Bruins Set for Tough Test in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Claude Julien said it best when he described the Bruins' next opponent as "firing on all cylinders."
The Blue Jackets (23-5-4, 50 points) have won 12 consecutive games, registered at least a point in 14 straight, and are currently the best team in the NHL. It won't be an easy task for Boston when it battles Columbus on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena
"We're playing a team that, right now, is firing on all cylinders," Julien said following the team's morning skate. "Defensively they've been good, offensively, good goaltending. When you play a team like that, you know that you have to be ready to play one of your better games."

"That's all that you can ask from your hockey club right now. We need to go after these guys with the purpose of winning this hockey game."
The Bruins are, however, one of two teams to beat the Blue Jackets twice this season (San Jose is the other). Boston took the first matchup, 6-3, on Opening Night, overcoming a two-goal deficit with multi-goal games from David Backes, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. The Bruins later grabbed a 5-2 victory at TD Garden on Nov. 10.
But Boston knows those games don't have much bearing on what will happen Tuesday.
"What you have to understand, too, is they're playing much better than they did back then," said Julien. "We can look at some of the stuff that we did well and we can talk about it, but at the end of the night it's about playing a team that's going to be better than we played before."

The three-day holiday break allowed the Bruins little time to ramp up for their tilt with Columbus, but with the condensed nature of this year's schedule, the Bruins were pleased to have a quick respite to catch their breath and spend time with family.
"It was needed and it was nice to have to be able to rest a little bit and feel better and feel energized for the next stretch of the season," said Patrice Bergeron. "It's been really busy, so it was definitely nice to have."
The break left the Bruins in the unique position of having to travel on the day of a game. With the team unable to fly to Columbus on Monday, the Black & Gold had an early morning flight before heading right to the rink for their pregame skate.
"It's a little different, but it's Christmas time, so it's understandable," said Pastrnak. "The rules are the same for everybody else. So, we just have to get ready for a game and get two points."

Special Teams the Key

Columbus boasts the league's best power play at 26.9%, while the Bruins own the third-best penalty kill at 87.3%. Boston, while sitting just 28th in the NHL with a 13.9% success rate on the man advantage, has scored a power play goal in each of the last two games.
"We know that we have a big challenge in front of us tonight," said Bergeron. "They're a great team. I think they have the best power play. So, our penalty kill and special teams will be huge for us tonight. We know that we need to make sure we're ready.
"Our power play has been a little better. We need to make sure we're doing a good job on the special teams tonight."

Liles Back on the Ice

John-Michael Liles skated with his teammates for the first time since suffering a concussion on Nov. 27 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. Liles was chasing down a puck in the offensive zone when his feet got tangled up by the Tampa goaltender, causing him to crash into the endboards.
The veteran blue liner has battled on-and-off symptoms in the weeks following the injury, but has cleared the first hurdle of getting back onto the ice. He is not, however, cleared for contact.
"It was definitely scary and kind of an unfortunate break," said Liles, who began skating on his own before the holiday break. "I was just trying to get to the net and had a lot of speed going and my feet got taken out when the goalie poke checked it.
"There wasn't really much I could do, just going that fast and the angle I was going. I was able to shield my face from [Austin Czarnik] and whoever their D-men were and that was kind of my first thought when I fell down.
"I saw their skates coming, so I tried to shield my face and by doing that, I kind of hit the boards forehead first with nothing breaking that fall. It wasn't ideal but it's one of those things. Just a little bit of bad luck and how everything played out."

Liles was unable to participate in any physical activity in the aftermath of the concussion. The symptoms popped up any time he elevated his heart rate.
"You can't do anything until you're cleared. So, it felt like I haven't done much in the last month until today," said Liles, while also saying there is no timetable for his return to game action.
"It's just good to be back out there and be around the guys a little bit on the road. Hopefully, everything goes well and I keep progressing and can get back at some point sooner rather than later."

Black & Gold Aplenty at World Juniors

Five Bruins prospects are competing in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship this week in Canada. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is playing for the host country, blue liners Charlie McAvoy and Ryan Lindgren are representing the United States, and goalie Daniel Vladar and defenseman Jakub Zboril are playing for the Czech Republic.
All three countries with Bruins representatives won their opening games on Monday. Zboril had an assist in the Czech Republic's 2-1 win over Finland.
"I was kind of running around the town trying to fix my TV [Monday] so I can watch those guys," said Pastrnak, who played for his native Czech Republic in the three previous World Junior tournaments.
"Obviously, those are good memories. It's been three years…on the road for Christmas. It's something new to be home for Christmas.
"I was watching the guys yesterday. I wish them the best of luck. I had a lot of fun times."