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In Depth Look At The Boston Bruins At The Halfway Season Mark

By Justin Doyle

Oct 20, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) greet Boston Bruin Hall of Famers defenseman Bobby Orr (4) and Milt Schmidt (15) before their game against New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) greet Boston Bruin Hall of Famers defenseman Bobby Orr (4) and Milt Schmidt (15) before their game against New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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How are the Boston Bruins faring going into the second half of the season

Boston Bruins So far

The Boston Bruins Have not been a disappointment this year but they have not been great either. They currently sit in second place of the Atlantic division, with a 22-17-5 record.

Montreal is first. This is mostly due to the struggling team in the rest of the division like the Toronto Maple Leafs. The biggest surprise is the Detroit Red Wings who are last in the division. Boston has had their share in injury problems but so have the Canadiens, and they are still in first.

Worst players this year 

Jimmy Hayes is a waste of two million dollars. I would rather have a bag of pucks. Hayes has only 3 points in 36 games, with a minus 4. He is averaging 9:53 ice time, and 14 shifts a game. I am not expecting 30 goals from the guy, but 20? He should have more because he is the guy that should be putting in the rebounds by using his big body in front of the net.

I hate to say it but Patrice Bergeron has not played well at all this season in terms of putting up points. He is always excellent on the faceoffs. He is also coming off a career year last year. Bergeron has a 57.7 percent on the faceoff but he only has 17 points through 41 games. I am sure that he will bounce back, as the team need him to get going if they are going to have a shot in the playoffs.

NHL: Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues
NHL: Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues /

Best/most surprising players this year

More from Boston Bruins

Riley Nash has been a great addition to the 3/4th line of the Bruins. He has only 8 points in 44 games. Yes I would like more out of him but I expect other things from him that do not show up on the score-sheet. He brings veteran insight to the team that is full of young kids.

Dominic Moore is probably the most surprising to me. I liked the signing he is a solid 4th line centerman who can play third line if needed. He has 13 points in 44 games. Moore also has a faceoff win percentage of 53.5.

Tuukka Rask has been the best player by far this season. He is the main reason that the Bruins are sitting where they are in the standings. Rask has played in 33 games this season. He has a Save percentage of .926. A goals against average of 1.97. Rask also has 21 wins, and 5 shutouts, he is tied for 1st in the league.

If the Bruins want to go deep in the playoffs then they need to play Rask Less. We have seen that he is tired at the end. I understand that they have not had a solid backup since Chad Johnson left but they still need to rest Rask more.

David Pastrnak has been phenomenal this season. At one point he was first in the league in goals. He currently has hit a cold streak and is stuck at 19 goals. He has 31 points this season, and a plus 14, best on the team. Hopefully he can get out of this rut soon.

NHL: Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes
NHL: Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes /

What they need to improve

The Bruins need to improve their goal differential. They currently have a differential of only plus 2. They have never had a high differential but it is also never this low. For a team that prides themselves on defense this is horrendous.

Improve the Power play, it is still an issue they rank 23 in power play percentage. The Black and Gold are notorious for having a bad power play. Boston has had 135 power play opportunities and have only converted 15% of the time. The Columbus Blue Jackets are first with 25.8 percent on the power play.

Next: Brad Marchand Heating Up

Possible trades

David Krejci would be a good guy to trade. for more about trading him read here. The Bruins have too many centers or extra whatever you prefer to hear. This would allow David Backes to go to his natural position.  Jakub Zboril would be another good guy to trade. He is one of many Defensive prospects. He has also been rumored in a trade with the Avalanche for the Bruins to Acquire Colorado captain Gabriel Landesokog. I think that the Bruins could also trade him for a better defenseman.

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