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Boston Bruins: 2018 Season Preview

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Photo courtesy:
Matt Stone

The Boston Bruins season is about to begin, with the team and fans alike expecting a deep run to the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins ended last season with a second-round playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even with the elimination, fans were happy and excited for the road ahead with the promise of the young crop of players who seemed to show promise.

Going into this season depending on Bergeron’s health, the Boston Bruins will still have one of the strongest lines with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak together. Bruce Cassidy has matched up Danton Heinen with David Krejci during the preseason to hopefully get two strong lines to begin the season. Donato and DeBrusk are still showing they belong; if they can keep up last season’s pace, there will be a good balance of scoring that could make this Bruins team tough to handle offensively.

Defensively, they are still able to depend on Zdeno Chara. Also with players like Grzelcyk, McAvoy, and Krug, they offensively can add some points from the back end. The depth will help them throughout the season when injuries occur with Moore and Miller most likely the other defensemen who will start the season.

Photo courtesy:
Charles Krupa

Important games this season 

Oct. 3 at Washington

The Boston Bruins open the NHL season versus the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. It is also the night they raise their banner.

Oct. 8 vs. Ottawa

The Bruins will be on home ice for the first time in a matinee game on Columbus Day.

Oct. 27 vs. Montreal

This is the first matchup between the two rivals this upcoming season. This is the Red Sox versus Yankees version of the NHL.

Nov. 10 vs. Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired John Tavares and this is the first time the Boston fans see him as a division rival.

Nov. 29 vs. Islanders

Rick Middleton becomes the 12th Boston Bruins player to have his number raised to the rafters on this night.

Jan. 1 at Chicago (Winter Classic – Notre Dame Stadium)

Original Six franchises meet in this year’s 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, the Bruins face the Chicago Blackhawks. This will be the third time the Bruins take part in the outdoor game.

Apr. 6 vs. Tampa Bay 

The B’s last game of the season is versus the Lightning, Tampa knocked them out of the playoffs. This game could also have implications in the standings.

  • Longest road stretch: 5 games – Feb 15 to 23, against the Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Golden Knights and Blues.
  • Longest Homestand: 6 games – Feb 26 to Mar 9, against Sharks, Lightning, Devils, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Senators.
  • The All-Star Break is Jan. 25-28, with the game being played on Jan. 27 at SAP Center in San Jose.
  • The Bruins play four matinee games at home this season.

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The Under Appreciation of Tuukka Rask- By the Numbers

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It’s no secret that fans of Boston sports have become spoiled over the years. Our four teams have collectively won ten championships since 2001 and Boston is the winningest sports city of the 21st century. It’s a great label to have, but these consistent banners have led to fans expecting nearly unattainable results. High expectations are nothing new in Boston, but Tuukka Rask shouldn’t be under any scrutiny.

A DEPENDABLE ASSET

Rask has a .922 career save percentage to go with a 2.26 goals-against average. Anybody would admit that these are solid numbers, but most don’t realize just how impressive they really are. According to www.quanthockey.com, Rask leads all active NHL goalies in both categories. He beats out Lundqvist, Schneider, Quick and all the other superstar goalies in the NHL. Fans might want to consider this before begging for someone else.

He’s also yet to have his first statistically “bad” NHL season. The league average for save percentage typically hovers around .915, which is the lowest Rask has ever gone in a single season. This essentially means that even in his worst season, he was still average in comparison to the other goalies around the league.

His goals-against average is just as impressive.  The league average spiked 7% this season but it usually hovers around 2.6. Rask’s career low is 2.67, and this speaks volumes to his consistency.  Even in an off year, he’ll still allow less than three goals per game.  That’s the kind of dependability teams need to be successful.

His play in the postseason, believe it or not, is even better.  He has a career goals-against average of 2.25 and a .924 save percentage, both of which top his career regular season stats.  Goalies are under an even bigger microscope in the playoffs, but this is a guy you can win a cup with.

A FLAWED PERCEPTION

The reality is that Bruins fans have been spoiled by both Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask.  Even the backups have been reliable.  It’s been so steady between the pipes that some fans have forgotten what bad goaltending is actually like.

Rask has been a victim of high expectations, and the Bruins are incredibly lucky to have him signed through 2021.

Bruins or Lightning- Who Owns the Atlantic?

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The Tampa Bay Lightning took the league by storm in the first half of the season, but the Bruins have clawed their way to just four points back of the Atlantic Division lead. Just as it’s been all season, it looks like the Bruins and Lightning will finish with the top two seeds. Who comes in first is still up for grabs. They’re both powerhouse teams and the numbers leave plenty of room for debate over who’s more dominant.

Bruins’ Stats

Both teams share a similar goal differential, with the Lightning at +58 and the Bruins at +56. But the numbers adding up to these are drastically different. As usual, the Bruins have been a solid defensive team, allowing just 177 goals. This is the second lowest in the league behind only Nashville, who has given up 172. Defense has been a consistent strength for the B’s over the last several years and this time the scoring is right on par. They’re currently sitting at sixth in the league in goals for.

It looks like the Bruins are about to finish in the top 10 of the two most important categories. Their special teams have been solid as well, also cracking the top ten in both power play and penalty kill. They’ve converted on 22.3% of power play opportunities, while posting the third best penalty kill in the league at 82%. This is huge considering how chippy playoff games can be, and surely adds to the team’s confidence.

