Blue Jackets Vs Bruins: Columbus Returns From Olympic Pause Facing High-Stakes Road Test
The Columbus Blue Jackets resume NHL play Thursday night at TD Garden in a Blue Jackets Vs Bruins matchup after a 22-day Olympic break, a timely restart that pits a surging Columbus club against a Boston team defending a wild-card position. The game matters because Columbus has won 11 of its last 12, including a seven-game streak, and has closed to within four points of Boston in the Eastern Conference wild-card chase.
Rick Bowness and Blue Jackets practice plan
Coach Rick Bowness has kept the Blue Jackets working through a week of intense skating and situational drills to blunt any rust from the Olympic pause and to sharpen timing and physical play. Columbus went into the break with a 29-20-7 record and has used the time to focus not on a wholesale systems overhaul but on targeted adjustments — small tweaks to even-strength play, the power play and the penalty kill rather than substantive changes.
Practices emphasized competitive contact and game-like scenarios: six-on-five work to rehearse play with the goaltender pulled and three-on-three sequences to simulate late-game conditions where every point is precious. Bowness framed the return to play as a rapid reintroduction of physical intensity. "In Boston, you’re going to get hit, " he said, underscoring that the team’s training measures are intended to restore reads and timing so players can absorb the immediate jump in tempo.
The on-ice results that prompted a conservative approach were stark: 11 victories in 12 games overall, a current seven-game winning streak and a move to within four points not only of Boston for a wild-card berth but also within four points of the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Those gains, combined with the team’s health, have allowed Bowness to deploy four scoring lines with confidence. Boone Jenner, once a first-line center, is centered on the fourth line but continues to receive extra minutes through spot duty and special teams, a sign of the club’s depth.
Blue Jackets Vs Bruins: TD Garden return, roster and net decision
The Bruins return to TD Garden with their second wild-card position still in hand and little margin for error; Boston has 25 regular-season games remaining and has stressed that every point matters as the calendar tightens. The matchup is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p. m. ET. Boston will start Joonas Korpisalo in net for the game, a roster move that sets a specific matchup between the clubs in goal.
Boston coach Marco Sturm emphasized a short-term focus heading into the restart. "It’s getting closer to the end, and that means every point counts, " he said, framing the upcoming run as a sequence of must-win moments. Charlie McAvoy, who earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday, joined an optional morning skate and was listed as a game-time decision after returning to Boston early Wednesday. McAvoy noted he must switch his focus back to the Bruins and the remaining regular-season slate.
Momentum, matchups and what to watch
Columbus’s surge has created direct consequences: by climbing within four points, the Blue Jackets turn tonight’s meeting into a de facto playoff-style test for both sides, with standings implications that extend through Saturday when Columbus hosts the Islanders in its first home game since the break. Coach Bowness has stressed selflessness and collective commitment as the behavior required to sustain the run; first-line center Adam Fantilli called it a time for everyone to buy into the common goal of reaching the postseason.
What makes this notable is the compact timeline: 22 days off followed immediately by games with playoff-level intensity, meaning teams that adapted their training most effectively during the break are likely to gain an early advantage. Columbus’s emphasis on situational drills and Boston’s mix of returning Olympians and roster choices such as Korpisalo in net will shape how quickly each club regains game speed.
The matchup thus serves as a measuring stick for both teams’ ability to convert practice into performance under pressure. With the standings tight and less than half the regular season remaining, the results over the next several games will carry measurable impact on playoff positioning and seeding as the calendar moves toward the closing stretch.
