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Sports

Bruins seek to extend home point streak in clash with Blue Jackets

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Bruins put a 10-game home point streak on the line Saturday night as they play host to a Columbus Blue Jackets club looking for its first winning streak in over a month.

The Bruins have gone 8-0-2 at home since a regulation loss to the visiting New Jersey Devils on Oct. 26 and are coming off yesterdays' 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Defenseman Zdeno Chara had an impact throughout the game, notching the game-winner with 8:55 to play.

Chara also assisted on Brad Marchand's first-period goal and engaged in a second-period fight with New York's Brian Boyle to pick up the Gordie Howe hat trick. The goal was his sixth of the season, tied for fifth in the NHL among defenseman.

"There's obviously no better leader, no better defenseman in my mind," said Patrice Bergeron, who scored a game-tying goal 1:35 into the third period. "Every game, he goes to war."

Boston rebounded from its worst loss of the season, a 6-1 road setback in Detroit on Wednesday, and is 5-1-1 in its last seven games and 9-2-1 over the previous 12.

Tuukka Rask made 17 saves for the Bruins.

The Blue Jackets also put a tough loss behind them on Friday, bouncing back from a 4-0 loss to Nashville on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Artem Anisimov, Nick Foligno and Jack Skille all scored in the second period for the Blue Jackets, who won despite giving the Oilers seven power plays. Ryan Johansen scored in the first period and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.

"I was pleased with the energy that we came out with and the energy we played with," said Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards.

Columbus has not won two straight since a three-game streak from Oct. 20-25 and Richards could give backup Curtis McElhinney the start tonight. McElhinney lost his only other start versus Boston, allowing three goals on 29 shots on April 9, 2011 while with Ottawa.

The Bruins have won five straight versus the Blue Jackets, winning a pair of meetings already this season. They have won two straight and four of the last five encounters in Boston.

Rask is 4-1-0 with a 1.56 GAA in his career when facing Columbus, while backup Chad Johnson faced the franchise for the first time in his career on Nov. 14, making 32 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory at home.