Tag Archives: Patrice Bergeron

What’s Different About the Bruins?

Leave a reply

The Bruins have finished the last three seasons with nearly identical numbers, finishing with 96, 93, and 95 points. We were treated to a brief playoff appearance last season, but they certainly weren’t ready to make the jump into the upper tier of the league. Luckily for B’s fans, this year is different. Currently sitting comfortably with the second spot in the Atlantic and on pace for 113 points, this poses one question: what’s making a difference?

Goaltending

For starters, the Bruins have two goalies who have put up solid numbers. Rask got off to a slow start, posting an October save percentage of just .896. This lead to some early season controversy regarding the starting position, seeing as Khudobin came out of the gate hot. But around early December, Rask’s play transformed into what we’re used to seeing out of him. With Khudobin also continuing his stellar season, the Bruins have consequently climbed the standings going 15-2-4 since December 1st. As of today, Rask has started thirty games to Khudobin’s seventeen, emphasizing the faith that the coaching staff has behind both of them. And seeing as both goalies currently boast a season save percentage north of 92% and a GAA below 2.4, it comes as no surprise to see both of them getting their minutes.

The Young Guys

In addition to the dynamic duo between the pipes, the Bruins have also enjoyed plenty of production from players who can’t even drink yet. Rookie standout Charlie McAvoy is leading the way, even drawing some Calder Trophy attention. It’s unlikely that he’ll bring home the honor being a defenseman, but his 25 points through forty-five games to go with his +18 rating is exactly what the Bruins needed. Playing mostly on the top pair, McAvoy has also been given the credit of rejuvenating the play of Zdeno Chara. The two have worked well together all season, and Chara is proving that he still has something left in the tank. Rookies Danton Heinen (10-21-31), Jake DeBrusk (10-14-24), and Matt Grzelyck (1-5-6, +13) have also risen to the occasion this season. Each are proving that they are both hungry and capable of establishing themselves as NHL players.

Goalscoring

The B’s have also managed to combine their trademark “hard-nosed” style of play with a sufficient amount of skill. Between the years of 2010-2016, they failed to have a single seventy-point player. The team simply lacked that “big name scorer” that every team needs for both the fans and the results. But we can now see that Brad Marchand is ready to wear that label.

His increase in production really began in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey. Even while putting up eight points in just six games during Canada’s gold medal run, Marchand is best remembered for his tournament winning goal with just 43.1 seconds remaining to beat Team Europe. From there he took off and established himself as one of the premier forwards in the NHL. He went on to finish the season with 85 points, good for sixth in the league in scoring. This surpassed his previous season high by 24 points and is the most by any Bruin since Marc Savard in 2009 (88). Carrying his play into this season Marchand has been helped out by line mates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. With 44 points through 45 games for Pastrnak and 39 in 40 for Bergeron, all three players on the Bruins top line are on pace for career high point totals.

Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) celebrates with teammates Patrice Bergeron (37), Brad Marchand (63) and Torey Krug after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Man Behind the Curtain

And lastly- Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins were lucky to have Claude Julien but after ten years it was time for a new voice. Luckily for the B’s, that voice was already in the organization. Having coached in Providence since 2008, Cassidy was already familiar with several players and the Bruins systems. One of these players is Torey Krug, who recalls that “everything was quick, on the go. He doesn’t like to spend time explaining drills or being at the board at practice.  It’s go, go, go”. Krug went on to mention that this becomes a habit and translates into games. With nearly half the season remaining, it will be interesting to see if Cassidy and the Bruins can keep up this unexpected pace. But with the way things are looking right now, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic.

 

Featured image courtesy of www.stanleycupofchowder.com

Bruins Slowly Getting Healthy

Leave a reply

The Bruins are off to an average start this season despite being decimated with injuries. They hold a record of 9-7-4 for a total of 20 points. They’ve been without Bergeron, Krejci, Spooner, Backes, Marchand, McQuaid, Krug, Bjork, and Tuukka Rask at some point this season. Bergeron, Krejci, and Rask have all returned to the lineup full time.

Reinforcements on the Way

With some key players still missing from the lineup it looks like the Bruins are going to get a boost to their lineup very soon. Ryan Spooner, David Backes, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand all practiced Tuesday. Spooner was a full participant in the practice while Backes, Marchand, and Krug all wore non-contact jerseys. With Spooner being a full participant in practice, the Bruins could see Spooner back in the lineup as early as Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. If Spooner isn’t ready to go Wednesday he will get another chance in Friday’s afternoon tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brad Marchand took some light contact during practice but it still appears he wont be ready to go tomorrow. Krug and Bjork are also both out for Wednesday’s game.

