will be serving his two game suspension for slew-footing Derrick Brassard. With Marchand out of the line up, Claude Julien will have to maneuver the lines around to find the best combination for the Black and Gold to succeed.
So, what kind of moves will Julien make?
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Daniel Paille has proven himself to be very functional this season. While he’s certainly no prolific goal scorer, he’s proven to be a solid playmaker for the Bruins with his speed. Expect Daniel Paille to be moved up either one or two lines for tonight’s match up. Paille did practice with Bergeron and Smith in yesterday’s practice.
Chris Kelly could also find himself moving up a line if Julien chooses to put Paille on the third. Kelly has made a case for himself this season. So far, he has seemed to be the most consistent voice of leadership for the Bruins. He’s dropped the gloves when he’s needed to, and he’s been a key voice in helping the Bruins regain their lost identity.
This gives Jordan Caron another shot to prove his relevancy on the fourth line. His skating has consistently gotten better over the season, and he will be battling with fellow Providence Bruin Craig Cunningham for a more permanent job on the B’s Merlot Line.
Live Feed
Puck Prose
The Blue Jackets are playing the kind of desperation hockey the Bruins were playing just a few short weeks ago. The Blue Jackets are in free-fall in the standings, having lost four straight games. At thirty-nine points, only the Carolina Hurricanes are in worse shape than Columbus. That didn’t stop them from shocking the B’s with a 6-2 victory last December.
The Bruins are certainly a team in recovery. With Thursday’s shutout win over the Rangers, Boston has its second five-game winning streak of the season. They’ve climbed back into playoff contention and have a more comfortable five point lead over the Florida Panthers in the wild care race. The team has seemed to find their identity, and that has led to improved consistency across the board for the B’s.
Claude Julien spoke about the Bruins renaissance after practice yesterday. “I think there’s a lot of reasons [for the turnaround] — obviously, giving our lineup a chance to be together,” offered the Bruins bench boss. “It wasn’t going to happen overnight, but also, we have to realize we have some players that have really picked up their games as well. Guys that weren’t injured and were healthy are maybe playing better also, and whether that’s attributed to being put in better areas or having different players playing with — all that stuff, I think, is the reason we’ve played better.
“So I really can’t pinpoint the one main reason because I really don’t think there is one.”
The Bruins will get the chance to take the lead in the season series with a strong game tonight. The puck drops at 7:05 at the TD Garden.