Bruins’ Consistency Tested by Blue Jackets Visit

The Boston Bruins, despite their challenges, find themselves in the midst of the NHL rankings, having collected half of the possible points from their first 19 games, starting the season with an 8-8-3 record. Statistical analysis reveals that this is unexpectedly commendable, considering only four teams score fewer goals per game, and only seven allow more. Moreover, Boston’s power play ranks as the league’s weakest, yet the team sustains a presence in the Eastern Conference’s playoff scenario.

Meanwhile, their opponents for Monday night’s game, the Columbus Blue Jackets, also appear statistically average, except for conceding more goals than Boston — approximately 3.59 per game, marking the NHL’s fourth worst. The Blue Jackets are struggling in November, recording a 1-6-1 scoreline, positioned near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings following a recent 5-1 defeat to Montreal. This marks their seventh consecutive road loss (0-5-2).

Despite breaking a six-game losing streak with a victory against Pittsburgh last Friday, the Jackets faltered at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Leading into the last ten minutes of the third period, Columbus allowed three goals in five minutes, partly due to defensive turnovers. Dante Fabbro, the former BU Terrier and recent waiver acquisition from Nashville, highlighted the team’s strengths: «When our team’s playing well and moving pucks, we get pucks in and behind the defense and get to work. That’s our identity right there. When you stray away from that, it’s tough to win games.»

Boston’s Jeremy Swayman is set to start in goal for the 7 p.m. faceoff at TD Garden. The match will be broadcasted on NESN and WBZ-FM 98.5. Bettors have set a line favoring Boston at -235, with an Over/Under of 6.0 goals.

The Blue Jackets’ season statistics include a 6-9-2 record against the spread of 9-8 and an overall Over/Under of 11-6. Boston’s numbers reflect an 8-8-3 record, a 5-14 spread, and a 9-10 Over/Under. In their last ten games, Columbus holds a 3-6-1 record against the spread 3-7 and an Over/Under of 6-4, while Boston has a 4-4-2 record, a 2-8 spread, and an Over/Under of 3-7.

Team statistics reveal Columbus has scored 53 goals compared to Boston’s 47, while Columbus has conceded 61 goals to Boston’s 64. The teams’ power play success rates are Columbus at 17.0% and Boston at 11.3%, with penalty kills at 80.4% and 75.0% respectively. In faceoffs, Columbus leads slightly with 50.4% success compared to Boston’s 51.6%.

Recent history between the teams suggests Boston as the dominant side, having won eight of the last nine overall meetings and four consecutive matches at TD Garden. Saturday’s matchup highlights included Fabbro scoring his first goal for Columbus in Montreal, while James van Riemsdyk, a former Bruin, sat as a healthy scratch in favor of Zach Aston-Reese.

Boston forward Trent Frederic notched his first multi-goal game of the season, responsible for all of Boston’s scoring and five of their 17 shots. On the injury front, Bruins’ defenseman Andrew Peeke returned to practice alongside forward Tyler Johnson, while Mark Kastelic remains sidelined day-to-day with a lower-body injury.