Bruins Quarter Season Recap

The Bruins have had a pretty good start to the season despite an offseason of turnover with various trades and free agent defections and signings. After the first quarter of the season, they are in first place in the new Atlantic Division with twenty-one games played, wth a 14-6-1 record for 25 points. The biggest reasons for the Bruins success have been coaching, goaltending and some good results from new players.

I find the defence pairing of Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid a very good match. The two complement each other, and bring doses of a rough style, speed, passing skills and goal scoring to combine as a great 3rd unit. Combined these two have seven goals and eight assists while averagingsixteen minutes of ice time per game.

McQuaid has been out for over a week now with a lower body injury (assumed to be either a groin muscle or hip). However, there is little doubt that when he is healthy the pair will be reunited. Hopefully they will be able to continue their strong play. At this point McQuaid has begun skating lightly but is not expected to return to the team for a minimum of another week, and maybe longer.

Another player who is good form after a slow start is Jarome Iginla. Iginla has started to develop chemistry with linemates David Krejci and Milan Lucic, taking the place of the departed Nathan Horton. Though it took the forward a few games to get started putting up points, once he got comfortable he has been producing well. He has four goals and eight assists with a little over eighteen minutes of ice time per game, while Lucic has nine goals and seven assists with a little over seventeen minutes and Krejci has three goals and thirteen assists in just under twenty minutes of play per game.

Brad Marchand is another player who has started strong this season. Not for the few points he has but the pressure he is putting on opposite teams. He is like a little angry bumblebee skating after players and throwing hits and checks all over the ice. In hockey, an agitating type of player like Marchand can be valuable even when he isn’t putting up big offensive numbers.

There was one game where Johnny Boychuck (who is usually strong) saved the team by throwing his stick on a breakaway (for the other team) and it knocked the puck out of reach and around the net. It was a smart play for Boychuk, and a smart play even if not totally within the rules.

Newcomer Loui Eriksson is another player who is fitting in well with the Bruings. He has just started to get going offensively (four goals and six assists on the year). Now he should have more but he did suffer a concussion in mid October that kept him out for a couple of games. He returned to face the Stars, his old team.

In goal, Tuukka Rask has been exceptional so far this season. He currently has a .946 save Percentage. Chad Johnson has been decent in a backup role putting up a save percentage of .917. Now while Johnson has not been as strong as last year’s back Anton Khudobin, he is doing enough and is young enough to continue improving.

So far, the Bruins are setting themselves up in good position to get a strong rank and home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs. There is a long way to go, but the Bruins have done everything they are supposed to do, through the first 21 games of the season and again look like a strong contender.

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