Daily Bean: Bruins Gameday; Columbus Coaching Change, Dougie’s Revenge

The Boston Bruins (25-19-2) are in the back half of their five-game homestand, with the fourth game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings (28-15-4). 

Both teams enter the game on a roll; the Bruins have won all three during their homestand, and are 5-1-0 in their last six. The Red Wings, on the other hand, have won their last four and are 4-1-1 in their last six. 

Monday was a busy day around the NHL. It started with two extensions signed in the afternoon. Then, it continued with the last-place team in the East making a coaching change. The host city for the 2026 NHL draft was named. Also, a 17-game home winning streak came to an end last night, and it was against a team whose schedule provided them with a tough test. 

Sergei Fedorov’s #91 was retired last night. That is not the only jersey retirement this week; Boston will retire Zdeno Chara’s #33 on Thursday night against Seattle. 

Boston Bruins

It’s another Original Six gameday at the TD Garden, the second in the Bruins’ homestand. Boston will look to add onto their success in the homestand so far; the team has won all three games and has outscored opponents 15-3. 

The Bruins are expected to welcome Morgan Geekie back to the lineup on Tuesday night. The Geekie family welcomed their son Max on Saturday.

Checking in on the affiliates, the Providence Bruins played in three games over the weekend. They went 2-1-0. The P-Bruins won over Bridgeport 4-1 on Friday and defeated Lehigh Valley 4-2 on Sunday; both games were at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. 

The ECHL affiliate, Maine Mariners, went 2-0-1 in a three-in-three in Reading, PA, this weekend. Maine won on Friday night in overtime and then had a shutout win on Saturday night. 

NHL News & National Hockey Now

ESPN: The Columbus Blue Jackets (19-19-7) fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy. Evason was in his second season with the club and posted a record of 59-52-16.  

Rick Bowness is the new coach of the Blue Jackets. This is his eighth stop in the NHL, one of them including Boston (1991-92). 

ESPN: The 2026 NHL Entry Draft will take place in Buffalo, New York. It will be the first time since 2016 that the Sabres will host the draft. Like last year, it is shaping up to be a decentralized draft. In 2016, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Auston Matthews with the first overall pick. 

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Blake Lizotte cashed in on Monday. He signed a three-year extension with a salary cap hit of $2.25 million. Lizotte, 28, joined the Penguins on July 1, 2024, and then tied a career high in goals last season (11). Now, he has 10 points (5-5–10) in 35 games played. 

Sportsnet: Former BU Terrier Quinn Hutson also cashed in on Monday. The Oilers signed him to a two-year extension with a $875,000 cap hit. Hutson, 24, scored his first career goal against Boston this season and has played in six games for Edmonton. He has 23 goals and 15 assists with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL) this year. 

Detroit Hockey Now: Tonight’s opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, retired Sergei Fedorov’s #91 on Monday night. Fedorov won three Stanley Cups, was a six-time all-star, and finished his time in Detroit with 400 goals and 954 points. Fedorov’s family, which he started after his playing career was over, was in attendance; his children are eight and nine years old. Bob Duff dives into why that was important to Fedorov on his big night.  

New Jersey Hockey Now: Dougie Hamilton, who was recently scratched in what his agent called a “business decision,” returned to the lineup on Monday night. Dougie got his revenge while also upping his trade value. In his return to the lineup, Hamilton generated two primary assists and launched the Devils to a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild, in the Hughes’ bowl. 

Colorado Hockey Now: The Colorado Avalanche’s 17-game home winning streak came to an end on Monday night. The Avalanche fell to the hot Toronto Maple Leafs, who are now 8-0-2 in their last ten games, 4-3 in overtime. With the loss, Colorado is, impressively, 17-0-3 on home ice this season. They have yet to lose in regulation at Ball Arena. 

It was featured in Monday’s edition, but the Maple Leafs are approaching a gruesome part of their schedule, and have yet to lose in regulation since firing assistant coach Marc Savard.