A website dedicated to bring you the most accurate news and information about the Boston Bruins organization from a fans perspective. This site is not affiliated with the NHL club in any way.
The Bruins placed forward Colby Cave on waivers on Monday afternoon and he will return to the Providence Bruins if he clears waivers. Cave skated in 20 games for the black and gold this season, posting a goal and four assists for five points. With this move, the Bruins will have to make a move to add someone to their 23-man roster.
Cave has also skated in 15 games for Providence this season, scoring six goals and adding 12 assists for 18 points. The 24-year-old appeared in three games for Boston last season, going scoreless. Cave’s best professional season came in 2016-17 for Providence, as he posted 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 76 games. Cave was undrafted originally but signed a three-year entry level deal with Boston on April 4th, 2015.
Colby Cave on waivers for the Bruins. Currently their spare forward. They did trade for Paul Carey the other day, who has ample NHL experience.
Cave made his NHL debut last season, on December 21st, 2017 against the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden. He scored his first career NHL goal earlier this season against the Montreal Canadiens on December 17th at Bell Centre in a 4-0 Bruins victory.
The Battleford, Saskatchewan native can be claimed by any team in the NHL but only for the next 24 hours. If that time passes, he’ll return to Providence. Cave has looked like a solid fourth line player in his time with the B’s and more time in Providence could be useful for him.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj
The Boston Bruins were on a five-game winning streak until they took a tough 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Ryan Donato and David Krejci scored the only goals for the Bruins while Jaroslav Halak made eighteen saves on twenty-one shots. Boston still holds a two-point cushion on the Buffalo Sabres for third-place in the Atlantic division but sits four points behind the Maple Leafs for second in the division.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a back-and-forth start to their 2019 calendar year. After a 4-3 loss to the Wild to begin the year, the Leafs beat the Canucks 5-0, lost to the Predators 4-0, and most recently, defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Thursday. Toronto currently has a four-point edge on the Bruins for second in the Atlantic division, but still sit twelve points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Starting Goaltenders:
BOS: Tuukka Rask 12-8-2 2.43 GAA .920 SV% Last Game: 24 Saves in 4-0 win vs MIN
TOR: Michael Hutchinson 3-3-2 3.29 GAA .886 SV% Last Game: 27 Saves in 4-2 win vs NJD
Who’s Hot
Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start in tonight’s game against the Leafs and it makes perfect sense. The 31-year-old goalie has won each of his last four starts including a 4-0 shutout (his 42nd of his career) against the Wild on January 8th. In 2019 so far, Rask’s .982 save percentage is the best in the NHL and he is tied with Jordan Binnigton for best goals-against-average (0.50) in the two games played.
PHOTO CREDITS: (USA Today Sports)
Free-agent acquisition John Tavares has been great for Toronto this season. In forty-three games played, the 28-year-old centre has twenty-nine goals and twenty-one assists for fifty points in that span. In the 4-2 win over New Jersey, Tavares scored two goals and added a helper for his fourth three-point game of the 2018-19 season.
Bruins defenceman Torey Krug is often in the middle of the Bruins trade rumours, but the 5-foot-9 defender is making a trade tough to deal with. Since coming back from injury, Krug has 4-25-29 totals in 33 games this season, including six points in his last five games. Krug also ranks third on the Bruins roster for most power-play points (18) behind Brad Marchand (19) and David Pastrnak (25).
After a brief two-game pointless streak, Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner came right back with a goal and an assist in the win over the Devils, bringing his season totals to 16-41-57 in 43 games. Marner leads the Leafs in points and is ninth in league scoring. His 41 assists so far tie him with Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames for fifth-most assists in the NHL.
Who’s Not
It may seem odd to say, but Bruins leading scorer David Pastrnak is on a little bit of a cold streak. In the past three games, Pastrnak has failed to score a single point and has been a minus rating in two of those games. The three-game pointless streak is minor for Pastrnak, who has 25-27-52 totals in 44 games this season, but the Bruins need him to start picking up the pace offensively.
Like every team in the National Hockey League, the Maple Leafs have had their fair share of injuries as well. Lately, starting goaltender Frederik Andersen and backup goaltender Garrett Sparks both went down to injuries, leaving Michael Hutchinson to man the crease. The 28-year-old goalie has gone 3-3-0 with the Leafs along with a .886 save percentage and 3.29 GAA. Not good numbers, especially heading into tonight’s game against the Bruins.
William Nylander was in all the big news talks from the offseason right until December 1st when he signed his new contract. But since then, the former 8th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has only scored three points (one goal, two assists) in fifteen games. Nylander is a -2 rating with 12 penalty minutes.
Milestone Watch
Boston Bruins:
BOS F David Krejci (604) is 2 points behind Terry O’Reilly (606) for ninth-most points in Bruins franchise history
BOS D Zdeno Chara (956) is three penalty minutes behind Lyndon Byers (959) for ninth-most penalty minutes in Bruins history
BOS F Patrice Bergeron is one game-winning goal away (60) from taking sole-possession of third-most in Bruins history
BOS F Brad Marchand is one shorthanded goal away (23) from tying Derek Sanderson (24) for second-most in Bruins history
BOS D Zdeno Chara is two goals away from 200 career NHL goals
Toronto Maple Leafs:
No notable milestone that can be reached in tonight’s game
Bruins vs Maple Leafs Outlook
For the fourth and final time in the 2018-19 regular season, the Bruins and Leafs will meet on the ice for one of the best-renewed rivalries in the NHL today. To this date, Boston has taken 2-out-of-the-3 games, with the most recent win coming on December 8th – a 6-3 win.
Michael Hutchinson has not been too consistent in his recent time with the Maple Leafs. As with many other games, the Bruins need to bring down the confidence level of the opposing goaltender, in this case, former Bruin Hutchinson, in order to get a strong lead on the game.
