The Boston Bruins have begun the year 7-1 and with a league-best 14 points as they sit atop a very tough Atlantic division.
Getting points on Friday night at the Columbus Blue Jackets gets a bit tougher with the Boston Bruins playing back-to-back following a 5-1 win at Detroit on Thursday night.
It’s a tough Bruins vs Blue Jackets prediction, with Boston being on 0 days’ rest and Columbus playing better as of late.
After an 0-3 start, the Bruins have won three of their last five, but there are still a lot of concerns on the defensive end of the ice.
Bruins’ and Blue Jackets Previous Scoreboards
Boston continued their stellar play on Thursday night with a 5-1 victory over an improving Detroit team.
Bruins Last Record
The Bruins got a boost with the return of Brad Marchand, who had two power-play goals and added an assist in his first game of the year.
Bruins Injury Report
The left-winger had surgery on both of his hips in the offseason but was back off the NHL injury report a month earlier than expected.
Marchand will not play on the back-to-back as he eases back into playing condition, but Boston did just fine starting the season 6-1 without him.
David Pastrnak has led the way with 11 points, just one off the pace for most in the league.
Blue Jackets Last Record
One thing to note in the Bruins vs Blue Jackets prediction is that Boston’s four-game win streak has all come at home.
In fact, six of the Bruins’ first eight games of the season have been played at TD Garden, and their lone loss of the season came 7-5 on a trip to Ottawa.
The Blue Jackets really need to shore up their home defense following a 6-3 loss to Arizona on Tuesday.
Columbus has also lost 6-3 to Pittsburgh and 5-2 to Tampa Bay on their own ice this season, and they’re allowing 5.75 goals per game at Nationwide Arena this year.
Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery took a strategic approach to Thursday’s meeting with the Red Wings, starting backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman in the net.
Swayman Starting on Thursday
The move worked out as Swayman stopped 28 of 29 shots and got a big boost from his offense with three goals in the third period to seal the 5-1 win.
With Swayman starting Thursday, that leaves #1 goaltender Linus Ullmark available for the second leg of the back-to-back.
Ullmark’s Availability
Ullmark has held opponents to one goal in three of his last four starts, and he gets an advantage considering Columbus has yet to convert on a power play this season.
It will be interesting to see who Brad Larsen goes within the net on Friday night for Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins is seemingly the team’s #1 starter, but he’s got a 3.6 GAA in five appearances this season.
Daniil Tarasov has started the last two games, but he was pulled after giving up four goals on 12 shots vs. the Coyotes on Tuesday.
Bruins vs. Blue Jackets Betting Analysis
Boston is a -146 favorite in the Bruins odds today, with some solid value on the league’s best team through two weeks.
Sure, Boston is on the back-to-back, but they cruised to a victory over Detroit on Thursday and did it with their backup goaltender in the net.
It’s hard to find value on Columbus at +132, considering they are just 2-3 at home this season.
Bruins Look to Keep Rolling
Marchand’s return provided some energy on Thursday, and even though he’ll be load managing on Friday, this is still a team more than capable of getting the win against what looks like a very bad Blue Jackets defense.
Aside from Pastrnak’s fast start, Patrice Bergeron has found the back of the net three times and added four assists as the Bruins have the #3 scoring offense in the league at 4.1 goals/game.
Home Ice Disadvantage for Columbus
Normally the home team would at least be looked at for a sprinkle of a wager at +132, but the Blue Jackets game schedule at home hasn’t been kind this season.
The fact that Columbus got beat 6-3 on Tuesday despite having a 33-19 shot advantage (and as -221 favorites) is an indictment of how this season might go for the Blue Jackets.
NHL Injury Report
Aside from Marchand sitting for the Bruins on the back-to-back, C David Krejci is said to not be traveling with the team to Columbus with an upper-body injury.
Blue Jackets defenseman Nick Blankenburg is also questionable with an upper-body injury.
Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview
You get some value in the Bruins vs Blue Jackets prediction, with Boston priced a bit lower on the back-to-back.
The Bruins have seen:
- -180
- -201
- As high as -337
Prices this season, so that’s almost a must-play based on the line.
Bruins vs. Blue Jackets Betting Prediction
There are just six NHL games on the schedule for Friday night, and Boston looks like one of the strongest NHL teams (along with Vegas at home against the Ducks).
The Bruins are playing their second 0 days rest game of the season, and they did lose in Ottawa last week after beating the Panthers at home the night before.
Montgomery saved his top goaltender for game two this time around, and Columbus’ defense doesn’t impress anybody right now.
NHL Pick: Bruins (-146)
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