Need to Know: Bruins at Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Bruins will kick off their last extended road trip of the regular season on Monday night when they visit the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. With just 14 games remaining, the four-game swing through Columbus, Detroit, Tampa, and Washington will provide the Black & Gold an opportunity to shore up their game, while also managing some of the bumps and bruises that arise at this time of the year.
"Four wins would be ideal," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of the team's approach to the trip. "Just keep building our game. Obviously want to get as detailed as possible, as clean as possible. We'll also try to manage some workloads as well. We have pretty much a healthy group. A little bit nicked up, so keep guys in the lineup without them having to go too long without playing.
"There's a little bit of that thought process especially with a back-to-back…we want to keep playing winning hockey and building on what we've done here recently."

Among the Bruins dealing with some nagging ailments is Derek Forbort, who will sit out against the Blue Jackets as he deals with a lower-body injury. Craig Smith, who has been managing an upper-body injury, should "be able to play through it," according to Cassidy.
"A few guys nicked up…we'll keep an eye on that," said Cassidy. "Nothing that is major per se, but some nagging day-to-day stuff that will hopefully calm down here as they get a couple of days off between games after we leave Detroit."

Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Brown Back In

After leaving his Bruins debut last Thursday against the New Jersey Devils with an upper-body injury, Josh Brown will return to the lineup on Monday night in Columbus. Brown was injured when he took a hit in the second period that the blue liner said may have caused "some whiplash."
"It was kind of weird, just took a hit there and felt a little off the rest of that game. But we took the necessary precautions and all the tests and everything and I feel fine now. Good to go," said Brown, who also dropped the gloves with New Jersey's Mason Geertsen during the first period of his debut.
"It's kind of a tough way to end the debut. I thought [Mike Reilly] and I were playing pretty good up until that point. Obviously, the game was going great for the team. A tough way to end it but had a couple good practices days with the guys. I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the systems and everything. Just business as usual now."

Brown will be back alongside Reilly against the Blue Jackets, reuniting a duo that was paired up at times during their brief time together with the Ottawa Senators last season. There is certainly some comfort in playing with a familiar face, but ultimately the 6-foot-5, 217-pound right shot knows he must perform regardless of where he's placed in the lineup with competition for playing time building on the back end.
"First and foremost, we're all teammates," said Brown. "We're all rooting for each other. But obviously there is a bit of a competition on the back end right now. I just think you've got to have your A-game every night…Reills and I played together a little bit in Ottawa but it's just getting used to playing with each other again now. Just finding out each other's tendencies and plays…everyone's different. But we want to stay in and keep going."
Cassidy believes the competition will help to bring out the best in all of Boston's blue liners as he tries to nail down the best pairs across the stretch run.
"No one's happy when they come out," said Cassidy. "Everybody feels that they deserve to be in on a regular basis. I don't have a problem with that type of mentality. When you go in, then you have to prove it. That's the part where they have to back that up. But they're all good teammates, they're all good Bruins. They have accepted that we are going to go through this process of looking at some guys for our third pair. That's just the way it is. They've been told that.
"They were told that the day that Brown was traded here, and [Hampus] Lindholm, that there would be some mixing and matching until we see what we want to see at the end of the day and make a final decision. That could come right down to the wire."

Opposing View

Columbus has lost six straight games, including the 5-2 setback to the Bruins in their last outing on Saturday in Boston.
Forward Carson Meyer, a native of Powell, Ohio, and product of the AAA Blue Jackets and Ohio State, will make his NHL debut on Monday night.
Blue Jackets blue line stalwart Zach Werenski will be back in the lineup after missing the last three games with injury, while Columbus will also have head coach Brad Larsen back from COVID-19 protocol.
Elvis Merzlikins will get the start between the pipes.

Monday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar

DEFENSEMEN
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Mike Reilly - Josh Brown
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman