The Boston Bruins had an incredibly poor start to the season. The media quickly rained down abuse on Claude Julien and company. Many of the big guys (but not this small fry) had Claude Julien out by Thanksgiving. Most of the media had the Bruins slated for a tanking year. While the media (and quite a few fans) wrote off the B’s, Cam Neely had faith in the judgment calls made by Don Sweeney. Those calls (by and large) have paid off for the B’s and the Bruins are starting to shine.
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In the last thirty days, the Boston Bruins have been a team on a mission. From Tuukka Rask on down, the team has pulled a 180 degree turn from their ugly start. In the last month, the B’s have surged up the Atlantic Division. A month ago, the Bruins were out of playoff contention, and eleven points behind their ancient rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. Now, the B’s have risen to second in the Atlantic, fifth in the East, and are now just three points a Montreal team that has seems to have lost their way, losing six of their last seven games.
The Boston Bruins are the best team on the road in all of the Eastern Conference, going 11-2-2 while away from the TD Garden.
The Boston Bruins most recent exploits have exceeded many of the media’s expectations. Tonight the Bruins put up a six-pack against a Pittsburgh team that has become a remote shadow of its former self. UMass product Frank Vatrano came out firing on all cylinders, earning his first NHL hat trick in the 6-2 Bruins win. This gave the Bruins both games in their home-and-home with the Penguins, outscoring Sidney Crosby and company by a commanding 9-2 margin.
Puck Prose
While the win was impressive, it’s the Bruins recent surge up the rankings that make the team more notable. The B’s have been one of the best teams in the entire NHL this last month. The Bruins have put up points in thirteen out of their last fourteen games (10-1-3).
The Black and Gold have continued their offensive juggernaut this season. They’re second in goals per game so far this season (behind Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars). While the B’s have kept up the firepower, they’ve really locked down on tightening their defense. They’ve been the best team in the league in the last month when it comes to giving up goals. They B’s have held their opponents down to just 1.7 goals a game.
The Bruins have also been outstanding on special teams. The Bruins are still dominating all other teams on the power play (29.2%). They’ve also become the most improved team on the penalty kill. The B’s have kept the other teams from scoring 49 out of 52 times in the last fourteen games. The Bruins have gone over 80 percent on the penalty kill for the first time this season. They’ve climbed out of the very bottom of the league and now they are 17th and climbing while being a man down.
The Bruins have risen like a Black and Gold phoenix and are now on the verge of pulling a worst-to-first in the Atlantic Division.