Through 29 games this season, Anders Bjork is on pace for a career year. The oft-injured winger is seen as a big part of the Bruins’ future but has been held back by injuries the past three seasons. So far in 2019, he has avoided the injured list and seen most of his time on the third line. Last night, however, Bruce Cassidy moved the Notre Dame product up to the second line where he has continued to thrive.
So far this year, Bjork has a career-high six goals and five assists. He also has one goal on the power play and has nearly doubled his shooting percentage from last season. While those numbers may not jump off the page, he has been one of the Bruins’ best forwards of late and looked more confident as the season has progressed.
Bjork with a bomb and it’s 3-0 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/7OxrfP0iZi
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) December 24, 2019
With a goal against Washington, Bjork has now found the back of the net in two of his last three games. That total could be even higher had he not been the victim of a highlight reel save by Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov on Sunday night. He has also been more aggressive with the puck and seemingly has a high scoring chance every night.
Furthermore, Bjork’s recent performance has been a welcoming boost for a Bruins offense that has struggled of late. In their last eight games, they have only won two while dropping three in overtime. In that span, they only scored more than two goals three times as their secondary scoring struggled to produce.
Anders Bjork goes top cheddar to give Boston a 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/UrqKhNBEEB
— Matt Castle (@Matt_Castle22) December 20, 2019
Additionally, Bjork has shown that he could at least be one solution to fix the Bruins’ scoring issues. The Bruins have proved that they are hard to stop when everyone gets involved. On Monday night, they dominated Washington as 10 different players recorded at least one point.
While the season is far from over, Bjork is showing that he can live up to the high expectations placed upon him. The Bruins are looking for a spark, and over the last few games, Bjork has provided one. If he can continue to make smart plays and manage the puck, then a spot in the top six could become his new home.
