Boston Bruins: Getting To Be Consistently Consistent
The Boston Bruins once again were able to play a strong sixty minute game tonight at the TD Garden. The Bruins were able to play to most of their strengths, and thanks to some outstanding goaltending, the Bruins sent Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins back to dressing room without putting up a goal.
The Bruins are finally playing consistently consistent hockey. The penalty kill has improved by leaps and bounds, the defense is constantly improving, and most thankfully Tuukka Rask has finally found his Vezina level game for the Black and Gold.
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While the Bruins played well tonight, they were made even better by their Finnish wall, goaltender Tuukka Rask. The 34 save win gives Rask his fourth shutout of the season, and the 30th of his career. Rask, who easily earned the First Star of the Game honors is now tied for first in the shutout department. Rask continues to salvage his career, bringing his save percentage up to .917. His goals against average has dipped below 2.5, and Rask is shaping up to be the most improved goaltender in all of the NHL.
While Rask’s overall performance was outstanding, there were a few other notable moments that happened tonight.
Maxime Talbot, the 31-year old veteran who has spent the entire season bouncing between Boston and Providence put up his first goal as a member of the Bruins tonight. That he scored it against the team he played six seasons (and won the Stanley Cup with) had to have been particularly satisfying. Talbot has played in eleven games for Boston this season, and played a solid 13:34 on the ice tonight. He was awarded Third Star of the Game for his performance.
Patrice Bergeron‘s assist on Ryan Spooner‘s empty net goal helps the Bruins alternate captain be the first member of the Black and Gold to hit the thirty point threshold this season.
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Tonight’s win gives the B’s points in twelve out of their last thirteen games. The Bruins have catapulted up to second in the Atlantic Division. They’re now just five points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot. The B’s have once again climbed back up to fifth in the Eastern Conference. The B’s have two games in hand over all the teams above them, save the Washington Capitals.
Tonight’s win finally gets the Boston Bruins to the .500 (7-7-2)mark at home for the first time this season.
The Boston Bruins have found an awful lot of success against their conference counterparts. So far, the Black and Gold 12-4-1 in the Eastern Conference. That’s 25 out of 38 points earned so far this season.
The Bruins penalty kill has finally come back from the dead. In the last thirteen games, the B’s have been 44-for-47 while being down a man. The B’s, who were dead last just three weeks ago on the penalty kill, have now climbed up to twentieth overall and continue to make positive strides, going three for three against Pittsburgh tonight.
The Bruins struggled hard early on this season, but have continued to improve. Their young defensemen have been learning on the job, and they keep rising to meet the challenges of playing NHL level hockey. The B’s have been the most dominant team on the power play, and have cleaned up the rest of the special teams. It’s great to see them finally play to their potential and be a playoff contender again.