All has been well for the Boston Bruins as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-0 on Monday, with Jeremy Swayman in net, recording his first shutout since February of last year. Boston did an excellent job spreading the puck around, with goals from Marchand, Krejci, Zacha, Grzelcyk, and of course, Pastrnak with two. Pastrnak is currently the Bruins’ leading scorer with 62 total points and 35 goals, he is followed by Marchand with 40 points and 14 goals and Bergeron, with 35 points and 16 goals.
The 6-0 victory on Monday does not come as a huge surprise, since the Bruins are sitting not only atop of the Atlantic conference midway through the season, but atop the league as well, with an impressive 34-5 record. Boston is 21-1 at home and 13-4 on the road. It was said before the season started that new Head Coach Jim Montgomery wanted to change Boston’s scheme to a more instinctive and offensively based style of hockey. This new style is certainly paying off, with the Bruins being tied with the Edmonton Oilers for highest scoring team with 166 goals.
Boston is also very good in net and in the defensive zone, with just 94 goals against, and a league-high 86.18% penalty kill. Goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been awesome in the net, Ullmark has recorded 762 saves in 28 games played while Swayman has put up 372 saves in the 17 games he’s played in. With the offense and defense working in tandem, Boston appears to be one of the more well-rounded teams in the league. The Bruins also seem to have a good balance of old and young, with veterans such as Bergeron, Marchand and Krejci mixed with younger players such as Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Zacha.
The line combinations for Boston have worked great, with the first line being Marchand, Bergeron, and Craig Smith with Grzelyck and McAvoy on defense. The Bruins' first line has proven to be lethal, with 120 total points and 37 goals combined. The second line for Boston might be even more impressive, with Pastrnak, Krejci, and Zacha paired with defensemen Lindholm and Carlo. The second line has 161 total points and 59 goals.
The Bruins have been hot so far this season, with only one home loss and two four-game winning streaks, they also already have 100% of making the playoffs now. With Boston currently on a two-game winning streak, they will look to keep their foot on the gas, with a New York trip coming up where they will face both the Islanders and Rangers on the road in the next two days.
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