Nov 25, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) celebrates his game winning goal with teammate left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the overtime period of their 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins had a very up and down past week. They were able to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, but were completely obliterated by a hurt Detroit Red Wings squad. The Bruins finished out the week with wins against the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets. In all a 3-1 record isn’t bad for the team that currently leads everyone in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Let’s write that disaster with the Wings off as a fluke, and say the Bruins are finally starting to play to their strengths. Here are our picks for the Boston Bruins three stars of the week.
Third Star: Milan Lucic. Looch the Gooch has been playing consistently well this season, and last week was no exception. He banged in two goals against Columbus(and earned his first fighting major of the year.) While he attributes them to ‘puck luck’, his ability to play hard in the offensive zone just made those shots easier to make. He finished out the week with three points, and had a -1 for the week(fallout from the Red Wings game). He had eight shots on goal, and he is currently the Bruins best sniper putting in 22.8% of his shots in the crease.
Second Star: Loui Eriksson. Eriksson has been finding consistency and chemistry as part of the Bergeron line, and it’s paying handsome dividends for Boston. (It’s also filling social media with people who feel the need for Swede.) He had an outstanding three point game against the Penguins (one goal, two assists). He is currently sixth in scoring, and is looking to move up the roster in overall scoring. He finished the week out with four points, and a +2. He also had eight shots on goal, and it’s safe to say the Bruins second line is now looking to pitch in and help bring more scoring to the Black and Gold.
First Star: Brad Marchand. I think Marchand needs to get an award for the most improved player in the month of November. It looks like Marchand finally got the monkey off his back, and he seems to be firing on all cylinders. He earned assists against Columbus and Pittsburgh, and had his first multi point game of the year against the New York Rangers. Sure, he’s still making the occasional poorly timed penalty. If he continues to produce like this, I think we’ll live with it. Marchand finished the week with four points as well. (He earned a goal and an assist against the Rangers.) Marchand somehow avoided the disastrous hit to his plus/minus with the Detroit game and added a +4 to his total. He’s getting out of the doghouse, and it looks like Claude Julien had a feeling by keeping him on the second line.
What are your thoughts on our picks? Do you agree? Do you think we need serious psychotherapy or medication? Let us know on Facebook at Causeway Crowd, or send us a yell at @Causeway_Crowd on Twitter.