In the two wins for Boston this season against Toronto, they have scored the first goal, in fact, they scored the first three goals in each of those two wins. The one time they lost – Toronto opened the scoring. It is a good chance that that trend continues in Toronto here tonight. Bruins also need the help of Leaf-killers, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand to lead the Boston offence early and often while Tuukka Rask needs to continue his recent solid play to keep the offence of Toronto quiet.
These two teams are closely matched and this will be the final time they get to play each other until the almost inevitable playoff series come April. Nonetheless, it is bound to be a great, competitive game of hockey. Below are most likely the lines of the Bruins heading into tonight’s game. Defenceman Charlie McAvoy returns to the lineup after missing time with a foot infection, while John Moore is scratched by Cassidy tonight.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj
The Bruins are rolling and tonight, the team will look to continue their hot streak against the Washington Capitals in Boston. With wins in five consecutive games for Boston, the Bruins have vaulted themselves to a divisional playoff spot, overtaking the Buffalo Sabres who the B’s have defeated two times in the last two weeks. Boston now enters this game with a 25-14-4 record (54 points) and have a two-point lead on Buffalo (52 points) and a three-point cushion on the Canadiens, who they meet on Monday.
The Washington Capitals are on a winning streak as well – winning their last two games against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Prior to that though, the Capitals lost three consecutive games to the Predators, Blues, and Stars. Heading into the game, the Caps lead the always-competitive Metropolitan division with a 26-14-2 record (56 points). The Penguins (54 points) and Blue Jackets (51 points) are on their tails and the Islanders (50 points) are out of a playoff spot, looking to get back in.
Starting Goaltenders:
BOS: Jaroslav Halak 13-6-2 2.36 GAA .926 SV% Last Game: 33 Saves in 6-4 win vs CGY
WSH: Braden Holtby 16-10-2 2.89 GAA .910 SV% Last Game: 23 Saves in 3-2 vs DET
Who’s Hot
Patrice Bergeron has always been a good player in the NHL, but lately, he has been a really great player. In the win over Minnesota, Bergeron scored a goal and added two assists for a three-point night, his third multi-point game in his last four outings. The 33-year-old centre now has 14-24-38 totals in only 27 games this season. His 1.41 points-per-game is the sixth best in the league.
Like Bergeron, the rest of the Bruins top line has had a great last few games. Brad Marchand also had three points over the Wild, scoring once and adding a pair of assists as well. Marchand had a two-goal night against the Flames on January 3rd as well. Marchand is catching up to Pastrnak for the team’s lead in points as he now possesses 16-31-47 totals in 42 contests this year.
PHOTO CREDITS: (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Capitals forward Jakub Vrana has had a slow season as we pass over the halfway mark of the 2018-19 campaign, but his tides may be changing. In the 5-3 victory over the Flyers, Vrana scored two goals, including the game-winning goal in the second period. Jakub’s primary assist helped open the scoring on Tom Wilson’s goal in the first frame.
NHL bad-guy Tom Wilson has thirteen goals, eight assists and twenty-one points in only 23 games this season and has scored goals in each of his last two games. Expected to get first line time with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, the Capitals would like another solid game with some scoring from Wilson tonight against a tough Bruins team.
Michal Kempny at 28-years-old has become one of the top defensemen on Washington’s active roster and he is scheduled to get another game on the top pairing alongside of John Carlson. Kempny has 5-10-25 totals along with an outstanding +25 rating – a statistic that he ranks fifth in the entire league on. He is currently averaging a career-high 19:21 minutes per game this season.
Who’s Not
Bruins forward Ryan Donato has not been good this year – a disappointing reality for many Bruins fans hoping for a solid campaign after he put up nine points in twelve games at the tail end of last season. In twenty-nine games with Boston in 2018-19, Donato has only five goals and eight points with a -10 rating – the worst +/- rating on the team.
Nicklas Backstrom is still over a point-per-game on the season so far, but with zero points in the last three games and a -2 rating, he needs to be better. In order for Washington to hold that top spot in the Metro, they need him to be the play-making star that the league knows him as.
Jakub Forsbacka Karlsson has been skating with Heinen and Donato on the Bruins third-line, but with the success of Kuraly-Acciari-Wagner line, that youngsters line has been demoted to the fourth line when it comes to high-pressure situations. Forsbacka Karlsson has not helped that this season. In twenty-two games, he has three goals, three assists for six points and a -2 rating.
Bruins vs Capitals Outlook
The Bruins get yet another chance at the defending Stanley Cup Champions after that blowout 7-0 loss to the Capitals on opening night back in October. Without a doubt, Boston needs to be on top of their game defensively to win this game. The Bruins have not beat Washington since March 29th, 2014 (thirteen games). Boston has struggled with the goal-scoring capabilities of Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom alike.
🎥#NHLBruins head coach Bruce Cassidy chats about flipping the script on the team's struggles against the Capitals: "The easiest way to beat a team you haven't is to defend really well, keep the puck out of your net." pic.twitter.com/MZ4DlCeTz9
For Washington – put pucks on the net – simple. Jaroslav Halak will be starting in goal for Boston and he is coming off of a win over the Flames, where he allowed four goals on thirty-seven shots. A few of the goals scored against him were questionable and you have to wonder if that remains on his mind heading into tonight’s game. The Caps need to build up the offence and fire shots on Halak to score a few goals early and often. Worked back in October, may work again now.
Another interesting story-line for the game is the speciality teams. The Bruins are near the top of the league in power-play success rate (3rd best with 28.5% success) and penalty-kill (11th best with 81.1% success). Boston has been perfect while short-handed in 2019, killing off all twelve penalties in the four games.
Washington, on the other hand, is above average on the man-advantage (10th best with 21.5% success), but the penalty-kill is sub-par (23rd worst with 78% success).
