November has arrived with a 7-7 record for the Boston Bruins. Perhaps not a shock to many, but the Bruins record reflects what has been an inconsistent first month of the season in Boston. Coming off a 3-0 start, the Bruins then dropped their next six contests. All in regulation, I might add. Since then, Marco Sturm’s B’s have won four of their past five. Hot, cold (really cold), hot again. Inconsistent play that is expected this season given where the team is and its goal of reacquiring their identity. Currently the team sits tied for third place in the Atlantic Division. A sign of an Eastern Conference marred in mediocrity. Given the tight schedules each team is dealing with, on account of the winter Olympics in February, practice time is scarce. Teams needing to work on their game are trying to do so during morning skates instead of actual practice time. Perhaps this is why we’re seeing a logjam in the standings thus far.
Boston’s most impressive win came on Saturday as they battled the high-powered Carolina Hurricanes. Easily their best effort of the young season so far, the B’s got back to 500 after the matinee victory. It’s no coincidence that their play has solidified behind the steady play of the top defensive pairing of Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov. Sturm made the switch three games prior by scratching Mason Lohrei, who continues to struggle in the defensive zone. With the new top defensive duo running the show, Boston has become a much harder opponent to handle. Speaking post-game, the coach had this to say; “I don’t want them to lead the rush,” Sturm said. “I want them to join the rush, and that’s a big difference. Sometimes Charlie’s on the forecheck a lot, even this season we’ve had ‘D’ on the forecheck all the time, it doesn’t matter which ‘D’ it was – no, not with me. I want them to join the rush, not lead the rush … it’s when to do it, and how to do it and he definitely picked the right time today.” “I thought we defended well. I think they have a team that plays aggressive and transitions well, but I think we were in good spots. I thought we had a good concept of our D-zone coverage today,” McAvoy, who had two assists, said. “Every day is a new opportunity in this league. We’ve done a good job of finding that perspective and finding ways to get better with the limited time we have between games.”
On another front, the B’s have been getting better goaltending as of late. Sturm gave back-to-back starts to Joonas Korpisalo last week after Swayman surrendered a season-high seven goals against Ottawa. A low point team wide, Swayman had moments of disinterest it seemed. After watching Korpisalo secure victories from the bench against the New York Islanders and Buffalo respectively, Swayman was back in the crease for Saturday’s win. “I know what I need to do to help this team win games. Sometimes it’s just not your night. You can’t control certain things. Park it, move forward and have that mindset of next shot,” Swayman said. “I just thought we had a complete game tonight. That is something we can really build on, and good to have momentum, three games now, feeling good about our game moving forward.” “That was really good today,” Sturm added. “I think it was very noticeable, not just behind the bench, but I think everyone could really see it. We needed to play that way against a team like that. We wanted to have a good start; we wanted to slow them down.” Mission accomplished, for now anyway. One thing that won’t help is the injury Elias Lindholm suffered Thursday night vs Buffalo. The top line pivot is out week to week with a lower body injury and will be missed. He was off to a good start and had registered solid production numbers on the Bruins top powerplay unit.
With no break in the schedule on the horizon and with points becoming increasingly valuable, Boston will have to keep the urgency on high. For a team that is widely considered a long shot to reach the playoffs this season, wins like the one versus Carolina have to be the standard. The NHL calendar is flipped to November. It’s no longer early.
The Lookahead
Boston will hit the road and visit the Islanders Tuesday before returning home for another crack at the Senators on Thursday. On Saturday we will see Boston travel to Toronto for the Hall of Fame game. Fitting as Bruins legend Zdeno Chara and former 1st overall draft pick Joe Thornton are both members of this year’s class.
G-Rant @TheRealG_Rant/Grant Cumming. Bruins fan. Bigger dreams, bigger screens, bigger feelings are planned.
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