With the Boston Bruins having completed just over a quarter of their 2017-2018 campaign, let’s take a look at what’s gone right for the Bruins so far.
This is team is far from perfect, but they have plenty to be excited about as they enter the meat of their season.
The Penalty Kill:
The Bruins defense has been far from perfect so far. For reasons ranging from injuries to plain old inconsistency, the blue line is still a work in progress. With that said however, the one constant for the Bruins has been their stout defense when down a man on the ice.
Boston’s penalty kill ranks seventh overall in the NHL and has kept them afloat in many close contests.
Rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy has found a himself in a primary role on the penalty kill and has honestly become indispensable when the team doesn’t have the numbers in their favor.
Speaking of McAvoy ….
The Rookies:
The Bruins rookie trio of McAvoy, Jake Debrusk, and Anders Bjork have become a critical part of the Bruins roster. Boston was already planning to use the three in prominent roles, but a mass of injuries has made their jobs even more important.
McAvoy has been the most impressive of the three. With several defenseman down, he has taken up the role of a starter far sooner than many imagined and he’s made the most of his time on the ice.
The 19-year-old is holding his own against top tier forwards and has two goals to go along with his nine assists.
Jake DeBrusk started hot then cooled off, but he seems to be finding his mojo once again. He has five points in his last four games.
Anders Bjork hasn’t really worked out on the first line, but with nine assists, he’s proven that he can be a solid depth scorer. Injuries have held the Notre Dame product out of the lineup, but he seems to be progressing in the right direction.
These three rookies have had their ups and downs as all rookies do, but the future is bright for these three youngsters.
The Goalie Situation:
Tuukka Rask hasn’t gotten off to a great start, so why is the goalie situation a positive? Because the team hasn’t needed to rely on Rask thus far.
Rask battled a concussion for awhile and has yet to regain his footing, but if given less of a work load, he should be able to return to vintage form.
Anton Khudobin has been the go to man in the net as of late and he’s answered the challenge with some stellar play. He posts a .932 save percentage and is a key reason the Bruins are on a four game winning streak after it looked like the season was lost.
