Boston Bruins: Grading the Bruins through five games
The Bruins started the season on a high note with four wins in five games. How do we grade the individual position groups?
The Boston Bruins started their season with four games on the road before their home opener Saturday night against New Jersey.
Through these first five games, Boston has four wins and one loss. And in the one loss, the Bruins had two goals overturned.
The season’s still young, but it’s safe to say that the Bruins once again are one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference. And goaltending is one the biggest reasons why.
Goaltending: A
The Bruins have the luxury of two starting goaltenders. Tuukka Rask is the number one, but backup Jaroslav Halak would certainly start on a lot of teams.
As such, Bruce Cassidy alternated Rask and Halak in these first five games.
Rask was strong in the opener against Dallas; he allowed only one goal on 29 shots. Halak responded with a shutout in Arizona.
Rask and Halak weren’t as dominate in their next starts, as they each allowed three goals. But, both goalies made some important saves to keep the Bruins in the games.
In the most recent game against the Devils, Rask had his best start of the season. He closed the door on New Jersey all night and finished with a shutout. Rask was especially strong in the second period when the Bruins play lagged.
If Rask and Halak continue to play at this level, the Bruins will be in great shape all season.
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.
Forwards: B+
When it comes to the forwards, it’s the same old story for the Bruins.
The top line continues to lead the way for Boston. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak picked up right where they left off last season.
Marchand already has four goals in his first five games. Other than the goalies, he’s probably been Boston’s MVP thus far.
Unfortunately, Boston’s other lines have yet to provide much offense.
The second line struggled out of the gate. Jake DeBrusk is goalless so far, and David Krejci still needs to find his game after he missed the opener. And the right wing spot remains a question mark. Karson Kuhlman is the choice right now, but it’s unclear if he’s the long-term answer.
Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen developed great chemistry on the third line. They’ve combined for only one goal, but they consistently maintain puck possession. Coyle and Heinen do suffer, however, when saddled with Brett Ritchie or David Backes.
The fourth line continues to do what the fourth line does: play with energy and chip in with some offense. Cassidy likes to roll with Sean Kuraly, Chris Wagner, and Joakim Nordstrom, but he has options after the addition of Par Lindholm.
The Bergeron line is good enough to win Boston games, but the Bruins need secondary scoring. Look for someone like Anders Bjork to get a look soon.
Special teams: C+
Boston’s special teams units have been a mixed bag this year. Both the power play and penalty kill can certainly be better.
The Bruins power play units are pretty much the same as they were last year. Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak, DeBrusk, and Krug make up the top group.
At times, Boston’s top power play unit looks unstoppable. Bergeron’s second-period goal against the Devils is a great example. The Bruins moved the puck around effortlessly, DeBrusk wreaked havoc out front, and Bergeron scored on a rebound.
However, even with the top unit out there, the Bruins give up too many shorthanded chances. This was an issue last year, as Boston led the league in shorthanded goals conceded. They need to clean this up.
Boston’s penalty kill looked great in the home opener. Granted, the Devils entered the game with zero power play goals, but the Bruins did their job.
This wasn’t the case in the first four games. Boston only killed seven of the first 10 penalty kill opportunities. And if it wasn’t for big saves by Rask and Halak, this may have been worse.
Expect the Boston’s special teams play to be better sooner rather than later.
Next. Atlantic power rankings (week one). dark
The Bruins enjoyed a strong five-game stretch to start the season. They once again look like one of the best teams in the conference. Even with that, the Bruins still have plenty of opportunities to be better.