Boston is only one of four teams with zero losses in the 2019 calendar year and will look to extend their winning streak to six games. Right now, their five-straight are tied for second-longest active winning streaks, tied with the Hurricanes and behind the Vegas Golden Knights (7 wins). Below are the Boston Bruins practice lines for yesterday (Jan. 9th).
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
On the first shift of the game, Chris Wagner appeared to give the Bruins the early lead but it was eventually waived off because of Sean Kuraly interfering with Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark.
The Bruins looked engaged in the early going as they were able to string together some solid shifts. The Bruins would get a power play as Remi Elie took an interference penalty with 13:28 to play in the period. Buffalo would kill off the penalty as Boston failed to get any decent scoring chances. Wagner got another great scoring chance and capitalized to give the Bruins the lead.
The Sabres seemed to have trouble getting any significant scoring chances against Tuukka Rask as the Bruins defended well in their own zone. Towards the end of the period though, Buffalo started to find some attacking zone rhythm and pushed to tie the score.
The Bruins returned the favor with a solid shift by the fourth line who looked very strong in the opening period. Boston closed the period with a couple good shifts especially the third line as Ryan Donato nearly doubled the lead with under a minute to go in the period.
Score: 1-0 Bruins
Second Period
The Bruins opened the period with another strong shift by the fourth line and Wagner nearly had a second goal but was denied by Ullmark. David Backes buried a goal on a two on one rush with Brad Marchand to double the Boston advantage early in the period.
The Bruins continued to have good jump in the early moments of the period as they strung together some strong shifts. The Bruins dominated the possession in the middle period as they seemed to get chance after chance in the offensive zone. Rask was rarely challenged in the first half of the period as the Sabres failed to get many pucks on net.
The Bruins began to become slightly lackadaisical in their own zone but it didn’t hurt them as Buffalo didn’t provide a lot of resistance. Rask became a bit more busy in the latter half of the period but continued to play very well between the pipes.
Score: 2-0 Bruins
Third Period
Donato had a couple decent chances in front of the Buffalo goal but couldn’t find the back of the net. Jeff Skinner followed that up with a quality scoring opportunity but Rask was quick to make the save. The third line had a solid start to the period and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson nearly capitalized off a great feed from Danton Heinen but couldn’t beat Ullmark.
A few turnovers by the Bruins almost resulted in the Sabres finding the back of the net but Rask continued to have a strong game to keep it a two goal margin. Buffalo went to the man advantage as Matt Grzelcyk was called for hooking with about 12 minutes to play. Boston killed the penalty as the Sabres got a few chances but nothing significant.
The Bruins got another power play as Donato was tripped as they looked to put the game away. Buffalo killed off the penalty but the B’s has plenty of chances and put four shots on goal during the man advantage. Rasmus Ristolainen fired home a shot from the dot after a quick re-entry to cut the Boston lead in half with less than three minutes to go.
🚨GOAL🚨
The Bruins forwards get caught mid line change and Rasmus Ristolainen makes them pay
The Sabres pulled Ullmark with 1:40 to go as they pushed for the tying goal. They weren’t able to find the back of the net and the Bruins secured the victory, making it four straight for the first time since October.
Final Score: 2-1 Bruins
Three Stars Of The Game
First Star: Wagner. The winger could’ve easily had multiple goals in this one as he was buzzing around the ice all night as the fourth line had one of their best games of the season.
Second Star: Backes. The winger returned after a three game suspension and was put onto the second line. He responded with his fourth goal of the season on a beautiful shot.
Third Star: Rask. Although not challenged much in this game, Rask was good when needed and helped the B’s secure a huge win over the Sabres.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj
Another month down, another month to look ahead to. In this, the final month of 2018, the Boston Bruins performed without key players such as Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Jake DeBrusk to still remain in a playoff position as of their most recent win over the Buffalo Sabres on the 29th of December.
In this third instalment of Bruins Monthly Recap, we will take a closer look at the surprises, disappointments, and positives of the eleventh calendar month including the best performances, worst games, injury report, and finally, a prediction of the month to follow. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.
The Good Games
In fourteen games this month, the Bruins finished with a record of 7-7-0, with two of those wins coming in the overtime session. Within the seven victories, the Bruins had some really solid outings and in this section, I’ll briefly highlight those victorious moments for the Bruins in the twelfth month of the year.
December 8th/18 – vs Toronto Maple Leafs
For the third time in two months, the two Original Six franchises whose rivalry has blossomed over the course of the past half-decade or so. In this Saturday night game vs the Maple Leafs in Boston, the Bruins walked away with a 6-3 win against a Leafs team that had Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Andersen in net, well for a time at least.
Boston scored four straight goals from the first period to the third from Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, David Backes, Torey Krug, and Danton Heinen. Boston outshot Toronto 15-9 in the second period alone and seemed to have all control. After Travis Dermott’s goal made it 4-1, the B’s answered with goals from Krejci and Donato to extend the lead to 6-1. The Leafs added two more late but that would be it.
Brad Marchand and Torey Krug had three points, David Pastrnak, Danton Heinen, and David Krejci all had two points and Jaroslav Halak made twenty-nine saves in the win. All around great performance for the Bruins without key players like Bergeron, DeBrusk, and Chara in the lineup.
December 17th/18 – vs Montreal Canadiens
Ah, the good old Montreal/Boston rivalry. It is rare to have a more successful night then when you defeat Montreal in the Bell Centre while scoring four goals and allowing none against. That’s what happened on December 17th in a 4-0 Bruins win over the Habs.
Joakim Nordstrom scored his fifth of the season, Colby Cave scored his first career NHL goal, David Krejci added his sixth of 2018-19, and Brad Marchand scored number eleven for four unanswered tallies past goaltender Carey Price. McAvoy and Pastrnak each had two-point nights while Jaroslav Halak stopped all twenty-two shots that faced him during the sixty regulation minutes.