Transactions

The Bruins also recalled defenseman Matt Grzelcyk from Providence on Tuesday. So it looks like he man suit up for the Bruins maybe instead of Postma or O’Gara.

Scary When Healthy

I think when the Bruins get all these key players back they will be a force to be reckoned with. The lineup looks pretty deep down the middle and also pretty solid on the wing.

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

Heinen-Krejci-Backes

DeBrusk-Spooner-Bjork

Beleskey-Nash-Accari

As you probably notice these probably wont be the exact forward line we will see when healthy. However I think this third line of DeBrusk, Spooner, and Bjork would be a killer third line and a very fast one as well. You also notice that I have Heinen on the second forward line. Heinen has put up 4 goals and 6 assists for a total of 10 points in 15 games. Heinen is on pace for 55 points this season and has proven that he deserves to be here. I think if he plays alongside some more skilled players like Krejci and Backes, he will score more and become a great player in the NHL.

Chara-McAvoy

Krug-Carlo

Miller-McQuaid

Rask

Khudobin

With the goalie controversy heating up, I think the Bruins need to ride Khudobin until he loses. He hasn’t yet lost a game in regulation. He holds an impressive record of 5-0-2 with a GAA of 2.17 and a SV% of .935. With Rask really struggling so far this season I believe it’s time to let Khudobin play a few more games. By doing this maybe Rask will realize he’s got to be better and will start performing better.

The Road Ahead

The Bruins have a tough schedule ahead facing a red hot New Jersey Devils team, the defending cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Connor McDavid and the Oilers. The Bruins need to continue playing how they have been through all these injuries for the time being.

 

Bruins Inconsistencies Continue vs Capitals

Leave a reply

The Bruins have really struggled to string together a win streak so far this season. They haven’t won consecutive games yet, yet before the game against the Capitals, they actually went six consecutive games without a regulation loss.

Bad Starts are Hurting The Bruins

The Bruins were back in action on saturday evening in Boston, taking on the Washington Capitals. The Capitals haven’t had the greatest start this season, they are 7-5-1. Both teams have been inconsistent to start the season, both winning a game then losing a game. The B’s have been falling behind early in many of their games, and it happened again saturday against the Caps. They gave up the first goal about 7 minutes into the contest, coming off the stick of Tom Wilson. This goal was pretty weak, and Rask should have stopped it. The Capitals struck again in the period, with a one-timer goal, from none other than Alex Ovechkin.

However, Boston stepped up their play in the second period. They dominated most of the second period and it paid off. David Pastrnak scored the first goal of the game off a sick saucer pass from Patrice Bergeron. The Capitals held off the Bruins for the rest of the second period, and added another goal late in the period. This time from Tom Wilson, with a nifty tip on Brooks Orpik’s shot from the point.

Powerplays

Boston started off the third period strong. Brooks Orpik got a 4 minute double minor for high sticking Bruins forward David Pastrnak. This should have been enough for the Bruins to get back into the game, but it wasn’t. They were unable to capitalize on the powerplay. Boston was given another powerplay not long after, and again failed to score on that one also. The B’s started pouring on the pressure late in the third period. They received another powerplay with just over 3 minutes to play. Pastrnak potted his second of the game on the pp, and got the Bruins to within one with 2:30 remaining in the game.

Pastrnak, and the team, pushed hard in the final 2 minutes, but weren’t able to tie the game. The Caps reigning Vezina goaltender played outstanding, and came up huge for the Capitals in the final minute. The Bruins losing streak against the Capitals extended to 10 games after this loss. The last time the Bruins defeated the Capitals was in March, 2014.

Comments

“We had a bad start and you can’t have that especially against a team like Washington. They made us pay. Tough to play catch-up hockey.”  -Bruins Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron, regarding their touch start. Bergeron played a good game and had a beautiful assist, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to score any points.

Positives

Some good things to take away from the game: Tuukka Rask stopped all 3 breakaways he faced in the game. This included one on Ovechkin, then Tom Wilson, taking away his opportunity for the hat trick, and Lars Eller on his shorthanded breakaway. The Bruins continue to not give up when they are behind. They came all the way back from 3-0 last Monday against the Blue Jackets. They nearly completed another comeback against the Capitals in this game.

The Bruins are back in action on Monday at the TD Garden in Boston. They host the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully, Boston can get Krejci back soon to give a boost to their lineup.

