(Photo Credit: Zimbio)
By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael
When it comes to the B’s best plus players… well, there are certainly not many minuses in their game. Literally now as much as figuratively.
.@SASSoftware Stat of the Week: The #NHLBruins will end this decade with the NHL’s top three performers in plus/minus. Brad Marchand is +215, Zdeno Chara is +207 and Patrice Bergeron is +201 since January 1, 2010. pic.twitter.com/vS7M98hQ9o
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 27, 2019
As the Boston Bruins official @NHLBruins Twitter account shared ahead of the B’s big shutout victory on the road over the Buffalo Sabres, a triumvirate of Black N’ Gold leaders and all-stars are wrapping up quite the DECADE of positive play.
Captain Zdeno Chara, Alternate Captain (but we all know it’s “Co-Captain”) Patrice Bergeron and often “A”-wearer Brad Marchand are the NHL’s top three performers in plus/minus since January 1st, 2010. Talk about bringing your “A-Game” every game and for the past ten years!
(Photo Credit: NBC Sports)
Marchand is atop the list at a staggering +215. Chara is up next at +207. And Bergeron rounds out the heralded “top three” at +201.
26 saves for career shutout No. 5️⃣0️⃣.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/M7aViWaAWH
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 28, 2019
However, after all three of them boosted their stats during teammate Jaroslav Halak’s impressive 3-0 shutout — the 50th of his career — those all-important plus/minus numbers have now jumped!
Marchy moved up to +217, Big Z jumped to +208 and Bergy added two more pluses (I mean, doesn’t he have an endless supply of pluses to his game already?) to get to +203. And with two more games to go before the decade ends — against the Sabres and Devils, respectively — you can bet those numbers will improve even more before the team rings in 2020.
As a reminder, here’s how the NHL defines plus/minus:
A player is awarded a “plus” each time he is on the ice when his Club scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal. He receives a “minus” if he is on the ice for an even-strength or shorthanded goal scored by the opposing Club. The difference in these numbers is considered the player’s “plus-minus” statistic.
And statistically speaking, you’d be hard-pressed to find another trio of modern-day hockey talent that have positively produced like Marchand, Chara and Bergeron.
(Photo Credit: NHL.com)
You know how to cap off such an impressive accomplishment in the New Year? Bring home one more Stanley Cup to Boston (and ideally in Boston this time…we’ve had enough of these other teams celebrating on TD Garden ice) while all three are still together!
Now, wouldn’t that be a plus?
HAPPY NEW YEAR, BRUINS FANS!
Leave a Reply