The Bruins needed this win after two losses beforehand, making this one even sweeter, ending the losing streak and starting a new one that would last for the next two games.
December 22nd/18 – vs Nashville Predators
At the time, the Predators were near the top of the National Hockey League standings and were building momentum as they attempt to have another successful season. When the two teams met on the twenty-second of December, it was not supposed to be an easy game for either team, especially the Bruins.
However, off of the hands of four points (two goals, two assists) by Patrice Bergeron who returned to the lineup after a sternoclavicular/rib injury that kept him out of action for an extended amount of time. Bergeron’s linemates, Marchand and Pastrnak had three points of their own – leading the Bruins to a 5-2 win over Nashville in the TD Garden. In addition, Halak made twenty-eight saves, including fourteen in the second frame alone.
The Not-So-Good Games
It is expected that when you finish a calendar month with a .500 win percentage, you’re going to have some rough outings. Like other teams in that scenario, the Bruins had some rough games that they themselves may want to forget about. No real blowouts, but some poor overall team performances.
December 27th/18 – vs New Jersey Devils
Only two games ago, the Bruins had one of their worst games so far in the 2018-19 campaign. The Devils beat Boston by a final score of 5-2, which is not too bad all things considered, but the whole group seemed disoriented and failed to generate many offensive opportunities throughout the entirety of the three-period hockey game.
The opening Devils goal only twenty-five seconds into the game brought the momentum down immediately for Boston as both teams played their first game after the Holiday Break. New Jersey added another before the first intermission and scored three times in the final regulation frame to put out Boston.
Chris Wagner’s second-period goal and Patrice Bergeron’s third-period marker were the only two goals from Boston, but other than that, it was a lacklustre outing for the men in Black n Gold. Halak allowed four goals on thirty-two shots, not a terrible night for him, but could have been better most definitely.
December 4th/18 – vs Florida Panthers
The only thing worse than allowing five goals in a hockey game is when you allow five goals and score none for yourself. In only the second game of the month, the Bruins laid an egg against the divisional opponent, allowing four goals in the middle period and letting the Panthers win 5-0.
Mike Hoffman scored twice for Florida while Mike Matheson, Jonathon Huberdeau, and Evgenii Dadonov added the other three. Goalie Roberto Luongo stopped every single one of the thirty-three shots that the Bruins offence piled on him, making him look way younger than 39 years of age.
Individual Performances
Good: David Pastrnak – 4 Goals, 15 Assists, 19 Points in 14 Games
Nevermind good, this is great. Pastrnak once again took ahold of the Bruins offence and ran with it. Even zero points in four of the fourteen games this month did not slow down his production. Pastrnak was without Bergeron for the majority of the month but still managed to rack up the points with fellow countryman, David Krejci.
David is twelfth in the NHL for points and eighth in the NHL for most goals scored, six behind Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.
Brought onto the Bruins in the 2018 offseason on a two-year contract worth $1 million per season, Joakim Nordstrom was supposed to add additional scoring to the offensive depth charts, but in December especially, Nordstrom has failed to do that. After a seven-game pointless streak to start the month, he scored in two consecutive games and has not scored for the last five games.
Somehow, Nordstrom has met his totals for last season, 5-2-7, in 37 fewer games. Joakim has three more goals than he had last year but with his lack of production lately, it is hard to understand why he remains in the lineup over some of the Providence Bruins players that are doing well this year.
Bergeron only played four times in December, but his return from injury made a large impact on the Bruins roster. His four-point night against the Predators proved he was still in prime form and his linemates of Pastrnak and Marchand have benefited from his reemergence on the offensive core.
Patrice continues to be one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL today, even with his increasing age and the reoccurring injuries over the past few seasons. Hopefully, a healthy Bergeron can lead the Bruins once again to a successful second-half of the regular season and into the playoffs.
PHOTO CREDITS: (Sportsnet.ca)
Bad: Jaroslav Halak – 4-3-0 Record, 0.916 SV%, 2.71 GAA
Those numbers are not terrible, but they are not at the same level as the Jaroslav Halak that played in November and October. Halak allowed three or more goals in a single game on four different occasions this month, including five goals against the Panthers. Halak did, however, record a shutout against the Canadiens on the 17th.
The not-great play of Halak could have been the main reason for Cassidy’s decision to start Tuukka Rask over him for the 2019 Winter Classic. Although Rask has a worse record with numbers slightly worse than Halak, with the win over Buffalo for Rask, Cassidy went with Tuukka.
Honourable Mentions:
Good: Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk
Bad: David Backes, Noel Acciari, Tuukka Rask
Injury Report (As of December 31st)
D Charlie McAvoy – Lower-body – IR
The Bruins are healthy again, for now anyway. Only Charlie McAvoy is injured currently due to a blocked shot that isn’t healing the best. He will miss the Winter Classic. Brad Marchand has been day-to-day for the Bruins but is deemed good-to-go for the Bruins against Chicago. The injuries have been a huge blow for the team this year and to have some of these key players slowly return to the lineup, it is great to see.
January Games
Tuesday, Jan. 1st – vs Chicago Blackhawks (Winter Classic)
Thursday, Jan. 3rd – vs Calgary Flames
Saturday, Jan. 5th – vs Buffalo Sabres
Tuesday, Jan. 8th – vs Minnesota Wild
Thursday, Jan. 10th – vs Washington Capitals
Saturday, Jan. 12th- at Toronto Maple Leafs
Monday, Jan. 14th – vs Montreal Canadiens
Wednesday, Jan. 16th – at Philadelphia Flyers
Thursday, Jan. 17th – vs St. Louis Blues
Saturday, Jan. 19th vs New York Rangers
Tuesday, Jan. 29th vs Winnipeg Jets
Thursday, Jan. 31st vs Philadelphia Flyers
The Boston Bruins have twelve games on the upcoming schedule to start of 2019, including nine games in the TD Garden. Boston’s week-long break takes place from January 20th to January 26th. With some big games against Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, and of course, the Winter Classic game against Chicago, the Bruins will have their work cut out for them but it will make for some fun games for us fans to enjoy.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj
Without a doubt in anyone’s mind, David Pastrnak is the best goal scorer on the Boston Bruins in 2018-19 and he will most likely retain that title for many years to come. With that in mind, how good of a goal scorer exactly is Pastrnak?