 

 

 

Time For Bruins To Move On From Matt Beleskey?

Leave a reply

The Bruins have a record of 5-3-3, just 11 games into the season. The team, decimated with injuries, is in need of some secondary scoring. One forward who has struggled ever since arriving in Beantown, is Matt Beleskey.

Beleskey Stats

Matt Beleskey was a good player for the Anaheim Ducks, but hasn’t carried that with him to Boston. Beleskey played for the Ducks for seven seasons. In one of those seasons, he only played two games. During his time with the Ducks, he posted 57 goals and 55 assists, for a total of 112 points in 329 games. Not too bad if you ask me. In Beleskey’s first season with the Bruins, he had a good year. He posted 15 goals, and 22 assists for 37 points in 80 games.

Since that season, it has been downhill for Beleskey. Last season, Beleskey only scored 3 goals, and 5 assists, for a total of 8 points in 49 games. This year, Beleskey has only played in 7 of the Bruins 11 games, and has failed to register a point.

Time to let him go?

Is it time for the Bruins to give up on Matt Beleskey? My answer is YES. I think the Bruins have plenty of young guys that deserve a shot with the big club. Beleskey has been given multiple opportunities to prove himself, and he can’t seem to do anything offensively. The Bruins have many wingers down in Providence that deserve a chance at Beleskey’s roster spot. Some of the young left wingers, who I think could take over his spot, are Jesse Gabrielle, Kenny Agostino, and Peter Cehlarik. These players are all left wingers like Beleskey, and I believe they have the potential to be better.

Bad Trades

Some bad trades have happened over the years, and are hard to wrap your head around. One trade was Reilly Smith for Jimmy Hayes. A few years ago, the Bruins traded right winger Smith to the Florida Panthers, in return for Jimmy Hayes. At first the trade looked pretty impressive. That year in Florida, Hayes had 19 goals and 16 assist for 35 points. In Boston that year, Smith had 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points. The Bruins also got rid of Marc Savard’s big contract in the trade.

It looked good at first. Like Beleskey, Hayes had a decent first year with the Bruins, scoring 13 goals and 16 helpers, for a total of 29 points through 75 games. But, like Beleskey, the year after went horribly for Hayes. He only suited up in 58 games, and scored only 2 goals and 3 assists, for a grand total of 5 points. Hayes has 4 points in 10 games, 3 goals and 1 assist, this year for the New Jersey Devils. He should easily top last years totals being that the NHL season is just beginning. I’d rather have Smith over Hayes today in a heartbeat.

More bad Trades

Another trade that has Bruins fans shaking their heads, is Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders, for two second round picks and a conditional third rounder. Even though Boychuk is out of his prime now, the Bruins could have used him these past few years. Their defensive play has been shaky. Another horrible trade was  Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and Ryan Button to the Dallas Stars, for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow. The Bruins have absolutely nothing to show for this trade today, all the players are gone.

 

The Bruins need to stick by their prospects

Boston needs to stick with their core players, and stop making bad signings and bad trades. They have youngsters Charlie MvAvoy, Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo, and David Pastrnak, who are going to be the Bruins future. With some of their core guys like Bergeron, Backes, Krejci, and Chara getting up in age, the Bruins need to keep their young players, rather than trading them off for players that are good now. The young players will develop, and win when they are ready. The management has to be patient. This team is going to be very good very soon, and will win again soon. Get ready Bruins fans! Some playoff runs are on the way!

 

Bruins Fall 4-3 in Shootout After 3 Goal Comeback

Leave a reply

The Bruins fell to one of the Eastern Conferences top teams Monday night, The Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bruins Down Early

The Bruins fell behind early in the game, giving up the first goal only two minutes into the game. They gave up another goal in the final few minutes of the first period, and another in the second period. Bruins Captain, Zdeno Chara, gave the team a much needed boost by stepping up and dropping the mitts with Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. As soon as Chara dropped the gloves, the Bruins completely changed their play. They played excellent in the second half of the second period, and excellent in the third. With this play, they stormed back with goals from Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand.  David Pastrnak added helpers on each of the goals.

TUUKKA?

Bruins Veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask has struggled so far this season–posting a .896 SV% and a 2.93 GAA through six games. Rask has only one win thus far, and it was nearly a month ago against the Nashville Predators. Rask had a rough start to the game in Columbus by giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, that he should’ve stopped. He gave up another that was tucked in beside him on the post, which he should have been covering. After the third goal Rask allowed, which was a breakaway, Tuukka played excellent in the second, third, and in overtime. In my opinion, Rask has never been the greatest in shootouts, so I’m not surprised with his performance.

