By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
The Boston Bruins are now gaining momentum after leveling themselves out from a rough mid-to-late December patch. Their 25–19–2 record has them right in the mix for either of the two wild-card spots, and they’ll have to continue embracing their identity for long stretches while eliminating pestering habits.
You might think a lack of scoring threats would be the crux of this team, but at the end of the day players like David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie have provided enough offensive output, especially with the help of an improved power play. The rest of the way will essentially be more about forwards and defensemen up and down the lineup remembering they are an up-tempo forechecking team first and a talented team second.
Seven Notes:
1. The game against the Seattle Kraken last Monday night served as a moment of realization for the team. Although Jeremy Swayman would particularly want some save opportunities back, the defending in front of him was more of the same half-hearted chaos. Players put on tape for themselves the fact that they simply cannot neglect to impose their body and stick in their own zone just because it’s easier to try and change the scoreboard with one shot or setup pass.
2. As shown, particularly on his first goal against the Kraken, goals continue to come easier and easier for Pastrnak right now. He’s been able to score off simple flicks of the puck high on a goalie and off funny bounces from their pads. That’s when you know he’s in a different groove; now he just has to fully prioritize the team’s gritty style on the other end and let the rest carry on.
3. The game against the Calgary Flames last Thursday night was a step in the right direction defensively. You might think that surrendering just one goal to the opponent would happen fairly often with a defensive core usually featuring players like Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov, but the team has given up 146 goals to this point. It just goes to show, in part, how much buy-in a modern National Hockey League team needs, game in and game out, to counteract an opponent’s sped-up pace of play.
4. With a goal against the Flames, Casey Mittelstadt has put together a solid enough season offensively so far. He’s on pace for his first 20+ goal season of his career, and it’s a credit to his ability to beat opposing goaltenders when he trusts his shot. The team doesn’t necessarily need another individual to surge in scoring, but it helps to have a secondary goal scorer to avoid prolonged finishing issues.
5. The rout against the New York Rangers in Saturday’s matinee shows that there’s another level to reach when the whole team is in sync on the forecheck. Even on the team’s first goal of the game, Marat Khustnutdinov showed the straightforward pace and urgency they would carry into every situation, sending a self-pass off the boards to put the opposing defenseman on his heels. This game could be the magnum opus that head coach Marco Sturm uses to ensure players continue buying into the game plan.
6. It’s encouraging that the team can play another early game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and shut them out. Although it’s risky to try and get by 1-0 or 2-1, as everyone saw under interim coach Joe Sacco, it’s fitting that they executed on defense after such a short bounce-back. It’s also a nice cherry on top that the lone goal came from Viktor Arvidsson crashing the net and scoring amid all the defending sticks.
7. With his new contract this past week, Jonathan Aspirot has also shown individually what the collective can do when emphasizing the right things. It’s been mentioned in other articles before, but the fact is that this defenseman, at 6’0 and 212 pounds, has fully committed whatever natural talent he has to the physical brand the organization ideally wants its defense to play. How beautiful is it that a defenseman who’s played years of lower-league hockey can earn the Spoked B just like a player such as McAvoy?
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