Are these Bruins for real?
“Man, the Boston Bruins are gonna suck this year. Losing both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement is really gonna cripple this team.”
Bruins started 6-0, tying for the franchise’s best start since 1937-38.
“Yeah, well, they’re gonna miss the free agents that left the team.”
The veterans have actually meshed with the youngsters very well, actually.
“So? They haven’t beaten anybody. Wait until they face some good teams.”
They’ve beaten the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars.
“Umm…OK, but can they win when they’re not 100 percent?”
Charlie McAvoy is serving a four-game suspension, and Boston has been without Jakob Lauko since 10/25, Milan Lucic since 10/26, Matt Grzelcyk since 10/30, and Derek Forbot since 11/1. Add Morgan Geekie (11/8) to the list. They are 5-2 while not being whole.
Umm…umm…they have too many stripes on their sleeves this season?
The Boston Bruins are better than expected early, but they still have a lot to prove
Thank you, Boston Bruins, for ending my Boston sports radio career before it started. For all those fans and critics of Boston’s off-season, they are surpassing expectations, which is something to say after a historic 2022-23 season.
light. Related Story. Why the Bruins' win over the Islanders is so important
The hangover from the last season still lingers. And it’s hard to move on from that disappointment and be optimistic when the team isn’t as talented this year.
More than anything, us fans don’t want to be disappointed. The Bruins getting bounced in the first round when they were overwhelming favorites last season was embarrassing. While expectations are lower this year, we don’t want to be let down again. A playoff loss won’t hurt as much, but any post-season defeat will sting. Do we wanna go through that again?
It’s hard to completely buy into this team. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha aren’t supposed to make life after Bergeron and Krejci so smooth. In no way, shape or form, are Coyle and Zacha anywhere close to the players Bergeron and Krejci were. But as my brother reminds me, the Bruins were up 3-1 against the Florida Panthers without Bergeron (-6 for the series) and Krejci (-3).
Boston general manager Don Sweeney did a masterful job of acquiring veteran help that fit seamlessly on the Bruins last year. It should be crippling to lose such quality experience.
James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Danton Heinen were scraps compared to Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway.
van Riemsdyk still has some gas in the tank, but it’s contributions from the rookies that have given the Bruins more than expected. Mattew Poitras and John Beecher aren’t shy cubs. Even Mason Lohrei, tapped in when injuries along the blue line added up, was ready for the opportunity and has been solid.
Meanwhile, life after Boston hasn’t been good for Orlov (-9), Hathaway (-4) and Bertuzzi (0).
What we can count on is goaltending. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been stellar, combining for the league’s best goals against average at 1.90. They have to be this good, because the Bruins are not scoring.
Correction. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are scoring and van Riemsdyk has helped, but Coyle’s four-point game against the New York Islanders kind of skews the numbers. The Bruins are a mediocre offensive team, which is concerning. They just had their first five goal game, 13 games into the season.
Before Thursday’s win, the Bruins averaged 3.17 goals per game. Since the pandemic-shortened season, only one team that averaged less than 3.17 goals reached the Stanley Cup Finals and that was the Montreal Canadiens and as we know that Habs team was no match for the Tampa Bay Lightning, falling in the series 4-1.
Out of 14 teams, eight didn’t make it out of the first round, three exited in round two, two bowed out in the third round, and the Canadiens snuck through the mess.
It’s a blessing to have the best duo in net in the league, but the offense will have to bail Ullmark and Swayman out sometimes.
Related Story. NHL Network lists Linus Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league. light
It’s enjoyable to see Boston atop the Eastern Conference and jostling with the Vegas Golden Knights for best record in the league. A team with such a dramatic roster turnover shouldn’t be where the Bruins are right now.
If they can stay there halfway through the season, then it might be time to stop doubting them.