Playoff-contending Bruins, Jackets in key game coming off break

Where were we?

With the Olympic break now complete, the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets will have little time to settle back into the grind of the NHL regular season as they meet for the first time this campaign in an important Thursday night game in Boston.

Boston holds a four-point lead over Columbus for the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot as the league schedule resumes. Both teams have used strong play leading up to their most recent games on Feb. 4 to climb into their current standings positions.

"Not just for us, but for everyone in this league, it is a challenge," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said of the extended layoff. "We put ourselves in a very, very good position right now, and we don't want to lose it. We want to stay in the hunt and continue to play the same way we did in the past."

Neither side has absorbed a regulation loss since Jan. 20. The Blue Jackets carried a seven-game win streak into the Olympics, while the Bruins were 4-0-3 in their last seven before the break.

Columbus coach Rick Bowness has felt a training camp-type energy around his team of late, with an eagerness to resume game action after several practices.

"The legs are there, the conditioning is good, and the guys are as anxious to play as we are, but I love the attitude and I love the spirit in practice," Bowness said of his team's return to the ice. "Everything looks good right now."

Of course, the break was busier for some right up until its last days. While NHL practices resumed last week, both Boston and Columbus have key players coming off winning Olympic gold with the United States. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goaltender Jeremy Swayman and Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski will return to opposing sides.

Swayman was the only one of the three to return to practice on Wednesday morning as Team USA's celebration continued with a Tuesday visit to the White House. McAvoy is expected to return for Thursday's morning skate.

"Winning a gold medal is obviously everybody's dream. They deserve their celebration," said Bruins forward David Pastrnak, who represented his native Czechia at his first Olympics in Milan. "They're a big part of our group. ... My focus already shifted (back to the NHL season) a couple days ago. Have a big stretch ahead of us, tough March with a lot of games."

McAvoy is on a seven-game point streak (one goal, nine assists) for the Bruins. Forward Morgan Geekie entered the break on an eight-game run (seven goals, five assists).

Werenski, who was scheduled to rejoin the Blue Jackets on their Wednesday afternoon arrival in Boston, left the Columbus dressing room beaming with pride as he had the primary assist on Jack Hughes' golden goal in last Sunday's 2-1 overtime win for the Americans over archrival Canada.

"It's a pretty special thing," Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle said. "Of course, (Werenski) had a factor in it and he had a great play to win a battle and get it over to Hughes, so I don't think guys (from other countries) can be too upset by that. Us Americans are pretty happy, the limited few in there, but it's just an awesome game to watch and could have gone either way."

Thursday will mark a special night for Coyle, a Massachusetts native who makes his first return to Boston since being traded last March to the Colorado Avalanche after playing in 452 games with the Bruins. Coyle, who was dealt to the Blue Jackets last June, reached the 1,000-game milestone for his career last month.

The Bruins and Blue Jackets will also meet March 29 and April 12 in Columbus.