BSJ Game Report: Bruins 7, Blue Jackets 2 -- The kids lead offensive explosion

Everything you need to know from the Bruins' win against to the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis.

HEADLINES



Youth movement: You couldn’t have asked for a better game from the likes of Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, Sean Kuraly, Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy. Offensively and defensively the rookie class was impressive in nearly every aspect. Heinen and DeBrusk each had a goal and two assists. McAvoy had a goal, an assist and a fight for his first "Gordie Howe hat trick." Bjork had an assist, and Grzelcyk was a plus-1.

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Krejci an unexpected scratch: David Krejci was a last-minute scratch due to an upper-body injury and will not travel with the team to Buffalo for Tuesday's game against the Sabres. He participated in the team's morning skate and showed no ill effects. He spoke with the media after practice and there were no indications he wouldn't be in the lineup. The veteran forward has been dealing with back issues all season. He was also on the receiving end of a high hit that forced his helmet to come off when his head hit the boards on Saturday against the Rangers, but he was able to finish that game. After the game against the Blue Jackets, Bruce Cassidy said Krejci didn't feel well after the Monday's skate. As a result, Bjork, who was a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Rangers, returned to the lineup. Ryan Spooner centered DeBrusk and Bjork.

Pasta streak continues: David Pastrnak had an assist tonight to extend his point streak to a career-high 12 games and it’s also the longest current streak in the NHL. He has five goals and nine assists for 14 points in this span.

Tuukka still streaking: Tuukka Rask wasn’t tested too often but he made more than his share of timely saves. He finished with 16 saves but extends his personal point streak to seven games. He’s 6-0-1 in his last seven games with a 1.45 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.

TURNING POINT

Little things could equal big things: Bjork has been dealing with the typical ebbs and flows of a rookie season. Because of his recent struggles, Cassidy thought he best for Bjork to watch from press level as a healthy scratch on Saturday against the New York Rangers. He would have been out of the lineup again vs. the Blue Jackets but his presence was needed due to Krejci’s injury. Early in the game, Bjork had some jump in his stride, but he proved crucial when he drew a tripping penalty at 6:47 of the second period. Boston capitalized on the power play when David Backes scored to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead at 8:23. A simple play like drawing a penalty could give a player a major confidence boost.

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THREE UP

Danton Heinen: He’s not playing like a second-year pro. Heinen’s been doing a lot of things right in every aspect of the game. With his three points against the Blue Jackets, he now has nine points in his last seven games.

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Brandon Carlo: The second-year defenseman has found himself in the “down” category the last few games. Against Columbus, he came out playing with an edge and his confidence grew as the game progressed. He finished with a plus-3, he was managing the puck well and he was positionally sound.

Fourth line: The trio of Tim Schaller, Kuraly and Noel Acciari was outstanding in this game. They combined for nine shots and their ability to sustain the forecheck for a key factor for the Bruins. When one of the bottom six units plays as well as the fourth line did, the rest of the team feeds off that energy and that was the case against Columbus. Schaller even drew a penalty shot, but couldn’t capitalize.

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ONE DOWN

Sergei Bobrovsky: The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has a tough time playing against the Bruins. He allowed seven goals on 45 shots to drop his career record against Boston to 2-5-2. He didn’t get too much help in front of him, but there were a few goals he should have stopped.

UP NEXT

The Bruins face the Sabres at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Key Bank Arena in Buffalo. This is the fifth of 14 sets of back-to-back games this season. Boston is 1-3-0 in the second game of back-to-backs.