The first of four Boston Bruins preseason games was Sunday at the TD Garden when they hosted the Washington Capitals. Charlie McAvoy tied the game late in the third period, and James Hagens scored the game-winner in the shootout in a 3-2 Black and Gold victory.
Second-year head coach Marco Sturm went with a mixture of younger and veteran players for his lineup, and there were some players who stuck out. One of them was Matthew Poitras. Others who stood out were promising signs, and here are three players who are gaining some momentum through the first five days of camp.
Riley Duran
Look, Riley Duran isn't making the roster out of camp and will need multiple injuries to likely get a call-up to Boston. However, he does some nice things and someday, maybe in a year or two, he could be a fourth-line forward for the Black and Gold.
A sixth-round pick in the 2020 Entry Draft, the Massachusetts native has just two regular-season games under his belt and made a nice play behind the net in the second period to set up Jake Schmaltz for the game-tying goal at 1-1. He plays a grinding game and is a typical fourth-line forward, something that he's a year or two away from.
James Hagens
Last weekend in Buffalo, at the Prospect Showcase, James Hagens was hands down the best player on the ice for both teams. He had six goals in the two games 18 hours apart, including all four in a 4-3 overtime win on Monday. He got to play in the first preseason game with his linemates at the end of last season and in camp: Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten.
Against Washington, Hagens looked good and continues to impress with each passing day. It is going to be hard for the staff to send him to Providence when all is said and done. He made some nice plays on the power play, was active in the offensive zone with some nifty passes, and finished with three shots on net, the second most behind Matthew Poitras. He ended up scoring the shootout winner.
Frederic Brunet
Along with Poitras, defenseman Frederic Brunet is looking to stick around this season, and all the signs and indications are that the staff is going to give him every opportunity to stick around as long as he can. He might have Charlie McAvoy's six-game suspension working in his favor to keep another body around.
He has been paired with McAvoy in training camp, and the Bruins veteran blueliner compared him to one of his former partners, Matt Grzelcyk, with his offensive game. There are a handful of defensemen who are in the mix for a roster spot, but Brunet requires waivers to go to the AHL, which could also factor into his decision when it comes to that time. He made some nice plays in the defensive end, including clearing the puck away from DiPietro at the end of regulation to force overtime.
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