COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Sean Kuraly returns to Boston for first time since joining Blue Jackets

Bailey Johnson
The Columbus Dispatch
Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly's first road game against the Bruins was Saturday night. He spent the first four years of his NHL career with Boston.

BOSTON — Sean Kuraly couldn't figure out how to get into the building.

The forward decided to walk to TD Garden on Saturday morning for the Blue Jackets' pregame skate, but when he got to the arena, he realized he didn't know which entrance to use.

After spending his first five professional seasons in the Boston organization, and the last four seasons exclusively with the Bruins, Kuraly knew his path to the home locker room. But as he entered the building as a visitor for the first time, it took him a moment to find the correct route.

"I didn't want to come in the way that you'd come in as a home player here, so it was kind of difficult to get in as a visitor," Kuraly said. "It was just tough. I couldn't find the right way in. Didn't want to end up in the B's locker room."

Kuraly signed with Columbus, his hometown team, as a free agent in July. He's been a natural fit with the Jackets since his arrival and has had his most productive NHL season yet, with a career-high 11 goals and 24 points in 68 games thus far.

He's been open about how happy he is in Columbus since the moment he signed and admitted Saturday morning that it was a strange feeling to be back in Boston — especially to be in the visitor's locker room, which he'd never entered until about two hours before Saturday morning's skate.

"I've got a lot of good memories on this ice, with a few of the teammates that are still here," Kuraly said. "I really enjoyed this city. It was good to have a day (Friday) to kind of spend it around the city. Good memories."

Kuraly referenced his excitement for the game multiple times Saturday morning, though that excitement doesn't come without nerves.

"I'm excited for it," Kuraly said. "Keeping in mind it's two points that we're trying to get. There's a job to be done, but realizing that it's there to be enjoyed. ... There's always a little bit of nerves. I think I'd be worried about myself if I didn't have any nerves. But those kind of lead me into my energy and playing with pace and stuff, so I think it's OK."

Kuraly's energy and pace are the calling cards of his game, and associate coach Pascal Vincent, who is acting as head coach while Brad Larsen and assistant Steve McCarthy are in COVID-19 protocol, expects Kuraly to feed off the energy Saturday night even more than he normally does.

"The first time you play in that building against a team that you've played for for years, there's an excitement," Vincent said. "I want him to feel that way, to feel excited to play against them. But he's got to remain true to what he does. You don't want your players to try to do too much or try to make a point. He's having a good season. We want him to keep playing the way he's been playing, but to use the energy in a positive manner."

Kuraly plans to do just that.

"With me, most of the time it's dialing it back and making sure I'm staying within the rules of the game," Kuraly said. "Making sure I'm not trying to do too much. Sticking to my game. Doing what I can do and not trying to do any more. That'll be my focus tonight."

Bruins set to honor Nick Foligno for 1,000 career games

Former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno played his 1,000th career game on March 15 and elected to wait for the traditional ceremony that commemorates the milestone until Columbus came to town. Saturday night, Foligno will be honored for his accomplishment, as he faced the team he spent nine seasons with, six as captain. 

Foligno missed Boston's game against New Jersey on Thursday with a lower-body injury but skated in line rushes before Saturday's game, indicating that he'll return to the lineup. 

New England native Gavin Bayreuther returns to Blue Jackets' lineup

The only lineup change Vincent made ahead of Saturday's game was swapping defenseman Gavin Bayreuther in for Gabriel Carlsson. Bayreuther last played March 13 against Vegas, and he is a native of Concord, N.H., just over an hour from Boston.

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@baileyajohnson_

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