It is no secret now that the Boston Bruins are one of the best teams in the league as the season approaches the three-quarters mark, with a record of 41-8-5 and 89 points. The Bruins’ offense has been incredibly impressive, averaging almost four goals per game this season, and what’s even more impressive is they are getting contributions from all over the roster. Boston has also been great on defense and in net, with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman both having tremendous seasons.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Bruins had a disappointing 2-1 home loss against the Capitals, but quickly bounced back, with an electric comeback win in overtime against Dallas, which was followed by a 5-0 shutout against the Predators. Against the Predators, Boston showed that they have a seemingly endless amount of goal scorers, with each of the five goals being scored by a different player. In Nashville, Marchand, Smith, Bergeron, Forbort, and Frederic all scored. Lindholm and Foligno each had two assists. The Bruins were nails in the defensive zone, and Jeremy Swayman was automatic, making 28 saves and shutting out the Predators.
Even though the Bruins demonstrated their deep roster talent against the Predators, they were still missing a big piece in Jake DeBrusk, who finally returned against the Islanders after missing 17 games. It did not take long for DeBrusk to show why Boston missed him, scoring the first goal of the game just over two minutes in. DeBrusk was assisted by Marchand and Pastrnak. The Bruins would score two more goals in the first period, one by Foligno and the other by Frederic.
The Islanders would get one past Ullmark in the second period, making the score 3-1. It would not take long for Boston to answer, with a four-on-four goal by Bergeron off a deflection from DeBrusk. Just over two minutes later, Frederic would get his second goal of the night, with him getting a long-range wrist shot to the back of the net. Zacha would get the last Boston goal of the night. The Islanders would get another goal in garbage time to make the final score 6-2, Bruins.
With the win over the Islanders making it three straight since the loss to the Capitals, the Bruins again show that they are one of the most, if not the most consistent team in the NHL this season. This three-game winning streak is Boston’s ninth winning streak on the season, and only one of their winning streaks is under three games.
During this most recent winning streak, the Bruins had some extra support from their siblings, with the players’ siblings being flown out to both the Dallas and Nashville games, and some making it for the home game against New York. In an interview with NESN after the win over the Predators, Patrice Bergeron spoke on the siblings trip.
“it’s been an amazing trip for all of us, they’re a big part of our upbringing and getting to this point. They have a huge influence on our lives and we’re happy that we can share that with them,” said Bergeron.
In their past two games, the Bruins exhibited their ideal brand of hockey, playing fast and instinctive on offense, showing no relent, and having a strong defense that can kill the penalty and create opportunities for the offense. Against the Islanders, the Bruins barely let them breathe, always pushing the puck and going after it when they didn’t have it. Boston has gotten contributions from all over the roster, a true sign of a championship-caliber team.
The Bruins will stay in Boston to play the Ottawa Senators on Monday. The Senators currently sit near the bottom of the division, but that is no reason for the Bruins to look past them, as there is still a good chunk of hockey left to be played.
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