Boston Bruins: October Recap, November Preview

The Boston Bruins had a rocky month of October to start the season that had its fair share of injuries. What happened in the month of October and what is there to look forward to in November?

October Record

4-4-0, 8 points, sixth place in Atlantic Division

Game Results

Game 1, Oct. 13: (W) BOS: 6, CBJ: 3 @ CBJ

Game 2, Oct. 15: (L) TOR: 4, BOS: 1 @ TOR

Game 3, Oct. 17: (W) BOS: 4, WPG: 1 @ WPG

Game 4, Oct. 20: (W) BOS: 2, NJD: 1 @ BOS

Game 5, Oct. 22: (L) MTL: 4, BOS: 2 @ BOS

Game 6, Oct. 25: (L) MIN: 5, BOS: 0 @ BOS

Game 7, Oct. 26: (L) NYR: 5, BOS: 2 @ NYR

Game 8: Oct. 29: (W) BOS: 1, DET: 0 @ DET

October Recap

A rollercoaster of a month for the black and gold to say the least. They exited this rollercoaster with a .500 record, which isn’t awful, but could have been much better. The main reason for the team’s overall struggles was the absence of Tuukka Rask for four games due to general soreness.

Rask dominated in the four games he started and carried the team on his back. In those four games, he ended up with a 4-0 record, a 1.26 GAA, a .958 save percentage and one shutout. After a tough last couple seasons, it’s clear that Tuukka wants to prove he is one of the league’s best netminders again.

The spread of points throughout the team is alarming. Brad Marchand leads with ten points (three goals, seven assists) in eight games, and linemate David Pastrnak sits behind him with eight points (five goals, three assists) in eight games. They both carry a plus-7 rating as well. The player with the third highest points is David Backes, who has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in just five games. A four-point drop off between him and Pastrnak, in three fewer games. Two of the next three guys towards the top are fourth liners, Dominic Moore and Tim Schaller, both with three points. This Boston Bruins team doesn’t look to be as prolific in the scoring department as they were last year, at least for now.

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A big part of the lack of offense is the horrendous play of the third line. The third line consists of Matt Beleskey, Riley Nash and Jimmy Hayes. Through the month of October, the line combined for zero points and a minus-16 rating which is astonishingly bad. None of those guys have track records of being amazing point producers, but their performances have been just awful.

Surprises and Standouts

A couple surprises from my perspective are the poor start of Torey Krug and the great start of Brandon Carlo. I expected Krug to come back with a vengeance after a hefty contract extension in the offseason. I didn’t expect Carlo to be bad, but he has definitely exceeded my expectations. Krug is currently a member of the pointless club along with the third line, Danton Heinen, Adam McQuaid and Joe Morrow. Danton Heinen’s slow start surprised me as well, though. I wasn’t expecting him to be a superstar, but at least contribute on the scoreboard. The expectations are still high for him regardless.

One game that really stood out to me was the game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. This was a game where the B’s got off to a hot start and completely collapsed. Their neutral zone play in the first was excellent and as the NBC crew mentioned numerous times. They were cutting off Rangers’ player’s angles almost immediately as they entered the neutral zone and really limiting their scoring chances. Unfortunately, they completely fell apart after their hot start and lost 5-2. Their team defense has been so inconsistent and thus makes it hard to win, but sadly, that’s not anything new.

Once again, not a terrible month for the Bruins, but a mediocre one at best.

Upcoming November Games

Game 9: Nov. 1: BOS @ FLA [W]

Game 10: Nov. 3: BOS @ TBL [L]

Game 11: Nov. 5: BOS vs. NYR [L]

Game 12: Nov. 7: BOS vs. BUF [W]

Game 13: Nov. 8: BOS @ MTL [L]

Game 14: Nov. 10: BOS vs. CBJ [W]

Game 15: Nov. 12: BOS @ ARZ [W]

Game 16: Nov. 13: BOS @ COL [W]

Game 17: Nov. 17: BOS @ MIN [W]

Game 18: Nov. 19: BOS vs. WPG [L]

Game 19: Nov. 22: BOS vs. STL [OTL]

Game 20: Nov. 24: BOS @ OTT [W]

Game 21: Nov. 25: BOS vs. CGY [W]

Game 22: Nov. 27: BOS vs. TBL [SOL]

Game 23: Nov. 29: BOS @ PHI [L]

November Preview

Some pretty tough games in November, especially to start. The Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers again and the Montreal Canadiens in the first five games. Three of the best teams in the east, and the best team in the East right now, the Montreal Canadiens. A five-game mid-November road trip with some winnable games could help after a what very well could be a tough beginning to November. Some formidable Central Division teams, not including the Arizona Coyotes who are a part of the Pacific Division.

It is unsure whether Kevan Miller will come off of IR during the month of November, whether he can come back and improve this defensive core has yet to been seen as well. Anton Khudobin will be back soon barring a setback in his recovery.

Patrik Laine makes his first trip to Boston on Nov. 19. The 2016 second overall pick was snakebitten in Winnipeg’s 4-1 loss to the Bruins early in the season. After that, we saw an incredible hat trick in the first Matthews vs. Laine showdown, so it’s reasonable to expect he will have a better game against the B’s the second time around. Jimmy Vesey also comes to town for the first time as a New York Ranger, in a game in which he will most likely receive some boos.

Projected record after November (See brackets): 12-9-2

Next: Boston Bruins: Zdeno Chara Gets Belated Justice

I see an average month of November ahead, but one that they come out of with a record above .500. Getting seven points out of ten from the five-game road trip wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. With a healthy Tuukka Rask, better defense and more scoring, things should be much better for the Boston Bruins.

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