Bruins: Keep an eye on Craig Smith against the Red Wings

When the Boston Bruins face off against the Detroit Red Wings this Thursday, it’s a pretty important game.

At the time of this piece, the B’s have a 4-3-0 record and are sixth in the Atlantic Division. Yet, a big reason behind this is the fact that every other team in their division has played at least nine games, while the Bruins are only at seven. However, even with this, being 5-3-0 looks a whole heck of a lot better than being 4-4-0. An overtime loss wouldn’t be ideal either.

For this tilt, I believe all fans should watch winger Craig Smith closely. The beginning of the season has not been too kind to the veteran. He missed three games due to an undisclosed injury, but did return against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. In four contests on the campaign, he has yet to record a point. However, that absolutely has to change, right?

Although the Bruins, along with the New York Islanders, have played the least amount of games in the league this season, Smith honestly may benefit from the rest. It’s never a bad thing to get a little extra recovery time as well as more practice. Perhaps this will be exactly what he needs to finally break the ice and get that much-needed first point. Maybe he could even have a multi-point game.

Every Bruin fan knows what Smith is capable of when he’s hot. That was the case more often than not last season, as he scored 13 goals and recorded 32 points in 54 games. Yes, David Krejci is back home in the Czech Republic, but he still has Taylor Hall on his line and absolutely thrived with him after the trade. Furthermore, although Charlie Coyle struggled last season, he’s played quite well in the 2C role, as he has three goals and five points on the campaign. One has to assume his offensive production will eventually rub off on Smith.

Let’s see how Thursday goes for not only Smith, but also Erik Haula. I’d love to see these two each get their first point of the season against the Red Wings.