Final: Blue Jackets 5, Bruins 1 - Blue Jackets score 2 shorthanded goals as Bruins struggle offensively

This was bad. After losing to Dallas 7-2 and St. Louis 3-2 in overtime, the Bruins have now lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 in disappointing fashion.

The start of the game was rough for Boston, as Jeremy Swayman allowed three goals that put Boston in a huge deficit the rest of the game. Columbus' first goal came from Dmitri Voronkov. The forward got past Mason Lohrei and Brandon Carlo and scored on a breakaway shot that got past Swayman. 

Four minutes later, Mathieu Olivier scored a shorthanded goal getting around the defense and tucking the puck in between Swayman for the second goal of the game.

Former Bruin James Van Riemsdyk scored the final goal of the period. Late in the second, a shot from the point ricocheted off the back of Van Riemsdyk and past Swayman for the third goal of the period.

Late into the second period, the Bruins got their only goal of the game on the power play when Charlie Coyle buried a one-timer goal in the slot.

However, the Blue Jackets ended up scoring more shorthanded goals than the Bruins had power play goals in this game. While shorthanded, Cole Sillinger stole the puck from Lohrei going on a 2-on-1 with momentum. Sillinger then dished the puck to Justin Danforth scoring the fourth goal of the game for Columbus.

Columbus scored their fifth and final goal later in the period as Yegor Chinakhov sniped a one-time puck to the top right corner icing the game.

Overall, this might be the worst performance the Bruins have had this entire season. In the most important aspects of hockey, the Bruins were defeated. They weren't able to generate little to any offense as they constantly gave the puck to the opposing team and couldn't win important corner battles to keep themselves in the offensive zone. Boston's defensemen were caught flatfooted multiple time. They allowed players on Columbus to walk past them which resulted in the many goals that occurred in the game. Jim Montgomery's time in Boston looks like it could end sooner rather than later. 

The Bruins will play their next game against Utah Thursday at 7 p.m.

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WHO: Blue Jackets 6-9-2 vs Bruins 8-8-2
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: TD Garden
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

LIVE BOX SCORE

ROSTERS

PROJECTED LINES

Boston

Geekie - Zacha - Pastrnak

Marchand - E. Lindholm - Brazeau

Merkulov - Coyle - Frederic

Viel - Beecher - Peeke

Oesterle - McAvoy

Lohrei - Carlo 

Zadorov - Wotherspoon

Swayman

Korpisalo

Blue Jackets

Voronkov - Monahan - Marchenko

Van Riemsdyk - Fantilli - Lebanc 

Danforth - Sillinger - Chinakhov 

Ashton-Reese - Kuraly - Olivier

Werenski - Fabbro

Provorov - Severson

Christiansen - Jiricek

Merzlinkins

Tarasov

PREGAME NOTES

The Bruins host the Blue Jackets tonight in the first of three games between these teams this season and the first of two Blue Jackets’ visits to TD Garden this season.

The Bruins have called up Jeffrey Viel to the NHL roster. He will play on the fourth line tonight.

According to Jim McBride, the Bruins have recalled forwards Georgii Merkulov and Riley Tufte from Providence. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm (upper body) placed on IR. Patrick Brown returned to Providence.