Atlantic Division: Bruins staying in the middle of the pack
By Bryan Murphy
Boston Bruins (9-6-0, 18 points)
Despite having a much stronger win percentage, the lack of games has meant lack of points for the Bruins, so they sit behind the Red Wings.
Like always, I’ll keep this short. The top dogs are performing with Brad Marchand sitting in first on the team in goals (eight), assists (12) and points (20). David Pastrnak is second on the team in points with 15, Patrice Bergeron has 13 and Charlie McAvoy has 12.
The depth scoring remains a concern, as does the defense. As a result, feels like the Bruins are beating teams they should, but always losing to teams above them in the standings.
Buffalo Sabres (7-6-2, 16 points)
Like the Red Wings, the Sabres had a great start, but have struggled since.
After a 5-1-1 start, Buffalo is 2-7-1 since. Craig Anderson is out with an injury so that’s a bit of a blow to the crease. Rasmus Asplund and Tage Thompson have the team lead in points with 11 each.
Ultimately, Buffalo has been much better than people expected, but still should finish at the bottom of the standings.
Montreal Canadiens (5-13-2, 12 points)
They started without Carey Price and now are without Jake Allen. The Canadiens continue to limp their way through this season, falling to win back-to-back games all season.
The Habs did just snap a four-game losing streak, but things aren’t promising for Montreal. At least Cole Caufield is back up, and Nick Suzuki is up to 14 points.
Ottawa Senators (4-10-1, 9 points)
Ottawa has lost seven of their last eight. The team has been shut out twice in the last three games. It’s bad, I think worse than people anticipated.
Drake Batherson has been fun to watch. He’s got 16 points in 14 games played. This team is still a ways away from contending and the goaltending needs to be solved because newsflash, Matt Murray ain’t it.