Jan 29, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; Boston Bruins right wing Reilly Smith (18) scores a goal against New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) in front of New York Islanders center Anders Lee (27) during the first period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Productive Forwards
After a slow start, the Bruins forwards are starting to come into their game. Losing a top right winger this past offseason caused the B’s to have a difficult time finding lines that worked. To make matters worse top centerman, David Krejci, spent most of the first half of the season with a lower body injury. This led to sloppy play, little production and a losing record.
“We just got back to simple hockey. When our team’s playing simple, we have a chance at success.” Torey Krug on their recent boost in play
Patrice Bergeron – arguably the best forward on the team – had a rough start to his season as well. He had struggled with landing the puck in the net and racked up a lot of penalty minutes, which is highly out of character for him. Once David Krejci came back into the line-up, things really started to turn around for the Bruins. Even though he personally wasn’t producing a high number of points, his presence helped form effective lines and motivated the other forwards to land some goals.
The addition of the young forward, David Pastrnak, has helped boost the production as well. He has brought energy, youth and a passion for the game that is contagious among the other players. In the past five games some of the forwards have really shown their skills and racked up some points. Bergeron and Krejci have each tallied three points, Lucic five and Smith four. The added production should continue to increase their drive and motivate them to progress forward in the standings.
Next: Hockey with Heart