After two days of high-energy practices, Claude Julien elected to make Tuesday’s morning skate optional. Just about everyone on the team agreed with this logic, as only Tuukka Rask and Daniel Paille took the ice.

Reading into things, this could mean that Paille might be the healthy scratch among the forwards. Brad Marchand is eligible to return vs. the Devils after a two-game suspension, while Tyler Seguin‘s recent play has made him hard to sit. The last two practices have featured both Marchand and Michael Ryder on the wing opposite Mark Recchi, so if Paille is the scratch, Marchand could be a candidate to reunite with the Merlot line.

WILMINGTON — The Bruins are practicing at Ristuccia Arena Monday for the second straight day, hoping to work towards improving their play of late. The lines looked the same Monday as they did Sunday, with the Patrice Bergeron line carrying the extra man.

Milan Lucic – David Krejci – Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand/Michael Ryder – Patrice Bergeron – Mark Recchi
Rich Peverley – Chris Kelly – Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille – Gregory Campbell – Shawn Thornton

WILMINGTON — Ah, the rare Sunday practice. After an ugly 5-2 loss in Toronto Saturday, the B’s took the ice here at Ristuccia Arena in attempt to work out the issues that have made them losers of six of their last seven games (1-3-3).

The Patrice Bergeron line is the one to feature an extra man this time around, with Michael Ryder donning the gold sweater.

Milan Lucic – David Krejci – Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand/Michael Ryder – Patrice Bergeron – Mark Recchi
Rich Peverley – Chris Kelly – Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille – Gregory Campbell – Shawn Thornton

Tyler Seguin was given just 9:57 of ice time Tuesday night, but he co-starred with Tuukka Rask in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Blue Jackets that ended a four-game losing streak.

The Bruins fell behind in the final minute of the first period when Grant Clitsome sent a blast from the blue line past Rask, but a Zdeno Chara shot that went off David Krejci would tie it in the second. With the Bruins trailing in the third period and Nathan Horton in the box for holding the stick, Rich Peverley scored the B’s eighth shorthanded goal of the season, beating Steve Mason for his 16th goal of the season.

Rask, who had 32 saves in regulation, made timely saves in the third period in stopping Jakub Voracek, Antoine Vermette, Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett on key Blue Jackets opportunities. He followed that by stopping Rick Nash and Fedor Tyutin in the shootout.

The Bruins will head to Nashville to face the Predators on Thursday.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE BRUINS

- While benching Michael Ryder may have opened some eyes, there’s no debating that the Bruins are in better shape for a shootout with Seguin in the lineup. The rookie has struggled to pin down the NHL game physically, but when it comes to skating down the ice untouched, talent trumps all.

- The Bruins may have not seen much time on the power play, but they scored more than Columbus on Blue Jackets power plays. The B’s killed off all six penalties they took, with Peverley scoring the timely short-handed goal.

- Either Milan Lucic or Krejci were bound to see their point streaks continue due to the B’s first goal, and after a scoring change it proved to be Krejci. Lucic hit Johnny Boychuk with a pass in the offensive zone, with Boychuk setting up a Chara blast that went off Krejci before sailing past Steve Mason. Though Lucic didn’t get an assist on the play, he still has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his last six games. Krejci now has at least one point in each of his last six games, and eight points (2 G, 6 A) over the span.

- Good to see Rask play the role of stopper, as he picked up the Bruins’ first win in five games. The Bruins’ four-game skid was the ninth time this season the team had lost at least two games in a row. Of the previous eight occurrences, Tim Thomas had gotten the win that followed the first five losing streaks, with Rask now serving as the stopper in the last four. That’s a combination of both coincidence and the fact that Claude Julien is giving his young goaltender more time down the stretch.

- Mark Recchi continues the climb up the list for most games played. Tuesday, he surpassed former Bruin Dave Andreychuk, and at 1,640 games, Recchi is now fifth all-time.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE BRUINS

- The Bruins had just one power play in the game, and it lasted all of five seconds. Patrice Bergeron took an interference penalty following the face-off that began an Antione Vermette hooking minor. The team’s power play struggles have been well-documented (just one power play goal since Feb. 28), and having just five seconds on the man advantage isn’t exactly the right way to remedy them.

