Boston @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 30, 2019 ) Boston 1, Columbus 2

Frustration is building for the Boston Bruins and it showed when forward Brad Marchand threw a sucker punch to the back of the head of a Columbus Blue Jackets defender late in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round series. While Marchand avoided punishment by the league, the Blue Jackets have a chance to deliver a punishing blow when they host Boston in Game 4 on Thursday night.

After a stunning sweep of Tampa Bay in the opening round, Marchand's antics were the least of the concerns for Columbus, which made it two straight wins since dropping the series opener with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night. “I don’t think it’s a play that you like to see in hockey, but I’m not going to really worry about it," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. "We’ve got more important things to worry about. What we did was get the win." The Bruins, who have the highest point total of any team left in the playoffs, erased three separate deficits in their first-round series win over Toronto so there is no sense of panic among the players. "I think we've got to execute better, that's the bottom line," center Patrice Bergeron said. "The plays that we want to make are there in a way, but I think we're forcing a lot of them too. We've just got to go back to taking what's there in front of you."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS, Sportsnet

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Bergeron, Marchand and David Pastrnak combined for 106 goals during the regular season but they have been limited to one point in the first three games versus Columbus, although Pastrnak has been paired on other lines. The trio was reunited on the No. 1 line at Wednesday's practice and there could be another lineup change as coach Bruce Cassidy inserted David Backes on the second unit with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci to provide a "net presence" for the team. "You try to get tips, rebounds and screens and it’s really no secret how you score this time of year," said Backes, who hasn't played since Game 5 of the first round. "I want to be part of that.”

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: While center Matt Duchene, Columbus' prize acquisition at the trade deadline, has scored in five of the last six games, his superlative play has been overshadowed by the exploits Sergei Bobrovsky in net. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner improved to 6-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in the postseason by turning aside 36 of 37 shots Tuesday. "He's played that well," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "I think if teams find their way in winning games like this, playoff games where the teams so evenly matched, throughout it surges both ways, your goaltender has to be your best player. And he has been."

OVERTIME

1. The Blue Jackets are 3-for-7 on the power play in the past two games.

2. Marchand leads the team with nine points in the playoffs, but he has been held off the scoresheet in four straight games.

3. Columbus has won eight of its last nine at home, but the lone blemish was a 6-2 loss to Boston on April 2.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2