The Bruins Review

Welcome readers to the first edition of the Bruins Review, a blog about all things Boston Bruins.

The Bruins currently sit atop of the Eastern Conference with a record of 31-9-9 and are tied with the Vancouver Canucks for the most points in the NHL with 71. It is All-Star break right now and this is a good time to review how the season has gone so far and to look ahead at some milestones and potential changes for the Bruins.

David Pastrnak leads all Bruins in points with 33 goals and 39 assists good for 72 points, currently 3rd for most points in the NHL. He was named an All-Star for the 4th time and is having another great season, possibly even a better season than he did last year. He has had to take on more of a role when it comes to both leadership and playmaking with the departure of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron from last year’s roster. His playmaking ,strength on the puck and effort have improved from last year, the sequence for his second goal against the Flyers on January 27th is a perfect example of this. He wins a board battle after getting knocked down, stays in the play and ends up scoring his second goal of the game. 

As I mentioned, the Bruins top two centers from last year, Krejci and Bergeron, both retired and some players needed to step up. The Bruins new Captain Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle have answered the call so far this season. Marchand has been a great player for a long time and with his new captaincy he has set the tone for the entire team thus far, as well as having another great statistical season. Charlie Coyle talked on “The Moring Bru Podcast” with Billy Jaffe and Andrew Raycroft about how he was looking forward to stepping up as the Bruins top center. He has done that and more thus far, being on track for his highest point total of his career as well as being the Bruins top penalty killing forward. But it’s been more than that, he just looks dominant every time he’s out on the ice and you can tell he is playing with confidence.

A few other players deserve some spotlight for stepping up their play and the role they played in the success of the season . Trent Frederic has come so far from a few years ago and can legitimately be put on any line and be effective. Charlie McAvoy is still a stud and Brandon Carlo and Derrick Forbert have anchored the penalty kill when they have been available. Both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have been stellar again and are some of the biggest reasons for the team’s success so far. Swayman was rewarded with his first All-Star game nod as he stepped up when Ullmark was out for a few weeks due to injury.

Although the Bruins are tied for the most points in the NHL, it has not been a perfect season and there are some areas that need to be addressed. Paval Zacha is still an incredibly effective player, and it is to be expected that his points have dropped with him not playing on the same line as Pasta every game. But he has had some trouble getting the puck out of the defensive zone and doesn’t seem to be finishing his scoring chances as often as he did last season. Hampus Lindholm has also had trouble getting the puck out of the zone as well as some uncharacteristically bad passes. Both of them are great players and I would expect them both to bounce back after the break.

We are a little bit more than halfway through the season and there are some things to look forward to after the All-Star break. Marchand will play his 1000th game against Tampa Bay on February 13th, if he doesn’t miss any games before. Pasta is on pace for over 50 goals and we’ll see if he can reach that 60 goal mark again, right now I would doubt it, but keep an eye out for a late season push if he is close. The final Era Night for the Bruins will take place on March 7th versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, with the 2011 Stanley Cup champions being honored. 

As the trade deadline approaches it might not be a bad idea for the Bruins to look add a player or two. Adding a defender who could help out on the penalty kill or add some offense would sure up an already great defense. Besides that there doesn’t seem ti be a lot of moves the Bruins could make to move the needle. With Jake DeBrusk, Morgan Geekie, and Danton Heinen all making strides in their play from the beginning of the season don’t expect any of them to be on the move.

The Bruins are back in action on Tuesday February 6th against the Calgary Flames. Until then check out Pasta and Swayman during All-Star weekend and look out for the next edition of the Bruins Review.