The National Hockey League has had the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy since 1999 and was first established at the end of the 1998-1999 season, where Teemu Selanne was awarded the trophy. The award was named after Richard, who spent the entirety of his eighteen-year NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens. “Rocket” was the first NHL player to reach the 500-goal milestone and was the first NHL player to hit 50 goals in a single season, doing so in only 50 games back in 1944-45.
For over a decade, the Rocket Richard Trophy has gone to one man seven times – Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. From the 2012-13 season to the 2015-16 season, Ovechkin won the trophy every single season, until Sidney Crosby broke that streak in 2016-17, only for Ovi to reclaim the trophy last season. Ovechkin’s best trophy-winning season was his 65 goals in 2007-08, the most by a winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy.
PHOTO CREDITS: (AFP)
Since then, however, the winner of the trophy has scored less than fifty goals – Crosby with 44 and Ovechkin with 49 last year. In the history of the trophy, no Boston Bruin has ever won it. David Pastrnak is considered to be one of the best young scorers that the Bruins have had in recent memory, can he be the first Bruin to win the prestigious winner?
At the end of December 2018, Alex Ovechkin still leads the NHL in goals with 29 in 37 games played. Six goals behind him in seventh place, David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. The 22-year-old winger is scoreless in his past three games (CAR, NJD, BUF) and if he scores a few times during that stretch, he could find himself within the top five for goals.
It is somewhat hard to look at the future of a hockey season when you are not even past the halfway point. In the past eighty-two regular season games dating back to the 2017-18 season, including Boston’s most recent game against the Buffalo Sabres, Pastrnak has scored 43 goals. In comparison to Ovechkin’s league-leading forty-nine tallies last season, Pastrnak would only be six goals away from leading the National Hockey League – the exact distance he is apart from the lead right now.
With that stat, it is fair to note that Pastrnak had some rough patches when it came to scoring goals last season. From December 14th, 2017 to January 2nd, 2018, Pastrnak failed to score a single goal in ten consecutive games. If only he scored on six of those, he would have tied Ovechkin’s tally from last year. Of course, that includes the 23 goals this year that Pasta has scored.
PHOTO CREDITS: (USA Today Images)
Already this season, the Bruins have struggled with injuries – including hard injuries to Pastrnak’s well-known linemates, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Although, when Marchand has been healthy, he has not been as effective at putting the puck in the back of the net, scoring only twelve times in thirty-eight games. On the flip side, Marchand leads the team for assists with twenty-nine helpers.
When the Bruins’ first line is fully healthy and they are clicking offensively, the numbers can truly skyrocket. Bergeron already has a passer’s touch and if Marchand continues to have the vision to send the rubber to the piece of tape on Pastrnak’s stick, Pastrnak can rake in the goal numbers.
Is it possible for David Pastrnak to score more goals than any other player in the entire National Hockey League? Of course, it is. The Bruins are finally going to have a healthy roster, *knocks on wood* and can have the opportunity to finally gain some ground on the NHL standings. However, goals have been an issue for the players further on down the lineup.
When Patrice Bergeron was out for multiple weeks with a sternoclavicular/rib injury earlier this season, centre David Krejci filled in on the top line. Pastrnak did not seem to have issues scoring alongside Krejci. Krejci, an above-average passer is able to find his fellow Czech on the ice and create scoring opportunities.
In fact, Pastrnak is in the middle of his best goal-scoring season, scoring an average of 0.59 goals-per-game. His next highest came in the 2016-17 campaign when he averaged 0.45 GPG. If he continues his current pace, Pastrnak has the chance to hit 48 goals this season and that very well could contend for the league-lead. This is barring no injuries and for Pastrnak to continue at this very same pace. It is very possible that David can score more or less than that average moving forward.
If I were a betting man, which I am most definitely not, I would not bet money on David Pastrnak winning the Rocket Richard Trophy THIS season. I do, however, think he can contend for the trophy and within the next five years, he will win the award. Since being drafted twenty-fifth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by Boston, Pastrnak has done nothing but improve in nearly all assets of his hockey game.
If the trend continues, he will only score more goals. But with predictions and future events, the only true answer is in the hands of one thing – time.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGaint for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
By: Max Mainville | Check me out on Twitter @tkdmaxbjj
Pre-Game Notes
Arena: TD Garden – Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Home: Boston Bruins (20-13-4)
Away: New Jersey Devils (12-16-7)
The Christmas Break is over for the National Hockey League and the Bruins and Devils will battle it out as 2019 appears right around the corner. The Bruins entered the three-day break with a 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Hartford Whalers night, but before then, rocked a three-game winning streak.
New Jersey, on the other hand, has struggled this season. Before the break, they lost 3-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets and have lost four of their last five contests dating back to December 15th.
Coming off the Christmas break against a sub-par team, the Bruins may have expected a better start to this hockey team, in addition to the return of DeBrusk, Chara, and Miller, the Bruins should have come out with an aggressive attitude and try to score early. With that said, the Bruins allowed an early goal against by Damon Severson.
Following a defensive zone faceoff win, the Devils exploded up the ice and used brilliant puck rotation to find an open Severson who fired a clean wrist shot past Halak only twenty-five seconds into this Thursday night game, 1-0 Devils.
