Bruins Talk: This Team is Really Good
It’s hard to imagine the Bruins are this good after how they started this season. It was frustrating to watch – the team looked as if they were struggling to find their identity, they couldn’t score and they couldn’t string together consecutive regulation wins to save their season.
Now, they’re sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division just five points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning and have the fourth-best record in the NHL. They’ve played incredible hockey through the month of December and have carried that into January.
The Bruins have an 18-point game streak, along with winning three-straight games in eight days over their NHL rival, the Montreal Canadiens. Boston also has not lost consecutive games since Dec.14 when the Washington Capitals beat them.
This team is doing something incredible as a whole. It’s not just one player or the veterans like Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara or David Backes making headlines. It’s the youth – Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy, Danton Heinen and David Pastrnak who are consistently making big plays on the ice.
It’s time to sit back and enjoy the 2017-18 Bruins. It’s been a slow few years for the team between lackluster games, fighting to stay in the playoff standings and early playoff exits. But the fans have been patient through this rebuild and the patience is beginning to pay off.
The B’s return to the ice on Tuesday to look to continue their point streak against the Anaheim Ducks, who are 24-17-9 and are looking to extend their winning streak to three games.
But honestly, how good are the Bruins? I can’t say it or tweet about them enough. They’re exciting to watch, they’re fun and most of all, they’re winning games.
They’ll have to try and continue their point-streak without Brad Marchand, who’s serving a five-game suspension, and Charlie McAvoy, who had a procedure to correct an abnormal heart rhythm and won’t be back for another week. The good news is that he was skating at practice on Monday.
They proved to be able to win without the two studs before the break with a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. And even though the B’s are down to key players, they have the youth and veterans who will be able to step up in the absence of Marchy and McAvoy.
Another key player the team has is Danton Heinen – who filled in for the suspended Marchand in the win over the Sens. Head coach Bruce Cassidy clearly liked what he saw as he confirmed Heinen would once again be playing on the line with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak on Tuesday night.
Heinen, who has been extremely underrated this season, is tied for fourth among NHL rookies with 11 goals, 22 assists and 33 points through 43 games this season.
Of course, the team has Bergeron, Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelyck and Zdeno Chara. And if Frank Vatrano can stay out of the sin bin, then he’d make more of an impact as well.
Boston proved they can win without two of their best players and also proved that the players will step up where they need to.
This team is fun. They have heart, grit and determination to win. They’re drawing in the casual fans and making it more exciting for the long-term fans to watch.
So sit back, and enjoy your 2017-18 Boston Bruins. You fans have earned it.
Written by: Lauren Campbell (@lalalalaurrrren)