Comments

“I don’t think we’re a team that’s going to win too many games if we don’t have all 20 guys going, and I don’t think that was the case pretty early on.”  -Head Coach Bruce Cassidy

”We didn’t show up, they were taking it to us, they were hitting us. We weren’t responding, Every second of that first period bothered me.”  -Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron

”Z did an awesome job stepping up out there and our game started turning around there. Mills sticking up for Krug was awesome. We need that we need to show that we’re a team and a family in here. And we are, and that carries onto the ice and the guys did a great job standing up for one another.”  -Brad Marchand

“You never wanna see another guy get hit like that. Guys taking liberty out there so I kinda just reacted to be honest.”  -Kevin Miller

Next

The Bruins will be in action again on Thursday night, back in Beantown, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Forward Kenny Agostino, and Goaltender Zane McIntyre, were sent back down to Providence on Thursday. It looks like some guys may be getting healthy, and looking to make a return soon.

 

From Bad to Worse for the Bruins

Leave a reply

With the Bruins only five game into this young season, they have posted a 2-3-0 record. The Bruins have been good in their two wins this season, but horrendous in the three losses they have suffered.

The team has been without assistant captains Patrice Bergeron and David Backes to start the season, but both have resumed skating this week and look to be close to a return. Bergeron has been out with a lower body injury, and Backes with Diverticulitis. It’s a good sign seeing these two skating and looking to soon make a return.

The injuries just keep coming

When things were just starting to look better, the Bruins were hit with more injuries. Third line center-man, Ryan Spooner, was injured in Sunday’s loss against Vegas. Spooner is going to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks with a groin tear. He had previously been playing through the issue, which tore in Sunday’s game. Spooner wasn’t the only player to be injured in that game. D-man Adam McQuaid, was injured after taking a slap shot off the side of his knee from Colin Miller. McQuaid was able to participate in Wednesday’s practice, and hasn’t been ruled out for tonight game against the Canucks.

Rask leaves practice

Bruins starting goalie Tuukka Rask has had a shaky start to the season. Rask currently holds a record of 1-3-0, has a SV% of .882 and a GAA of 3.30. Rask left Wednesday’s practice after rookie, Anders Bjork, ran into him during a drill. “It was a fast play. I don’t even know what happened” said Bjork. The Bruins haven’t given an update on Rask, but the Bruins have called up young goaltender, Zane McIntyre. It looks like Rask may miss some time. Hopefully Rask isn’t out too long, the Bruins need him to be successful in the lineup in order for them to win games.

Backes could return Thursday

According to Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, David Backes is closer to returning tonight than Bergeron. Having Backes back would be a tremendous boost to the Bruins young forward group. Backes adds size, power and a veteran presence. If able to play tonight against the Canucks, he could potentially play between Marchand and Bjork on the top line. This would allow Bruins center-man, Riley Nash, to move down in the lineup where he is more effective.

Bruins need wins now

With the Bruins currently 2-3-0, they are tied for fifth in the Atlantic division, with the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabers. The Bruins have two games in hand, but are seven points behind the division leaders, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins need to start catching up now rather than later. The Atlantic Division is very good this season, with the Leafs, Lightning and Red Wings all playing excellent hockey. If the Bruins want to compete with the other teams in the division, they better start now.

 

Bruins Exit Weekend With Two of Four Points

Leave a reply

The Bruins looked solid on Saturday night in the desert with a 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes. The same can’t be said for the Bruins on Sunday as the Boston fell to the Golden Knights 3-1. The Bruins are off until Thursday when they take the ice in Boston to host the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday in Arizona

The Bruins really impressed on Saturday night skating to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Rookie Anders Bjork recorded his first career NHL goal.  Jake DeBrusk scored his second of the season and added an assist in the game. Some more noticeable Bruins on Saturday included Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Tim Schaller, and Danton Heinen.  The most outstanding Bruin on the night was captain Zdeno Chara.  Registering his first goal of the season in the second period, Chara added two helpers. Marchand scored a nifty backhand goal off a slick pass from David Pastrnak., who also added an assist in the game. Tim Schaller scored for the second straight game for the Bruins. Recent call up Danton Heinen got credit for two assists.