4:15 into the frame, Stefan Noesen was sent to the penalty box for hooking Kevan Miller, giving Boston an early power-play. Boston seemed to be getting their feet underneath them after some poor play before the penalty. The Bruins moved the puck around well on the man-advantage, with the best chance coming from Jake DeBrusk who tried to shoot it close short-side, only to deflect off of MacKenzie Blackwood’s shoulder.
Even with the good power-play, the Bruins still struggled 5-on-5. Twelve minutes in, the B’s only had two shots while at even strength, something that cannot be true in any game, let alone one with only an injury to Charlie McAvoy.
As New Jersey attempted to enter the zone with aggression once again, John Moore gets his stick tangled in with Kyle Palmieri, sending Moore to the box for tripping. On the Devils power-play, just over thirty seconds in, Will Butcher feeds it to Palmieri, who rockets a slap shot towards the cage that takes a high bounce off of Halak, then bounces in right behind the goaltender, 2-0 Devils.
Boston manages to survive the remainder of the period and enter the intermission down by two goals. During the later stages of the period, the Bruins did have some good hockey in them, mainly led by none other than Patrice Bergeron who had some good slot shots that Blackwood stopped.
Shots On Goal: BOS: 10 NJD: 12
Score: 2-0 Devils
Second Period:
Looking for a better frame than the first, the Bruins took an early penalty, as Colby Cave went to the sinbin for a tripping infraction on Andy Greene only 3 minutes and ten seconds into the second period. Boston looked good on this penalty-kill, with the help of Jake DeBrusk, who makes his return tonight after missing a few games with a concussion. Bruins successfully kill off the penalty on Cave and game returns to 5-on-5.
The Bruins momentum continued to increase upwards with that top line that has dominated the NHL over the 2018 calendar year. David Pastrnak took a hard spin while shooting, only to ring the rubber puck off of the post. Arguably the best chance of the hockey game for the Bruins, but no such luck when it comes to scoring their first of the night.
As the seconds became minutes, the Bruins continue to pressure the Devils with numerous offensive opportunities while staying solid on the defensive end as well. Both Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller have looked comfortable in their return games after injuries. At one point, Miller erupted the TD Garden crowd with a massive hit on Jesper Bratt.
Ever wonder what it feels like to have Kevan Miller come after you?
Just over five minutes remaining on the scoreboard, Chris Wagner buried a cross-crease pass from John Moore to put a cap on a strong shift by Boston’s fourth line. Moore made a smart decision to pinch, beating out a couple Devils players, then proceeds to have the vision to see Wagner who found the back door entrance towards the net. 2-1 hockey game now in Boston.
Again, Boston’s pressure was consistent in the period and seemed to even increase more after the Wagner tally. With 11.8 seconds to go, David Krejci gets tripped up by Andy Greene, sending Boston to a power-play. With no goals in the limited time, the Bruins will start the third period with 1:49 of power-play time.
Shots On Goal: BOS: 29 NJD: 21
Score: 2-1 Devils
Third Period:
It is usually a difficult task to start a period with a man-advantage as the team sometimes needs a few minutes to “warm-up” after the intermission between periods. Such belief is true as the Bruins could not capitalize on Greene’s late second-period penalty and the Bruins go to 0-for-3 on the 5-on-4 power-play tonight.
New Jersey shut down the Bruins momentum with a goal 4:15 into the third by Blake Coleman. The speedy forward sped past Brandon Carlo and made a quick forehand-backhand deke to bury it past Jaroslav Halak on the breakaway, making this a 3-1 game. Credit has to be given to Coleman who managed to hold off the big Carlo and make a move to the net to score his tenth goal of the 2018-19 season.
The Devils without Taylor Hall continued after the goal to put more pressure on the Bruins. Forward Miles Wood with a fire lit underneath him races towards Halak but is tripped up by Miller. The puck was across the red line, but the referees had a brief conversation on the timing of the “goal”, only to determine that it crossed the line after the whistle and there was no official goal on the play. Bruins, however, are called on the tripping minor and Miller serves the two minutes.
Not long after the successful kill, the Bruins tried to build some offensive chances, led by defenceman Matt Grzelcyk who made some solid passes and advances on Blackwood but the rookie goaltender held his ground on every one of them to keep this a two-goal Devils lead. The young Massachusetts blueliner has looked good for Boston tonight.
Around the seven-minute mark, Stefan Noesen nails Donato in the Devils zone up high while battling along the boards, only for New Jersey to make some good breakout passes – leading to Nico Hischier’s breakaway goal. The tally makes this game 4-1 and gives the 2017 1st Overall Draft Pick his tenth goal of the year.
With Jaroslav Halak on the bench, David Krejci tosses the puck high and deep into the Devils end where Sami Vatanen rifles a shot around the boards that is stopped by DeBrusk. Jake sends the puck towards the net and Patrice Bergeron deflects his twelfth goal of the year and it is 4-2 with 2:55 to go.
Less than sixty seconds later, David Backes finds Brad Marchand with speed into the zone, but Marchand’s in-tight shot is stopped by Blackwood’s pads. As the rebound escaped into the slot, David Backes lays an illegal hit to the head of Blake Coleman. Backes’ shoulder makes clear contact with the head and I would imagine that NHL Player Safety is taking a look at this play. Backes goes to the box with exactly two minutes to go.
Blake Coleman just got blindsided by David Backes when he tried to shoot the puck out of the zone. He was down on one knee for a bit there. That looked pretty dirty. pic.twitter.com/gLDdDuFKwn
Having Halak pulled from the cage, the game was 5-on-5 and Boston had some decent chances from Marchand and company. However, Torey Krug is unable to keep the puck onside and the whistle is blown. On the offensive zone faceoff, the Bruins lose it, leading to Blake Coleman burying the empty-net goal to seal the deal and make it 5-2 New Jersey.
