Boston Bruins fans celebrate after a goal by Bruins center Sean Kuraly (52) against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period of Game 7 of an NHL first-round playoff series Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Columbus Blue Jackets (47-31-4, fifth in the Metropolitan Division during the regular season) vs. Boston Bruins (49-24-9, second in the Atlantic Division during the regular season)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Boston hosts series opener
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets to open the Eastern Conference second round. The teams meet Thursday for the fourth time this season. Boston went 2-1 against Columbus during the regular season.
The Bruins are 29-19-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston averages 9.7 penalty minutes per game, the second-most in the NHL. Brad Marchand leads the team serving 96 total minutes.
The Blue Jackets are 31-19-2 against conference opponents. Columbus has converted on 15.4 percent of power-play opportunities, scoring 34 power-play goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 38 goals and has collected 81 points. Marchand has five goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Boston.
Cam Atkinson leads the Blue Jackets with 41 total goals and has totaled 69 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand has eight goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Columbus.
DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Blue Jackets: Averaging 4.8 goals, 7.3 assists, 2.8 penalties and 8.5 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game with a .932 save percentage.
Bruins: Averaging 3.3 goals, 4.7 assists, 2.4 penalties and 4.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .928 save percentage.
Bruins Injuries: Kevan Miller: out (upper body).
Blue Jackets Injuries: Markus Nutivaara: day to day (upper body).
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.