- Scottie Upshall continues to haunt Rask. Nice puck-movement by his line drew Rask way out of his net with less than eight minutes to go, and Upshall easily put his 20th of the season into an unoccupied net. The goal was his third goal against Rask in three games facing him.

- That’s now two games in a row in which Nathan Horton has taken a penalty in the final seven minutes of the game with the Bruins trailing. Horton was called for interference at 13:12 of the third period against the Islanders on Saturday, and he went off at 13:06 for holding the stick. Of course, the Bruins ended up tying the game with Horton in the box, but it certainly isn’t the type of habit the B’s want to develop. Krejci would later be called for a cross-check with 4:34 remaining.

Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters Tuesday morning that defenseman Steven Kampfer will make his return to the lineup against the Blue Jackets after being out with a concussion. The team brought Kampfer, as well as fellow injured defensemen Andrew Ference and Shane Hnidy, with them for their current road trip.

“Kampfer is playing tonight,” Julien said. “Andrew is touch-and-go. He’s very very close, and we’ll be make decisions on him for the next few days, but tonight he’ll sit this one out. He’s very close to being able go as well.”

While Kampfer will be in the lineup, Julien can’t necessarily say the same for slumping scorer Michael Ryder. The 30-year-old has just one goal over his last 14 games, and three points over his last 11. As a result, it will come down to Ryder and Tyler Seguin for who will play on the third line, and who will be scratched.

“Michael is a streaky player as well,” Julien said when asked to compare the winger’s struggles to those of Nathan Horton earlier in the season. “In his case, he’s here to score goals. He’s been known to score goals, but at the same time, when those things don’t come, players always have to give an effort in other areas as well.

“In his case, the last three games, that’s why we’re going to be making a decision tonight on who [will play] moving forward. At this stage, we want some accountability. I think the message has to be clear that everybody has to step their game up, and that’s what we expect. When things aren’t going well, you’v got to be able to bring something else to the table. Effort is always a big part of it.”

The Bruins and Penguins remain scoreless after the first period, with Pittsburgh outshooting the B’s, 14-9.

The Bruins’ lone power play of period came at 13:08, when Ben Lovejoy went off for holding. The B’s failed to convert and are now 1-for-17 on the power play since acquiring Tomas Kaberle.

The period also featured fisticuffs, as Michael Rupp appeared victorious in a bout with Shawn Thornton at 2:59. Later in the period, Nathan Horton beat down Craig Adams when the two got into it at 18:31.

Nathan Horton had a couple of close-range opportunities on Marc-Andre Fleury but was stopped by the goaltender on one and saw his shot get blocked a Penguins skate on the other. Michael Ryder also had a great opportunity on Fleury but held the puck too long in an attempt to deke the Penguins’ goaltender.

Mike Milbury

NESN and NBC Sports analyst Mike Milbury made his weekly appearance on the WEEI midday show Wednesday to talk about the red-hot Bruins. To hear the interview, go to the WEEI audio on demand page.

The B’s completed a perfect six-game road trip with a 1-0 victory over the Senators on Tuesday night. Milbury said the resurgence of Nathan Horton and Michael Ryder was a key from the trip.

“The sign that was great for me was Nathan Horton doing something to make a difference,” Milbury said. “Because Horton and Ryder on the right side have to be active and productive. They’ve been uneven all year long. I think it’s important that they stay this way. The fight [Horton] had against Theo Peckham in Edmonton was a brawl. He came out clearly on top. This guy is tough. If he can get the fuse lit for him, the Bruins are going to be a very dangerous team to beat.

“The same is true of Ryder, who I actually think has skated much better along the road trip, and even prior to the road trip, than he has at any time since I’ve seen him. The puck’s not going in as regularly as I think he’d like, but you can see that he’s getting things done.”

Tomas Kaberle, acquired from the Maple Leafs last month, is not signed past this season. Asked if it would be worth it to the Bruins to only have the defenseman for a third of a season, Milbury said: “When you have a chance to make a run for the roses, you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to take advantage of it.”

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