After a rough start to the season, the Boston Bruins bounced back on Thursday night defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-0.
That was a lot of fun to watch. After getting shutout 7-0 by the Washington Capitals a night ago, the Boston Bruins didn’t back down.
The Bruins were a completely different team on Thursday night and defeated the Buffalo Sabres in a dominant effort. Now before we get to my main takeaways there are some other things that I want to get into.
Now even though the Bruins shutout the Sabres they still need to do some work on defense. In the 2nd and 3rd period, the Bruins were just going through the motions in their own zone. The Sabres were able to rack up plenty of zone time and some good scoring opportunities.
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Also, it seemed that the Bruins got an attitude adjustment after the shellacking they took on opening night. The team was buzzing all over the ice and seem to be reenergized. I guess scoring some goals can do that to you.
The Bruins also stood their ground against the Sabres. Compared to last night you saw some scuffles and also saw Charlie McAvoy drop the gloves late in the 3rd period.
I for one was nervous that the Bruins wouldn’t have an enforcer with the departure of Adam McQuaid. Apparently, I worried for no reason. In the first two games, we have seen Brad Marchand and McAvoy drop the gloves. It looks like the Bruins aren’t going to take any crap this season.
So here are my 3 takeaway’s from a very succesful Thursday night for the Boston Bruins
1. Holy Halak!
It looks like Tuukka Rask is going to have some competition this season. Jaroslav Halak stopped the bleeding last night for the Bruins and was dominant tonight. The free agent signing is already paying off.
Halak had a phenomenal night and made plenty of great saves. He ended the night with 32 saves and his first shutout of the season.
This is exactly why the Bruins went out and got Halak. Not too long ago Halak was a starting goaltender. He is without a doubt one of the top backup goaltenders in the league.
Now with the performance of the Bruins two goaltenders, there will definitely be some talk about making Halak the starter. All I have to say is chill.
Tuukka Rask was awful on Wednesday night but it was one game. If Rask has prolonged struggles then we should think about giving him an extended break.
But Halak did his job and definitely has fans realizing how great of a pickup he was.
2. Brad Marchand was in a giving mood
What a night for our beloved winger. After beating Lars Eller up late in the 3rd period of Wednesday nights game, Brad Marchand gave me hope in this Bruins squad.
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After his performance on Thursday night, Marchand will be in the good graces of all Bruins fans. Marchand was all over the stat sheet racking up 4 assists.
Marchand had so many good passes it is hard to pick my favorite, but I would have to go with Ryan Donato’s powerplay goal.
Marchy easily could have shot the puck there, but he made the unselfish play. He faked a shot and sent the puck over to the rookie who put it away for his first goal of the season.
Also, I was impressed with Marchand’s backchecking ability. He was able to break up a couple of opportunities by getting back on defense.
If Marchand continues to perform at this level he may get some Hart Trophy consideration.
3. O Captain! My Captain!
Tom Brady is regarded as the best player in Boston sports over 40 years old, but Zdeno Chara isn’t far behind him. The Bruins captain kicked things off for the Bruins tonight.
It’s hard to stop Chara’s shot. It is one of the fastest in the league. When Chara has open ice it is nearly impossible to stop the puck from going in the net.
So when Brad Marchand saucered a pass to Zdeno Chara, you could almost guarantee that the big man was going to score. Of course, that’s exactly what Big Z did. The Bruins captain put the team up 1-0 and killed any momentum that the Sabres may have had.
Overall it was a great win for the Boston Bruins. They were far and away the better team on the ice.
You also have to give props to Bruce Cassidy. He switched up the Bruins lines and it seemed to pay off.
Now Bruins fans have to wait until October 8th to watch the Bruins as they play their home opener against the Ottawa Senators.