By: Benjamin Aliber | Follow me on Twitter @bpaliber24
The Boston Bruins’ hot start continues as their win against the Dallas Stars Tuesday night improved them to 6-1-0 early in the 2022-2023 season.
Just seven games into the season, the Bruins have been on a run no one saw coming. They stand atop the Eastern Conference with 12 points, holding a three-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes. However, what has been most surprising about this run Boston is on, can be no other than the level of play and success is all being accomplished without their best defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, and top left winger Brad Marchand. In breaking news today, the Bruins announced Marchand will play in his first game of the season tonight when the black and gold host Original Six rival Detroit Red Wings at the TD Garden.
The Bruins have been dominant, as they are tied for a league-high 30 goals. They also own the best home record in the league, going 5-0-0 when playing at the TD Garden. However, Boston’s success would not be possible without one man in particular, Linus Ullmark. Ullmark is a perfect 5-0-0 this season when placed between pipes to start a game. As of today, the veteran goalie owns a .936 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average.
Partly because of Ullmark’s tremendous play, Boston is currently on a three-game winning streak for the second time this season. What he has been doing between the pipes has been nothing short of astonishing. The key saves he has made every game, his rebound control, and his mere presence in the net are something Bruins fans have not seen since a healthy Tuukka Rask donned the pads for the black and gold.
I for one fully expected Swayman to be the hot goalie right out of the gate, but it is undeniable at this point who the number one goalie is. The success Ullmark is having, along with this team, is reminiscent of that 2011 Championship team. I wonder if there is something in the water flowing through the pipes in the Garden.
Another key contributor to this team’s success is pending free agent David Pastrnak, who is tied for the league-best 12 points with Valeri Nichushkin, Artemi Panarin, and Jesper Bratt. Thirteen players on the Bruins roster have recorded at least one point, with 12 of those 13 having at least one goal.
And while their defense has been subpar in terms of 5-on-5 play, their fifth-ranked league-wide penalty kill, sitting at 92.0%, is something this team should be proud of. It should not go unnoticed; all of this is happening under the direction of Jim Montgomery, who became the Bruins’ new head coach over the summer, replacing Bruce Cassidy after holding that role for the past six seasons.
The 2022-23 season may have just begun, but Ullmark and this Bruins team have given us a lot to be proud of early on, and Marchand’s return tonight makes things even more exciting for the fans.
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