Let’s empty out the notebook for the Boston Bruins, as they turn the page from their first two wins of the season and toward a trip to California to battle all three teams taking up residence out there…
West Coast Test
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 23: Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings keeps the puck from Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins while on the power play during the second period at Staples Center on February 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Bruins played well enough to win each of their first two games of the 2023-24 season in Boston. But the games didn’t come without their warts, and a key question about the season remains: how do they look against teams with better center depth?
They definitely weren’t going to get that kind of test in the opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, whose only real threat is 18-year-old Connor Bedard, who will need a little time before he truly dominates games. The Nashville Predators had Ryan O’Reilly, while veteran Colton Sissons overachieved with his first multi-goal game in five years, but that’s not exactly a gauntlet.
They’ll catch a break in San Jose, where veteran Mikael Granlund was just placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. But the real test comes Saturday night in Los Angeles, where they’ll face a Kings team with talent, depth, and versatility down the middle.
Kings captain Anže Kopitar, a future Hall of Famer in a class of his own among Slovenian-born players, remains a premier two-way forward at age 36. Opponents averaged only 2.2 goals per 60 minutes while Kopitar was on the ice at 5-on-5 last season, the third-best rate among all full-time centers with at least 1,100 minutes of ice time, behind only Joe Pavelski and Auston Matthews (stats via Natural Stat Trick). He’s off to a quick start this year, with two goals and three points in two games.
Good With The Bad
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) talks with referee Garrett Rank (7) during the second period of a game against the Nashville Predators at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Saturday’s game against the Preds came with its share of ups and downs, and it probably won’t be the last time we see that.
As Brad Marchand dons the “C,” the Bruins are bound to take on his identity. That means a whole team playing with an edge, a relentlessness, and often pressuring or frustrating opponents. It also means that at times, they could go over the edge.
They certainly got carried away at certain points during the Nashville game, as evidenced by their 14 penalty minutes. But they also got a dominant penalty kill, which helped spur positive momentum toward a more disciplined third period. It was the Predators going over the edge in the final 20, as the B’s cashed in on their first power play of the third en route to a 3-2 win.
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) and Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) shove each other after the whistle during the second period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
So, while the Bruins certainly aren’t going to aim for seven penalties a game and won’t always have to kill that many penalties, they’re not exactly going to have a Lady Byng Trophy winner on their roster, either. The best-case scenario is that they may have to take the “good” with the “bad.” Head coach Jim Montgomery didn’t seem to mind Marchand’s penalties on Saturday, and willing to absorb those to reap the benefits of everything else he does.
“Brad’s been our emotional leader here for the Bruins for a long time,” Montgomery said postgame. “He brings emotion, he plays with emotion. His greatest strength at times can lead to adverse situations. But no, I didn’t think he did anything tonight that would suggest he was undisciplined to me.”
The Bruins may not have the offensive firepower or center depth that they boasted a year ago, but the Marchand B’s are surely going to be a pain in the ass to play against and continue to dominate on the PK. They just need to be careful about playing with fire, especially against teams with more high-octane power plays.
Pastrnak’s Deception
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) takes a penalty shot against the Nashville Predators during the second period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
David Pastrnak is off to another hot start this season with three goals in two games, his latest coming on a penalty shot against the Preds’ Juuse Saros. Pastrnak continues to make savvy plays look easy, and this goal was no different. He didn’t just beat Saros with velocity, but with deception.
Montgomery actually crossed sports the other night when he compared Pastrnak’s goal to the great former Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant, whose unique delivery momentarily hid the ball from batters before he threw. Pastrnak was able to “hide” the puck from Saros just before the release, making it a virtually impossible shot to track the whole way.
Blocking Everything
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) skates against Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) during the first period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins were credited with nine total blocked shots during penalty kills on Saturday night, clearly a major reason why they shut out the Preds in that department (albeit there was a goal on a delayed call). But there were other plays that don’t even show up on a lot of advanced stat sheets.
Pavel Zacha, Jake DeBrusk, and Johnny Beecher were all able to get in front of pucks that looked more like pass attempts than shots, and clear it down the other end. It was a true shutdown performance across the board for the PK and the key to victory.
As mentioned above, even if the Bruins find themselves in the penalty box a little more than they’d like, they know they’ll have an incredibly tough penalty kill backing them up.
Crease Awareness
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) make a save during the third period of a game against the Nashville Predators at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Swayman’s 33-save performance Saturday night shouldn’t be overlooked. What stood out about Swayman in this one wasn’t necessarily the saves, but his crease awareness. He was quick to pounce on pucks in his range, freezing up a lot of potential high-danger chances for the Preds.
Nashville had eight total rebound attempts in the game, compared to just three for the Bruins. It could have been worse if it weren’t for Swayman’s quick thinking.
Getting Caught
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Nashville Predators center Colton Sissons (10) shoots the puck for a goal past Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) and center Jakub Lauko (94) during the first period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Bruins newcomer Kevin Shattenkirk had a nice scoring chance in the first period against the Predators. But it also led to the first goal of the game from Colton Sissons, as the Preds caught the B’s with four guys down below the faceoff dot, leaving Derek Forbort alone against an odd-man rush.
From 30,000 feet above, it looked like Jakub Lauko needed to back Shattenkirk up there, as soon as he saw the defenseman dashing for the slot. He made a good effort to get back and try to stop the goal, but he learned the hard way to hang back in that situation going forward. Unless he wants to keep getting caught out of position.
Poitras’ Passing
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 11: Matthew Poitras #51 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Chicago Blackhawks in his first NHL game during the third period of the Bruins home opener at TD Garden on October 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Blackhawks 3-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Rookie center Matt Poitras’ greatest impact on the team would be to produce points, of course. That’s why he could be getting an opportunity to play next to Marchand this week. But he’s also capable of making good plays that don’t show up in the box score.
One small, but impressive example came during one of the Bruins’ third-period power plays. From around the goal line, Poitras sent an absolute laser of a pass back to the point. The speed and pinpoint accuracy popped off the ice. It was the kind of pass that will lead to grade-A scoring chances, wide-open shooters, and a lot of assists, if he can pass like that consistently.
Playing a top-six role would give Poitras a great chance to show off that skill, and perhaps add to his point total in the early-going.