3rd Star: NJD D Andy Greene – 2 Assists, +3 Rating, 21:48 TOI
The Boston Bruins are now 20-14-4 on the season and have lost their last two games against two of the worst teams in the NHL Eastern Conference. Up next, the Bruins take on the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, December 29th in the final game of 2018. The Sabres last beat the Bruins 4-2 on Sunday, December 16th, 2018. Scheduled puck drop for Saturday’s game is 7:00pm EST in Buffalo, New York.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGaint for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
Patrice Bergeron enters this game just two goals away from 300 for his career.
Brad Marchand is five points shy of 500 for his career.
Boston’s Lineup
Forwards
Marchand-Bergeron-Heinen
Nordstrom-Krejci-Pastrnak
Donato-Cave-Backes
Kuraly-Acciari-Wagner
Defense
Krug-Carlo
Grzelcyk-McAvoy
Moore-Kampfer
Goalies
Halak
Rask
Nashville’s Lineup
Forwards
Hartman-Johansen-Fiala
Gaudreau-Turris-Rinaldo
Salomaki-Bonino-Watson
Grimaldi-Jarnkrok-Smith
Defense
Josi-Ellis
Hamhuis-Ekholm
Irwin-Weber
Goalies
Rinne
Saros
First Period
Neither team had any great scoring chances in the early moments of the game but the B’s looked to be alert making a few good defensive plays in the neutral zone. Bergeron seemed to be right back in his element as he showed no ill effects from his 16 game absence. Jaroslav Halak made a couple good stops towards the middle part of the period as the Bruins continued to try to find their footing.
The B’s had no issues with possession in the first half of the period but struggled to parlay that into many shots on goal. A strong shift by Danton Heinen nearly broke the tie but Pekka Rinne made a flurry of saves on the young forward to keep it scoreless. Another outstanding shift by Boston put immense pressure on the Predators but they weren’t able to solve Rinne.
After another solid shift, Bergeron buried a shot in front after a nice feed from Charlie McAvoy to give the Bruins the lead.
Bergeron is back.
Patrice Bergeron scores in the first period in his first game in over a month.pic.twitter.com/7WJJIjZfG5
The Bruins really seemed to find their legs towards the end of the period as they tried to push for more.
Score: 1-0 Bruins
Second Period
The B’s picked up right where they left off in the beginning of the second period with a couple of good scoring opportunities. The Bruins seemed to get a little careless in their own zone in the early moments of the period but Halak kept the Predators at bay. The Bruins skating game continued to be a positive as they held a healthy advantage in the possession category.
After a mad scramble in front of the Nashville net, McAvoy appeared to double the Bruins lead. But a challenge for goaltender interference resulted in the play being overturned, keeping it a one goal game
The no goal call seemed to galvanize the Predators as they pushed very hard to tie the game but Halak was up to the task. A great indirect pass from Craig Smith right to Ryan Johansen tied the game up as Johansen buried his sixth goal of the season past Halak.
The game began to get a bit physical towards the end of the period as both teams started to be aggressive with the body. The Bruins went to the penalty kill with about two minutes left in the period as Matt Grzelcyk took a very questionable hooking penalty. Johansen then negated the power play with an interference penalty which resulted in a four on four. The Bruins picked up a five on three power play after Mattias Ekholm finished up high on David Pastrnak at the end of the period.
Score: Tied 1-1
Third Period
The Bruins moved the puck very effectively on the five on three but weren’t able to find the back of the net. The Bruins finally did find the back of the net as Bergeron buried his 300th career goal on the power play to give the B’s the lead once again.
The Predators got their second power play of the game as Grzelcyk went off for slashing with under 15 minutes to go. The Bruins killed the penalty as the Predators failed to get any significant scoring chances. The Predators stormed the Boston end following the power play and they looked to tie the game again. Kyle Turris eventually tied it with a wrist shot that beat Halak to knot the game at two.
Kyle Turris ties things up. 2-2 game with 10:43 to go.
The Bruins would return to the man advantage as Pastrnak drew a tripping penalty after a good shift by Boston with under nine minutes to play. 13 seconds into the power play Marchand fired home the go ahead goal after a perfect pass from Pastrnak to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.
Third Star: Marchand. The winger was really solid in the victory as he totaled a goal and two assists.
Second Star: Pastrnak. Playing with Krejci, Pasta was really impressive all game long and continued his great season with a goal and two helpers.
First Star: Bergeron. No doubt about this one. The star center returned after a long absence and made his presence felt with a three point game.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket, from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows, please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You!
The Bruins would get an early power play after Keller got his stick in Charlie McAvoy’s face which resulted in a four minute man advantage. The Bruins failed to score despite some good puck movement and the Coyotes took some momentum back after the penalty kill. A few minutes later, Matt Grzelcyk took a hooking penalty to give the Coyotes a power play opportunity.
Brad Marchand got a shorthanded opportunity but was stoned by Darcy Kuemper on a breakaway. Nick Schmaltz gave the Coyotes the lead on the man advantage off a nice feed from Keller that ricocheted off the post and then off Rask and into the net.
Nick Schmaltz gets the lucky bounce off the post (and goaltender) and in! 🚨
The Bruins had a few good shifts towards the end of the period but weren’t able to solve Kuemper. The Coyotes seemed to dig in defensively towards the end of the period as they seemed comfortable with the two goal lead.
Score: 2-0 Coyotes
Second Period
Both teams started the middle period fairly aggressively as they went hard to the net on a few different occasions but both goalies seemed up to the task. The Bruins were incredibly sloppy in their own zone early in the period as they were lucky to not let the Coyotes get another goal. The B’s continued the have the majority of shots toward the middle of the period but weren’t unable to cut into the lead.
Danton Heinen finally got the Bruins on the board after he buried a sweet feed in front by Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson to cut the Coyotes lead in half.
