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Boston Bruins: Grading the Bruins through five games

By jc

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 13: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins in the net against the New Jersey Devils at the TD Garden on October 13, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 13: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins in the net against the New Jersey Devils at the TD Garden on October 13, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 13: Zdeno Chara #33 and Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins against Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils at the TD Garden on October 13, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Defense: A-

What’s one word to describe the Boston’s defense this year? Consistent.

The Bruins started each game with the same six defensemen. In fact, they’ve used the same six defense pairs.

Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy lead the way on the top pair. Chara’s had an impressive start to the season at age 42. He’s been particularly effective using his long reach to win lose pucks and break up passes.

Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo look comfortable on the second defense pair. Carlo had some tough breaks in the game against Colorado, but he was one of Boston’s most reliable defenders on the road trip.

Boston rounds out its defense with Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton. Grzelcyk looks more and more like a top-4 defenseman every time he plays, and Clifton looks like a keeper.

The Bruins defense mixes veteran leadership with young legs. This group, as long as the top guys stay healthy, can go far.

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