Dobby impresses

Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin got the start on Saturday night and played well enough to earn his first win of the season. Khudobin stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced against the struggling Coyotes. The Bruins needed Khudobin to step up for them with starter Tuukka Rask struggling, and he certainly did. With the Bruins wanting to rest Rask longer more this season, Khudobin will have to win some games.  He has proven he is the man for the job after watching him this preseason, and in this game.

”The ‘W’ is always great. No matter what the score, whether it’s 8-6 or 9-7. If you win then you win. Nobody talks about losers. Everybody talks about winners, right?” said Khudobin. “If you win, then you’re on the horse, and if you don’t then you’re under it. It’s great to get one at the start of the season, and so now hopefully it’s not going to roll like it did last year.”

Sunday in Vegas

The Bruins had a disappointing game on Sunday as they fell to the leagues newest team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Bruins managed to get only 23 shots on their old teammate Malcolm Subban. If the Bruins want to win games they will need to generate more shots on net. They must stop being so fancy all the time and just keep it simple to get those greasy goals. If the Bruins focus more on this, they will score more goals and win more hockey games. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played fairly well in the game by stopping 23 of 25 shots that he faced.

The Bruins lone goal scorer on Sunday was David Pastrnak, who banked the puck off the Vegas defender in the final minute of the game. Brad Marchand who continues to put up points assisted Pastrnak’s goal. Rookie Charlie McAvoy also got an assist on the goal as well which now gives him assists in the last two games.

Injuries

The Bruins lost Ryan Spooner and Adam Mcquaid on Sunday due to injuries. I am unsure what happened to Spooner, but he is out with a lower body injury. Mcquaid, took a slap shot from ex-eammate Colin Miller off the side of his leg which didn’t look pretty.

Whats next?

The Bruins get four days off before their next match up at home against the Vancouver Canucks. If the Bruins want to make it to the postseason again this year, they have to improve — fast. They won’t make the playoffs as a 500 team. They need to put up points and do it now.  Boston may get a boost to their lineup on Thursday with Patrice Bergeron close to returning. I really hope Bergy gets back on the ice soon as a very important player on this team.

Bergeron Plans to Return This Weekend

Leave a reply

The season hasn’t exactly started the way Patrice Bergeron would have liked. Like last year, Bergy starts the season with a lower body injury.

Bergeron Skating

Some speculate that the injury could be a flare-up of the sports hernia from last season.  But Bergeron told media that the injury wasn’t related to the Sports Hernia. This gave Bruins fans some relief to know that it doesn’t appear too serious. Some positive signs — Bergeron skated Wednesday according to Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s out there testing it again, there’s not a lot of newness to report on it. Obviously we’ll see how he reacts.” said Cassidy. “If it goes well, he’ll go out again tomorrow and continue on that path until he’s ready to go.”

For the Bruins to be successful this season, they will need Bergeron to return sooner rather than later. Bergy remains of the most important players on the Bruins roster. He does it all for the Bruins, winning face offs, playing the pk, and plays the pp. The guy just does it all, and the Bruins need him to get healthy to help give the Bruins a good opportunity for this years playoffs.

Due to the sports hernia, Bergeron couldn’t play to the best of his ability last season. Once the Bruins assistant captain returns, you can be he will aim for a bounce- back year. Even though Bergeron didn’t have his best year offensively last season, he did still win the Selke trophy for the fourth time in his 14-year career. By winning the award last year while contending with his injury, you can just imagine what he would have done had he been healthy.

Youngsters getting a shot

With Bergeron, Backes, and also Noel Accari out with injuries, some roster spots up for grabs. A couple of the young Bruins with a shot in the big club include rookies Anders Bjork, and Jake DeBrusk. Both of these youngsters have already contributed on the score board. In game one of the season, DeBrusk scored his first NHL goal/point and added an assist. Bjork recorded his first NHL point  recording an assist on DeBrusk’s goal. These two Bruins look to continue to impress and secure their roster spots for the season.

Lines

When Bergeron, Backes, and Accari do return from injury the lines could look like:

Marchand-Bergeron-Bjork

DeBrusk-Krejci-Pastrnak

Beleskey-Spooner-Backes

Vatrano-Nash-Accari

With Krug back from injury, the Bruins defensive pairings look solid, and will probably stay the same as now unless anymore injuries occur. Fans should be excited for this season.  The Bruins offense is greatly improved by bringing in two young guns, DeBrusk and Bjork. Even though they are both young they already appear capable of making a huge impact this season. I could even see the Bruins playing Bjork and DeBrusk with David Krejci like we saw in the Bruins first game of the season. By doing this, the Bruins would be reuniting the lethal line from last season which included Brad Marcchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak.

