Boston Bruins: Sean Kuraly’s 3-point night a sign of things to come?
By jc
The Boston Bruins overran the Montreal Canadiens 8-1 on Tuesday night. This was one of Boston’s best offensive outputs of the season.
David Pastrnak led the way for the Bruins with his second hat trick of the season. He now has 23 goals in 24 games this year.
Pastrnak wasn’t the only Bruin with a multi-point night in Montreal. A few other players, including Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand, had at least three points.
One of the most encouraging three-point nights came from Sean Kuraly.
Kuraly was one of the few Bruins forwards who faced a slow start to the season. He only had one goal and three assists in his first 23 games of the season.
He had a great chance to turn things around and find his offense in Tuesday’s game against Montreal. He moved from the fourth line to the third line because of Patrice Bergeron’s injury.
Fortunately for Kuraly, he did just that against the Canadiens.
Kuraly was one of Boston’s best forwards, as he used his speed all night to create chances. He finally provided the spark that the Bruins expected from him earlier in the season.
More importantly, Kuraly finished the game with three assists. He nearly his offensive output through 23 games in only one game!
Kuraly’s offensive outburst was a great sign for Boston, and hopefully it jumpstarts his season.
Although he’ll remain Boston’s fourth-line center when everyone’s healthy, Kuraly still is an important part of the forward group. He provided depth in the bottom-six that other teams simply don’t have.
Last season, Kuraly finished with 21 points in 71 games in his fourth line role. A team that gets this level of production from its fourth line is bound for great thanks. That certainly was the case last year.
To follow up his strong regular season, Kuraly had four goals and six assists in 10 playoff games for the Bruins. One of these goals proved to be a big difference-maker in the Game 7 win against Toronto.
Given his play last season, the Bruins expected big things from Kuraly this season. He struggled through the first quarter of the season, in part because of injuries in the bottom six. Still, Kuraly needed to better himself.
Next. Bruins must be cautious with Bergeron. dark
Tuesday night’s win in Montreal looks like it can be a turning point for Kuraly. Boston’s top-six looks like the best in the league. If Kuraly and his fellow fourth-liners can pick up the pace, the Bruins might have the best forward group in the NHL.