JFK with the sweet backhand saucer pass to Danton Heinen, who buries his second goal in three games. pic.twitter.com/evQC5rNjwQ
The one goal game didn’t last long as David Pastrnak tied the game on an impressive net drive after Marchand hit him perfectly in stride with a beauty of a pass.
An ugly turnover behind the Boston net resulted in the third Coyotes goal as Michael Bunting’s shot somehow got through Rask to cut the B’s lead to one.
First NHL game, first NHL goal for Michael Bunting of the @ArizonaCoyotes! 🚨
The Coyotes continued to push for a tying goal, basically throwing everything at Rask in hopes of getting another lucky bounce. Fortunately for the Bruins, Rask stood tall in the final moments of the period to keep it a one goal game going into the third period.
Score: 4-3 Bruins
Third Period
The Coyotes held much of the possession in the opening moments of the third period as they looked to tie the game up. Rask was ready for the Coyotes onslaught in the early going of the period and maybe a nice stick save on Schmaltz with about 15 minutes to go. The Bruins picked up their second power play of the night as Jakob Chychrun went to the penalty box with 11 minutes to go.
The Coyotes killed the penalty despite some really good puck movement by the Bruins. The B’s continued to have issues in their own zone as the game drew towards a close as they seemed to be hanging on for dear life. The Coyotes went on the man advantage as Moore took a tripping penalty with about six minutes remaining.
The Bruins killed off the penalty to Moore as the Coyotes failed to get any significant scoring chances. Krejci nearly iced the game but hit the post behind Kuemper and the game remained a one goal affair. The Coyotes pulled the goalie with about 1:20 to play as they looked to knot the game at four. The Coyotes were unable to tie it as Rask made a huge save to seal the deal.
Final Score: 4-3 Bruins
Three Stars Of The Game
Third Star: Heinen. The young winger got the Bruins on the board with his second goal in three games as he continued his solid recent play.
Second Star: Krejci. Number 46 was an absolute wizard on the ice and was perhaps the important player in the game.
First Star: Marchand. A three point night from the feisty winger helped the Bruins rally from an early two goal deficit and take away two points at home.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You & Happy Holidays!
Hot on the heels (skates) of the B’s big win over division and could-be playoff rival the Toronto Maple Leafs at home, the Bruins hit the road for Ottawa to take on a middling Senators team also charged up after a big win over Pittsburgh.
The Bruins are hoping to keep the momentum moving in the right direction as they currently are bouncing around the playoff bubble (15-10-4 for 34 points), with the Sens almost as far back as you can go (13-14-3 for 29 points).
For the Bruins, their new look first line featuring the creative combo of Krejci, Marchand & Pastrnak led the way in points against the Leafs, while youngster JFK added the 3rd goal of his brief, but bright, NHL career — the all important FIRST goal, mind you. If the B’s can repeat this kind of production, or even half of it, they should have no problem against an equally injured Sens team (no Matt Duchene, no Bobby Ryan) that usually wilts when pressure, and the puck, gets placed around their net. In fact, The Bruins have already beat Ottawa twice this season–by the recently familiar score of 6-3 at home and 4-1 on the road in October.
The reality of the situation is that JFK plays a relaxed style of game and he sometimes doesn’t find that “extra” gear. He also needs work on face offs, of course. With that being said, he should be a mainstay in this lineup as he’s steady and reliable in each zone. #NHLBruins
For the Sens, you could argue Craig Anderson and Ryan Dzingel after they both played huge roles in Ottawa’s OT victory versus the Pens, but it appears Anderson, like Halak, will get the night off so the B’s may have a bit of advantage with Mike McKenna in the crease (going up against Tuukka Rask, who is eager to get a W under his jersey again).
Craig Anderson made 35 saves, and Ryan Dzingel scored on the power play at 1:20 of overtime to give the Senators a 2-1 win against the Penguins. https://t.co/MkoYEIBR28
While the Bruins 4th line had newcomer Gemel Smith added to it, the lack of “tangible” production (not counting energy, grit, physicality or what have you) is still as cold as Foreigner’s ice. And it definitely “feels like the first time” anybody on the ice not wearing 63, 88 or 46 scores. But hopefully, the 6-different-goal-scorers effort against the Leafs will lead to the likes of Heinen, Donato, Krug, Backes and more consistently finding that elusive scoring touch — or at least pointing in the right direction.
Speaking of the lineup, here’s a bit of good news concerning Charlie McAvoy from head coach Bruce Cassidy:
As for the B’s opponent, anyone playing on the PK for the Sens is freakin frigid. Ottawa ranks last in the league, 31st for you number hunters out there, on the penalty kill. And the team is also last in the all-important Goals Against category. This means the B’s should have plenty of chances to put the puck in the net during 5-on-5 play and on the Power Play. So, look for the B’s to bring their skating game to the Canadian Tire Centre in the hopes they blow a few tires on the Sens and send them to the sin bin.
BRUINS VS SENS OUTLOOK:
I like the B’s chances of keeping their winning ways going against the Sens after just how well they played versus the Leafs. They got everything they needed, for the first time in a while, from their players: timely scoring, stout goalkeeping, smart breakouts, and solid defense (not counting the few “garbage goals” Toronto scored). Sure, Ottawa is feeling the same way after taking down Sid the Kid and company, but the B’s have had the Sens’ number so far this season and I don’t see that stopping, even on a back-to-backer, because there is a lot at stake — both in the standings and for team confidence & morale.
Check out the available tickets from our advertising partner SeatGiant for your next Boston Bruins game. Click the link below, and when purchasing any event ticket — from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL to concerts and shows — please use discount code BNGP to save a little money. Thank You & Happy Holidays!
Photo Courtesy Of NHL.com
Photo Courtesy Of The Boston Herald
Photo Courtesy Of Getty Images
Photo Courtesy Of Boston Sports Extra
(Photo Credit: The Boston Globe)