Get ready Bruins fans. It’s going to be a great year!

 

 

 

Bruins Fall to Avalanche Again Wednesday

Leave a reply

Bruins fail to bounce back

The Bruins fell once again to the Avalanche on Wednesday night in Colorado. If the Bruins want to win hockey games, it will take a much better effort. They need to play the same way they did against the Predators last Thursday.

Tuukka Rask was pulled from the game after giving up four goals on 26 shots in the first two periods. Rask has allowed 10 goals through the first three games played so far this season. Bruins backup goaltender Anton Khudobin was between the pipes to start the third period.  Khudobin came into the game when the score was 4-1, stopping all nine shots he faced in the third period. Khudobin looks to start this season the way he ended last season.

However, there are a few good things to take away from the game, The Bruins did have a strong third period by almost completing the comeback. The Bruins scored two goals in the third. Fourth-line winger Tim Schaller scored 11 minutes and 30 seconds into the period. Only a few moments later, Torey Krug scored for the Bruins to make it 4-3. There was plenty of time for Boston to score again and tie the game up. Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to complete the comeback. The Avs went on to win the game 6-3 after scoring two empty net goals in the final minutes.

Bruins rookies struggle for second straight game

Bruins’ rookies Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, and Anders Bjork were all held off the score sheet for the second straight game. Both DeBrusk and Bjork are a -5 in the last two games. McAvoy is -3 over the last two games. The Bruins rely heavily on these three rookies in the absence of Patrice Bergeron and David Backes. With Bergy an Backes out, the younger guys on the team have to step up and help carry the Bruins until they are fully healthy. With Bergeron looking to return sometime this weekend, one young forward will have to be replaced. At this point I think it’s safe to say that Bjork and DeBrusk’s roster spots are secured for now. So the Bruins will likely send a player from their third or fourth lines down to Providence.

Good signs

Other positive signs in the game included Brad Marchand beginning to look more and more like he did last season. Marchand scored the Bruins’ first goal of the game with a sick shot that beat Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov’s blocker side. Torey Krug also cashed in for the Bruins by scoring his first goal of the season. Krug’s goal came just one game after his return from the broken jaw that he suffered in the preseason.

Bruins need points this weekend

The Bruins will get their next shot in Arizona on Saturday night when they are in town to take on the Arizona Coyotes. Boston will be in action again on Sunday, taking on the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the first time

. The Bruins need these points now if they want to be in the postseason again this spring.

 

 

Bruins Notes: Bergeron and Edelman; Tuukka Rask

Leave a reply

The Bruins miss Patrice Bergeron like the Patriots miss Julian Edelman. They’re grasping at straws without Patrice Bergeron, their number-one center, not unlike the Patriots trying to replace Edelman’s production. For the Patriots, the result is a 3-2 start and an offense yet to really find their rhythm. For the Bruins and their 1-2 start, you’re witnessing the importance of  Bergeron to this Bruins team.

Back to the Bergeron. First it was Ryan Spooner centering the top line.  That didn’t work, and now the Bruins need to figure what to do with Spooner. He’s simply not progressing and you can’t keep a center on the team that only plays PP minutes. Last night it was Riley Nash, a career fourth-liner, and as predicted, not a good fit. Enter the real issue –  Bergeron’s natural replacemen, David Backes, is also on the shelf, David. Backes is a natural center forced to play wing for a team supposedly strong up the middle. Without Bergeron’s leadership, some of the younger guys will continue to struggle. If he is out a longer, look for the Bruins to recall JFK to the lineup.

Tuukka Rask

If you’re a Tuukka Rask hater, the season has started swimmingly for you.  Before you jump all over me, I get it.  The team hasn’t looked good, but that does not absolve Rask of his share of the blame. The puck he poorly played in Monday’s game is inexcusable. The player was not bearing down on him.  A terrible decision, making the game 3-0 and all but thwarted any chance of a Bruins comeback.  Soft goals continue to plague him, as they did in last year’s playoff series versus Ottawa. The season is young and maybe he just needs more time to find his game, but so far this season he is providing more fuel for his detractors.

Better Days Ahead

That’s the bad news. The good news? We’re three games into the season in which the entire league seems upside down. Vegas is 3-0, the Pens lost 10-1 and the Oilers, everyone’s pre-season Stanley Cup pick, is off to a slow start at 1-2. Bruins fans have zero patience — a staple of this fan base. But we’re going to have to dig deep and exercise some.  This team will right the ship.