Tampa Bay by the Numbers

Although that all sounds promising, the Lightning are still the top offensive team in the league. They’ve been responsible for 254 circulating red lights this season, mainly thanks to Kucherov, Stamkos, Gourde and Point. These four players alone account for 44% of the teams scoring. Their power play ranks second in the league at 24%, but their penalty kill is among the worst in the league. They’ve only managed to kill off 76.8% of penalties this season, the second lowest out of any playoff-bound team.

Tampa is less of a force on the defensive side but still can’t be overlooked. Victor Hedman is having another unbelievable year with 52 points and a +26 rating, while Mikhail Sergachev has enjoyed a stellar rookie season. The recent acquisition of Ryan McDonagh is huge, too. He’s a great two-way defenseman and eats up 23 minutes a night. Vasilevski got off to a hot start but he’s had his recent struggles. He currently has .922 save percentage to go with a GAA of 2.53. These are solid numbers, but neither stat cracks the league’s top 10. He’s good, but beatable. The real challenge is dealing with Tampa’s star players up front.

Bruins vs. Lightning

These two teams lead the Atlantic, but you can make a case that either one of them is the best team in the entire league.  The main take away from their stats is that Tampa relies more on the offense while the bruins are more balanced. This makes the Lightning extremely susceptible to hitting a wall in the playoffs and puts a lot of pressure on Stamkos and Kucherov.  They’ve been great all year, but slumps are inevitable.  With a mediocre defense, these guys need to stay on top of their game. The Bruins’ versatility allows for a bit more breathing room.  Whether it’s Marchand putting up four points, Tuukka pitching a shutout, or the penalty kill going 7/7, the B’s always seem to find a way to win.  They can beat any team, on any night, in any way.

Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand, top, celebrates after his goal off Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Who the better team is remains up for debate. They’re currently at second and third in the league-wide standings, with Tampa at 102 points and the Bruins with 99. Time will tell if the Bruins can catch them in the standings, but they won the season series.  They’ll play them once more in Tampa on April 3rd, but the B’s won the first two meetings by scores of 3-2 and 3-0.  With all things considered, I might have to give the edge to the Bruins.  It’s almost too close to call, but Tampa’s 76.8% penalty kill draws a huge red flag.  They might have the edge in scoring, but that’s atrocious.

The Bruins have also remained steady since December while the Lightning got off to a hot start and cooled down from there.  They won 16 of their first 20 games, but the Bruins have been more consistent down the stretch.  I didn’t think I’d say this in October, but the Bruins very well may be the best team in the Atlantic.

 

Cover image courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times.

Brian Gionta Could Have What It Takes

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Up to this point in the season the Bruins have been just as good as any team in the league. They might not have the star power that we see on teams like Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. However, as a unit the B’s have been dominant. Since December 1st, they’ve put up a record of 28-8-4, which has propelled them into a comfortable second place spot in the Atlantic. But the NHL trade deadline is all about GM’s evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their team and making moves accordingly. As strong as the team looked heading down the stretch, Sweeney still saw one flaw that the Bruins have. That’s where Brian Gionta comes in.

In Comes Gionta

A good portion of the Bruins success has been thanks to their youth. Prior to the deadline, they were the 12th youngest team in the NHL with an average age of under 27. This is great for the future of the whole organization, but raised some questions about how they’d handle playoff hockey. With Gionta being unsigned and expressing interest in making a return to the NHL, the opportunity was too good to pass up. He’s played in over 1,000 regular season games to go with another 112 in the playoffs. That’s about a season and a half worth of playoff hockey.

Having hoisted the Stanley Cup with New Jersey back in 2003, Gionta is no stranger to big games. Even before turning pro, he played in three national championships while playing at Boston College. The first two ended in heart-wrenching losses, but he finally took home the ‘ship while serving as team captain during his senior year. He’s also represented the United States twice in the Olympics, twice in the IIHF world championships, and three times at the World Junior tournament.   All of this in addition to his playoff experience tells us that Gionta knows a thing or two about do-or-die situations.

Gionta Has What It Takes

Gionta has also proven to be a natural leader.   He’s worn the “C” for Boston College, Montreal, Buffalo, and recently for Team U.S.A at the Olympic Games.   Standing at just 5’7 he’s always relied on his strong work ethic to compensate for his lack of size.   Even going back to his days in youth hockey, he could never just be good.  Being his height, he needed to be phenomenal in order to be taken seriously- so that’s what he worked toward.  Through his dedication Gionta developed into a shifty NHL forward and saw plenty of success during his prime.  His best season came back in 2005-06, where he led the Devils with 89 points.

But even with his skill-set Gionta’s work ethic has always been a huge part of his game. He grinds it out in the corners and has a willingness to take a beating out in front of the net. At his height he can take crosschecks from a defenseman, but Gionta manages to stand his ground. This tenacity should fit in well with the Bruins style of play, and it’s been great to see the success that he’s had so far.  Through his first two games, Gionta has put up three assists while playing along-side Danton Heinen and David Backes.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

He really has everything that a team needs heading into the playoffs.   Gionta comes with experience, determination, leadership, and still has some skill left after all these years.  The B’s only have six remaining players from the 2011 cup winning team, so it’s nice to add another guy who’s been there, done that.  Despite being one of the less talked about moves at the deadline, Sweeney might’ve found a hidden gem.