Best (or least-bad) of Causeway for Weeks 2 + 3

Weeks 2 + 3: January 18th-January 31st

For a few reasons, I decided to combine Week 2 and Week 3 of the Best of Causeway.  First, the Bruins have played so awful the past two weeks that a condensed version of Bruins “stars” is more than enough.  Secondly, I figured that we can start off fresh for February.

In yet another difficult week to choose (and not  for a good reason), I finally decided on three guys.  In a week where the Bruins went 0-5-1, only gathering a single point out of 12 possible points, it basically came down to a matter of deciding who sucked the least rather than who performed the best.  After all, they were outscored 20-8 over the six games.  Nevertheless, without further ado, the Best (least awful) of Causeway for Weeks 2 + 3:

0-5-1 (1 point)

–January 18th- vs. Ottawa Senators (L, 5-1)

–January 21st- vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (L, 3-2)

–January 23rd- vs. Ottawa Senators (L, 2-1)

–January 24th- @ Carolina Hurricanes (L, 1-5)

–January 29th- @ Buffalo Sabres (L, 1-2)

–January 30th- vs. LA Kings (O, 2-3)

First Star– Daniel Paille (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, minus-1, 10 shots)

• Paille has played excellent throughout the entire season and will hopefully receive an extension from the Bruins in the offseason.  He has led the way for the third-ranked penalty kill in the NHL, essentially taking over the role vacated by P.J. Axelsson.  In addition, he provided some offense for the Bruins these past two weeks, scoring 2 goals and dishing out an assist.  He also had 10 shots.  The fact that he was able to finish the dismal two weeks with a minus-1, while playing so many minutes on the penalty kill is astonishing.  It is solid for any week, but especially these past two weeks given the Bruins’ woes.

Second Star– Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 15 shots)

• As I mentioned before, this week yet again comes down to determining who is NOT to blame for the Bruins struggles, rather than finding true “stars.”  Bergeron once again performed at a high level in comparison to the rest of the Bruins, which is truly a microcosm of the season as a whole.  Though he did only finish with 2 points in the 6 games, he was one of the Bruins’ better players.  His 15 shots led the way.  Hopefully more will start to find the back of the net in the near future.

Third Star– Derek Morris (minus-1, 1 assist)

• Like Miroslav Satan got a boost in the first week of the Best of Causeway because he was a new guy, Morris gets a boost for his overall performance this season.  His 18 assists and 21 points is pretty solid, but like Paille, he has played great on the penalty kill.  Also, Morris has been able to stay healthy (knock on wood), which has been problematic for so many Bruins this season.