Boston Bruins: Building on the Momentum

Oct 25, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center

(42) controls the puck as Boston Bruins defenseman

(44) puts pressure on him at Air Canada Centre. The Bruins beat the Maple Leafs 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins proved a vital point to their fans and their rivals last night. The Bruins could play a total sixty minute game without the services of their captain (and future Hall of Famer) Zdeno Chara. It required key members of the B’s to stand up, and they did that in a solid 4-1 performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Dennis Seidenberg was one of those players that stood up for the Black and Gold. With Chara’s absence, Seids was the B’s senior defenseman, and he led the blueliners with an impressive 25:59 on-ice time. He was solid in all areas. He was out on the ice for nearly every defensive zone draw, and ended up playing thirty five shifts.  As long as he knee holds up, the Bruins are set.

Dougie Hamilton was the best player on the ice for Boston last game, hands down. His three point game (one goal, two assists) showcased the full skill set of the twenty-one year old. His own goal was a breakaway that reminded Bruins fans of Raymond Bourque or even Bobby Orr. If Dougie continues to play at this level of intensity, he’ll certainly be in the mix for the Norris at the end of the season.

The Bruins know while this first step was a good one, they’ll have to stay on point for this success to continue.

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“I think it’s just focus,” said Hamilton after the Toronto game.”Focus on the d-zone, and our offense comes from good defense so we just have to remember that and not cheat and things like that. We just have to keep focusing on that, focus on our own end first, and go from there.”

Both Seidenberg and Hamilton were a +2 on the night against the Leafs.

With both Chara and Kevan Miller out for the immediate future, every Bruins blueliner had to rise to the challenge.  Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid answered the challenge as well. Both played physical hockey, racking up thirty shifts and at least twenty minutes of ice team apiece. Matt Bartkowski made a mental error early in the game (thankfully Tuukka Rask had that error covered), but he buckled down and played a consistent game through the rest of the night. While his twelve minutes signaled that Coach Claude Julien hadn’t recovered his full confidence in him, it showed that Bartkowski was committed to playing a solid game with less mental errors.

The Bruins will get to test their focus again on Tuesday night when the Minnesota Wild comes to the TD Garden.