dailyloe.com – The Boston Bruins visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night. Boston has clinched a playoff spot but seeks better seeding. Columbus is fighting to keep its postseason hopes alive. The game starts at 6 p.m. at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus has 92 points with a 40-28-12 record. The team is two points behind Philadelphia for third in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams have only two regular season games remaining. The Blue Jackets cannot afford a slow start.
“Our backs are against the wall,” said Columbus center Charlie Coyle. “We can’t afford to come out slow and kind of dip our toe in. I think everyone knows what’s at stake.” Coyle is a former Bruin from Weymouth.
The Bruins clinched an Eastern Conference wild-card spot on Saturday. This happened despite a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Detroit Red Wings’ loss to the New Jersey Devils secured Boston’s place. Boston’s record stands at 43-27-10 for 96 points.
This marks Boston’s 16th playoff appearance in 20 years. Only Pittsburgh (17) and Washington (16) have as many over that span. The Bruins enter the playoffs despite a recent losing streak. The team has dropped five straight games with a 0-3-2 record.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm emphasized the need for a sharp start. “I’m going to remind them what happened the last time we were in Columbus,” Sturm said. That game was on March 29. “We got absolutely dominated in the first period.”
Sturm noted it took the team a long time to get going. “We can’t do that (on Sunday),” he stated. “That’s something I’m going to address for sure.” The coach said the team must stay sharp for the matchup.
The game will be televised on NESN and the NHL Network. Radio coverage is on WBZ-FM 98.5. The betting line favors Columbus at -145. The over/under for total goals is set at 6.5.
Boston’s season record against the spread is 52-28. The team’s over/under record is 43-36 with one push. In their last ten games, the Bruins are 4-4-2. Their record against the spread in that stretch is 7-3.
Columbus’s season record against the spread is 41-39. The Blue Jackets’ over/under record is 37-39 with four pushes. Their last ten games show a 3-6-1 record. Their against-the-spread record in those games is 3-7.
In team statistics, Boston has scored 261 goals this season. Columbus has scored 243 goals. Defensively, Boston has allowed 245 goals. Columbus has allowed 246 goals.
Boston’s power play operates at 23.4 percent. Columbus’s power play success rate is 19.3 percent. The Bruins have spent 970 penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets have 647 penalty minutes.
Boston’s penalty kill percentage is 76.6. Columbus’s penalty kill is slightly lower at 76.1 percent. The Bruins have won 53.0 percent of faceoffs. The Blue Jackets have won 50.6 percent of faceoffs.
A notable stat involves Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. He recorded an assist on Morgan Geekie’s 38th goal of the season. That assist gave McAvoy 50-plus assists this season. He is the tenth defenseman to reach that mark this year.
McAvoy is the first Bruins defenseman to do so since Ray Bourque. Bourque registered 62 assists in his season. The game is a critical final regular-season test for both clubs. Playoff positioning and hopes hang in the balance.[]
Source: The Boston Globe
