Boston Bruins Three Stars: January

Boston Bruins Three Stars: January

While the month of January was not one of the Boston Bruins best this season, there will always be players who deserve some recognition. With the All Star Break subtracting some of the games played by teams in the NHL, the three stars of this month will be honored not just for their point production but also for everything else they were going through.

Third Star: Zdeno Chara

I, personally, am not bothered when Zdeno Chara doesn’t have an offensive year. The many things that he does successfully on a nightly basis is enough to enter him into the three star conversation of every game. However, when he is able to get some points on the board, he is even more dangerous.

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It is unfortunate that Chara was not able to make the All Star Game this year, but that is more because of the format in which the NHL uses to select players than with the way Chara’s season has gone. The Boston Bruins will be expecting more of the same from their captain for the rest of the season, and it is a comfort to know that he will be able to deliver.

Second Star: Brad Marchand

After missing the Winter Classic, due to a suspension, Brad Marchand came back with the team and did exactly what he was expected to do. No, not be a pest, although he did that too. He scored goals, and lots of them. Brad Marchand has always been more of a shooter than a passer, but this year, he has been putting the puck in the net at an impressive rate and the month January was no exception.

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First Star: Ryan Spooner

While Brad Marchand was a scoring machine, Ryan Spooner was an assist machine. Not only was Spooner able to put points on the board very consistently during this month, but he was able to do it on a variety of lines with a variety of different players, playing a variety of positions. Coach Claude Julien had Spooner spend some time on the wing when David Krejci returned to the Bruins lineup mostly because a player that was scoring at his pace should not be relegated to the third line.

Spooner responded by continuing to produce points playing on both Krejci’s wing and Patrice Bergeron’s wing for a time. Spooner has recently been sent back down to the third line, but it can be argued that this move has more to do with line juggling than Spooner’s play. It is his point productivity in spite of being moved around almost on a nightly basis that makes selecting Ryan Spooner as the first star of January an easy choice.

Next: Problem Areas For The Bruins

As far as honorable mentions as concerned, it seems like David Krejci has been able to get back into the offensive swing of things since returning from injury. Hopefully this continues since he is usually one to compete for a three star award at the end of every month. We are already almost a week into February and the Stanley Cup Playoff race is not getting any easier. The Boston Bruins will need some star performances if they want to remain in the hunt, so it will be interesting to see who the February three stars turn out to be.

To make your selections for this month’s three stars, post in the comment section below. For more access to all things Boston Bruins, follow 29Bruins on Twitter.