Entering Monday’s game riding a four-game point streak, the Bruins had plenty to feel good about regardless of how their showdown with the Capitals went down.
With things appearing to slip out of control under head coach Jim Montgomery, the Bruins’ decision to turn to Joe Sacco (along with some help from some free-falling clubs below the Bruins in the Atlantic Division) has allowed the Black and Gold to bring themselves closer to what they consider to be their norm.
The Bruins have also seen some of their role players start to produce closer to their summertime expectations, while their team defense and special teams play has started to slowly-but-steadily inch its way further and further from the league’s basement.
Again, these are all things that the Bruins should feel good about when they wake up on Christmas Eve.
But the Bruins found a way to feel even better, as the Bruins took it to the Capitals in crunch time and left TD Garden with a 4-1 victory over the East’s best team. It was especially stifling in the B’s end, too, with the Capitals held to just 11 shots, which is the lowest single-game total allowed by the Bruins in over 30 years.
Third Star: Charlie McAvoy
Dec 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) checks Washington Capitals left wing Andrew Mangiapane (88) during the second period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)
As we’ve talked about here again and again, when Charlie McAvoy is feeling it, there’s a Norris-caliber, complete, three-zone defenseman there on the B’s backend. From his tenacity to his brain to his ability to push pace, No. 73 can be a true game-changing presence for the Black and Gold. And on Monday, McAvoy was that guy from start to finish, and was a downright punishing presence against the Capitals.
Deployed for a team-leading 24:18 (almost three full minutes more than Nikita Zadorov’s second-best 21 minutes and change), McAvoy finished this contest with an assist, a plus-2 rating, along with four hits and four blocks.
One of the best mini-highlights from McAvoy came in the opening stanza, too, as he lowered the boom on the Capitals’ Tom Wilson while mid-activation and with Wilson looking to catch him in a tricky spot.
With Hampus Lindholm still out (and not close to a return), the Bruins are going to need more nights like this from McAvoy, as they not only bring his three-zone dynamics to the fold but also allow every other B’s defenseman to slide into their proper place within the six-man unit.
Second Star: Charlie Coyle
Dec 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) reacts after scoring a goal during the third period against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)
Here’s something that’ll blow your mind: Prior to his firing, Montgomery tried about 5,000 different line combinations, but never once tried a combo with Charlie Coyle moved from center to wing and to the right of Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm. Sacco, however, thought it up, and it’s a line that’s certainly looked the part of a three-zone threat so far, with Coyle on the board with a goal and an assist in this one.
Monday felt like vintage Coyle, too, as he showed off his supreme puck protection skills in the defensive zone before helping get the puck up the ice to Marchand and Lindholm for what ultimately held as the game winner.
For Coyle, that’s now two goals and three points in two games since fully moving to ‘RW1’ for the B’s.
First Star: Elias Lindholm
Dec 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (28) tucks the puck past Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren (79) during the third period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)
It took over two months, but it feels like the Bruins are finally seeing the version of Elias Lindholm that they always envisioned skating in their top six. This honestly goes beyond the game-winning goal scored by Lindholm in this one, too, with the Swedish-born pivot simply looking like a player with a ton of confidence right now.
With the goal, Lindholm has now scored a goal in three of his last four games, and has five points in his last five games overall. But, again, let’s look under the hood beyond the tally tonight.
On the ice for 19:34 of action, Lindholm collected wins in nine of his 12 faceoffs (including a key, late-game win that led to Marchand’s empty-net dagger) and posted a plus-3 rating, while the Bruins outshot the Capitals by a 6-0 mark during Lindholm’s five-on-five sample, which included four defensive-zone faceoffs.
That, as much as the scoring, is what the Bruins are paying for when it comes to Lindholm.
