Bruins host Blue Jackets at TD Garden after Olympic break
bruins return to action Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p. m. ET at TD Garden, when Boston faces the Columbus Blue Jackets in a matchup that will immediately affect the Eastern Conference wild‑card race.
Bruins back at TD Garden with Korpisalo in net
Joonas Korpisalo will start in net for Boston on Thursday at TD Garden. The team is coming off a 22‑day layoff for the Olympic break and holds the second wild‑card spot in the Eastern Conference; the Blue Jackets trail them by four points. Head coach Marco Sturm said the club will keep its focus short-term and game by game, adding that “it’s getting closer to the end, and that means every point counts” and that he was “glad the time is here, the game is here, I’m glad we are home. ”
Blue Jackets ride 11‑of‑12 surge and seven‑game streak
Columbus has won 11 of its last 12 games and is riding a seven‑game winning streak, a stretch that pulled the Blue Jackets to within four points of Boston for the final wild‑card spot and within four points of the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday with a 29‑20‑7 record and a clear head of steam after a week of practice under coach Rick Bowness.
Coaches stress sharpness after 22‑day Olympic break
Bowness emphasized the physical and timing challenges of returning to games: “The challenges are to get that competitive spirit back and get your reads down, the timing, the physical contact, ” he said, noting that practice scrimmages don’t replicate the hits players will take in Boston. He called Thursday’s matchup a playoff‑style game for both clubs, adding that “they (the Bruins) don’t have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. We’re trying to catch them. The intensity should be there. ”
What teams worked on in practice
The Blue Jackets mixed intense skating drills with finer details this week, working on six‑on‑five play (how to both defend and play offensively with the goalie pulled) and three‑on‑three situations. Bowness had planned substantive system changes but chose small tweaks after the team’s recent run. He said the club is as healthy as it has been all season and that depth across all four scoring lines has been a boost.
Lines, players and returning Olympians
Charlie McAvoy joined an optional morning skate on Thursday after earning a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday. Sturm said McAvoy, who returned to Boston early Wednesday morning, would be a game‑time decision. McAvoy called representing the United States a “childhood dream come true” and added, “It is so hard to win in this game. Now I have a win there on my record. Hopefully, a Stanley Cup isn’t too far behind. ” He also said the team must “dial back in” and refocus on the final 25 regular‑season games.
On Columbus, Boone Jenner — a former first‑line center and team captain two seasons ago — now centers the fourth line but picks up minutes through spot duty and special teams. First‑line center Adam Fantilli urged buy‑in: “For me, the biggest word for us right now is selflessness…Playoffs are all that matter, not our stats, not contracts, nothing like that. ” For players coming back from the Olympics, like the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, unclear in the provided context.
Players to watch and betting angle
Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle were listed as two top players to watch for the matchup. A separate prediction page lists an ATS pick of Bruins (-1. 5), an Over/Under of Over (6. 5) and a score prediction of Bruins 4 - Blue Jackets 2. The same page notes it may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners and says it was created using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Both teams acknowledge the game could feel a bit ragged after the break — “rust forms quickly, ” one coach said — and that sharpness will be at a premium. The puck drops at 7 p. m. ET Thursday at TD Garden; Columbus returns home to host the New York Islanders on Saturday for its first home game since the Olympic break.
