The 2023 Boston Bruins continue the new year the same way they ended the 2022 calendar year, by winning hockey games. They swept through California, taking all six possible points with victories over the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks. Realistically, not every road trip goes your way, especially when traveling across the country to play in the western time zone. Players need time to adjust and may never bring their A-game to the rink. This past week highlights that this was not the case for the Bruins.
The Bruins Go Perfect In California
After losing to the Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Eve, the Bruins righted the ship, beginning 2023 on a high note, winning all four games so far. Captain Patrice Bergeron collected his 600th career assist during the trip and became the franchise’s third-highest all-time scorer.
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In addition, the Bruins dominated this road trip, allowing less than two goals in each game and outscored their opponents 16-5. A key factor to this trip was their special teams’ play. It is an area that has been stellar all season long and was on this trip as well. Boston killed off all seven infractions while going 3-for-5 on the power play. However, there were some key impact players during this three-game run.
Dynamic Wingers Were Key Contributors
What else can this man do for an encore? David Pastrnak has been a madman, scoring eight points with seven goals in three games. As mentioned above, the team scored 16 goals on this trip, with Pastrnak accounting for 50% of the total.
His best game came against Anaheim, where he netted a hat trick and surpassed the 30-goal mark. Pastrnak concludes the road trip with a 31.8 shooting percentage, two power-play goals, and one game-winning goal. It did not matter if he played alongside Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci; he was producing either way. After his recent goal surge, Pastrnak is one goal shy of Connor McDavid for the Rocket Richard trophy.
It's almost like these three have played together before. pic.twitter.com/5MP3zw9PGm
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 8, 2023
Another player who had a monster road trip was Brad Marchand, with the second-best production behind Pastrnak. The duo even clicked for a few goals as linemates against San Jose; however, Marchand scored three goals and three assists for six points. He finished with a whopping 33.3 shooting percentage and chipped in on the power play. There is a supporting cast on this roster, but the team’s two best wingers came up huge on the west coast.
Trent Frederic Had His Best Game of 2022-23
Frederic is another one of those players who is playing better under his new coach. He didn’t go on a heater like the two mentioned before, but he had the game of the year for himself against the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from his fight with Brendan Lemieux, Frederic scored two goals in 34 seconds. The biggest key to those goals was his net-front presence. He parked in front as Brandon Carlo fired a slapshot toward the goal and, after cycling the puck down low, placed himself in position and roofed a backhand shot to extend the lead.
He led the team in Corsi For Percentage (60.27%), and when he was on the ice, they generated 44 chances. These statistics further demonstrate his net-front presence on the ice, which results in the team generating 13 high-danger chances. In addition, Frederic was on the ice for four high-danger goals, showcasing his importance in the lineup during the trip. It’s been night and day seeing how much his game has changed, with the results coming on the west coast.
Jeremy Swayman Plays Solid in the Blue Paint
A lot of the goalie attention is on Linus Ullmark, and rightfully so. He is playing Vezina Trophy-caliber hockey and deserves all the praise. However, Jeremy Swayman earned two of the three starts and shined brightly in both.
In the two games, he allowed three goals (two in LA and one in Anaheim). He would face 58 total shots and finish the trip with 1.50 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. In addition, Swayman finished with 1.95 goals saved above expected against Anaheim and 0.52 goals saved above expected against Los Angeles. In other words, he was better than expected and provided solid goaltending for the Bruins.
One area Swayman excelled in was the high-danger area of the ice. He posted a .938 save percentage in that area, highlighting the Bruins’ ability to limit the opposition to high-danger chances. Both goalies have shined brightly this year, but it is fun to see Swayman playing well in the blue paint this week.
What Lies Ahead for the Bruins?
The Bruins have a few days off as they head back home to TD Garden. They take the ice Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken, followed by a pivotal matchup against their rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Bruins sit at the top of the Atlantic Division and the league standings with 68 points.
Statistics obtained from Natural Stat Trick.