The NHL season is rolling along full steam ahead; teams have now played past the season\u2019s quarter mark. Some teams have played just as expected when the puck dropped for the new season. Other teams have been surprising by either overachieving or underachieving through the NHL first quarter. Today we look at the performance and storylines of the teams in the NHL Atlantic Division.<\/p>\n
The Boston Bruins<\/a>‘ offseason brought many questions to the franchise. Through the first quarter mark, the Bruins’\u00a0have performed far better than anyone could imagine. The good news started in early August when the Bruins announced Patrice Bergeron<\/a> and David Krejci<\/a> signed one-year deals for the 2022-23 season. Boston was slated to have a tough start as star winger Brad Marchand<\/a> and top defenceman Charlie McAvoy<\/a> were placed on long-term injured reserve following offseason surgeries. Instead, Boston started the season on fire, getting off to the best start in franchise history.<\/p>\n For years, one of the Bruins’ most significant problems was that the “Perfection Line” of Bergeron, Marchand and pending UFA David Pastrnak<\/a> carried the team offensively. If the top line had an off night, it was doubtful the Bruins would get an offensive boost from anywhere else in the lineup. However, Boston is scoring often this season, and it’s not just a one-trick pony either. The return of David Krejci and the addition of Pavel Zacha<\/a> have helped replenish the Bruins’ depth at the forward position. Taylor Hall<\/a> has been bumped to the third line and now forms perhaps the top third line in the league with Charlie Coyle<\/a> and Trent Frederic<\/a>. In addition, Nick Foligno<\/a> has been enjoying a resurgence, already topping his goals totals from all of last season.<\/p>\nDepth Scoring in Abundance<\/h4>\n