By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter/X @RyanJBosworth
The Bruins are back at it again today for the second game of their final back-to-back weekend of the season, and second back-to-back of the week. After a dominant performance on TD Garden ice, taking down the Minnesota Wild, Boston heads out on the road for a crucial game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Their matchup with Columbus is the penultimate matchup of the season between the two clubs, as they face each other one final time in the Bruins’ 81st game of the season, on April 11th. Columbus hosts Boston in both matchups. The two teams have met once this season, and it was a 4-2 victory on home ice for the Bruins,
Both clubs have been pretty neck-and-neck in this last stretch of the season, as Boston holds the first wild card, and Columbus has the second. Each team has played 73 games, and Boston has a three-point lead on Columbus. Trailing right on Columbus’ tail is Ottawa, who has just one less point than Columbus in the same amount of games played.
With a win tonight, the Bruins can create some real separation between them and whoever is in the second wild card spot. Everything you need for tonight’s game will be found below.
Lineup
With puck drop set for 5 p.m., Marco Sturm will speak to the media around 90 minutes prior, where he’ll confirm his lineup changes and who’s going to be between the pipes, though it’s safe to assume that in terms of a lineup, nothing is going to change.
When speaking to the media ahead of yesterday’s game, he confirmed Swayman was starting, while stating, “He had a few days off, so that was good, I think he needed it…I would say Swayman could be a candidate for tomorrow as well.”
As stated, no confirmation has been made, but Jeremy Swayman is on a heater right now, and with tonight’s game being one of such importance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team ride the hot goaltender.
Highlights
David Pastrnak is currently on a 12-game point streak, beginning back on March 12th. His streak is the National Hockey League’s current-longest streak of the season, and in that stretch, Pastrnak has recorded 7-13-20. With one more goal, Pastrnak will reach the 30-goal mark for the ninth season. He sits in sixth place in the league with 92 points, and is trending towards another 100-point season, which would be his fourth consecutive.
Pavel Zacha has been one of the NHL’s most productive players in the month of March. He’s tied for the league-lead in goals, with 11, and has recorded points in seven of his last eight games (7-4-11 in that stretch.)
Jeremy Swayman remains red hot, as he extended his career-high in wins last night with his 29th. His previous career-high was in 2023-24, where he recorded 25. Over his last ten games, he’s been the best goaltender in the entire NHL when looking at goals saved above expected. He’s +11.8, and has only allowed 21 goals through those ten games.
Tonight’s game is on NESN, and can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. EST.
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