Boston Bruins: Friday on the farm with Providence

The Providence Bruins started their 2019-2020 season last weekend with a pair of victories.

Providence defeated Lehigh Valley 3-0 in game one of the regular season. Veteran goalie Maxime Legace earned the shutout in his first start with his new club.

In the second game, Providence went home with a 2-1 victory in overtime. Brendan Guance scored the overtime winner for the Baby B’s.

Guance impresses in his team debut

Guance is one of the more intriguing players in the Bruins organization. He signed a two-way deal with Boston this summer after five years in Vancouver’s system.

Vancouver drafted Guance in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The Canucks had high expectations, but Guance struggled to find his game.

He played 117 games in parts of four seasons with Vancouver. Guance only managed six goals and nine assists in these games. Given this stat line, it’s not much of a surprise the Canucks did not qualify Guance this summer.

That said, Guance gets a fresh start with the Bruins organization. For Boston, this is a risk-free move. The Bruins lose nothing if Guance doesn’t pan out. And if he does, Boston has some additional forward depth this season.

Guance benefits too because he gets another chance to show why he was a first round pick eight years ago. Guance has a big frame, and he’s a capable two-way player. He could change his game a bit and earn a bottom-six role at some point.

Guance’s talents were on display last weekend with Providence. He scored in the first game against Lehigh Valley, and he scored the winning goal the next night in Hershey. Guance also had an assist.

If Guance continues to impress, the Bruins may consider him as an important depth piece this season.

Anders Bjork starts the season on the right foot

Providence has a squad filled with young players who have top-six potential in Boston. Anders Bjork is certainly one of these players.

Bjork was one of the last cuts of training camp this season. He certainly did enough to earn a role in Boston, but Bruce Cassidy and Don Sweeney thought best to give him a little more time to develop in Providence.

Bjork took the move in stride and had a strong start to Providence’s season. He scored a goal and had an assist in the opening game against Lehigh Valley.

Bjork also made a few other plays that didn’t show up on the scoresheet. In the second game in Hershey, he turned the puck over at the offensive blue line. Bjork hustled back to break up the ensuing 2 on 1.

Plays like this really stand out. First off, Bjork showcased his elite skating. He has incredible speed and quickness even by NHL standards.

Second, Bjork proved that he can quickly bounce back after a mistake. Young players players will make mistakes; there’s really no getting around it. However, if they respond well, they’ll learn and grow.

Expect Bjork to get the call to Boston sooner rather than later. He still needs to show that he’s totally healthy after injuries the last two seasons, but he obviously has the talent to help the big club.

Legace and Vladar form a strong tandem in net

One thing that makes Boston a contender is depth in goal. Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak share duties, but they both are starters.

Providence also begins the season with a strong tandem in net. Maxime Legace signed with the Bruins this offseason to be that steady veteran presence in Providence.

He looked the part in the opener against Lehigh Valley. He finished with a shutout in his first start of the season. Legace had 28 saves in the game.

Daniel Vladar picked up where Legace left off in the game against Hershey. Vladar stopped 21 of 22 shots in the 2-1 overtime win.

Boston hopes Legace and Vladar don’t factor in to the season this year. That would mean an injury to Rask and Halak. Nonetheless, if something does happen, Boston does have some reliable alternatives.

Keep an eye on Legace and Vladar down in Providence, but don’t forget about Kyle Keyser. Keyser starts the season in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators. He should see a lot of action that can spearhead his development.

Keyser isn’t ready now, but he looks to be Boston’s goalie of the future.