The Boston Bruins have gotten some great performances from some surprising players this season.
Even though it is early, this Boston Bruins season has been an absolute rollercoaster. There always seems to be a new twist or turn each day.
Boston is having a pretty great start. They are near the top of the Eastern Conference and are looking like they are poised to make a run for the Stanley Cup.
The Bruins have been able to do this while racking up injuries and losing major player after major player. Boston has been without the services of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Charlie McAvoy for a decent chunk of time.
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With everyone getting injured Boston had to dig deep and call up some reinforcements to fill out the battered squad. Some of these guys have done surprisingly well.
No matter how many injuries you have there will always be guys that surprise you with their play. In the 2017-18 season, we saw Jake DeBrusk have an amazing rookie season. The winger continues to be one of Boston’s best goal scorers.
This has definitely been a tumultuous season for the Bruins, but they haven’t let it get the best of them. With all of their injuries, they easily could have been near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but multiple players have stepped up in a big way.
So let’s take a look at 5 surprising standouts for the Boston Bruins so far this season.
1. Jaroslav Halak
Who would’ve thought that Jaroslav Halak would be the Boston Bruins best goaltender so far this season?
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When Boston acquired the veteran goaltender he was looked at as a backup who would occasionally fill in for Tuukka Rask. Quickly Bruins fans realized that wouldn’t be the case.
Once again Tuukka Rask struggled and Boston’s backup dominated. Halak is sporting a beautiful 8-3-2 record with a .936 save percentage and a 2.06 goals against average.
There have been plenty of times where Halak has bailed the Bruins out of games. The 33-year-old was playing out of his mind.
Now Rask looks like he has returned to form, but the Bruins would be screwed without Halak. He ensured that the Bruins would still be succesful when Rask went through his rough patch. Halak will also help to keep Tuukka rested and ready for the playoffs.
I’m very glad to see that Halak surpassed any expectations I could have of him before the season. Hopefully, his great goaltending will continue throughout the season.
2. Colby Cave
Of all the names I didn’t expect to hear play for the Boston Bruins this season, Colby Cave is near the top. I expected Cave to chill down in Providence for another year, but Patrice Bergeron’s injury changed all of that.
Now Cave is a first line center, and doing a pretty good job. He only has an assist in 5 games, but clearly head coach Bruce Cassidy likes what he is seeing.
Before Cave was with the team, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson was the top line center. Now JFK is down in Providence.
Cave is just playing a solid overall game, with his best performance coming in Boston’s loss to Detroit on Saturday night. Cave got his first career NHL point and proved that he is a team player.
Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi were going at one another and since Marchand kept a level head and wasn’t trying to drop the gloves, Cave came over and defended the star. Then a line brawl almost ensued and we were robbed of a goalie fight ( I am still angry at the refs for stopping that).
Once Bergeron returns I think Cave will be headed back down to Providence but he has shown that he has NHL potential.
3. Jeremy Lauzon
Jeremy Lauzon was one of the Bruins original callups when their defenseman started dropping like flies. Now Lauzon looks like he could end up spending the rest of the season in Boston.
I’ve been really impressed with Lauzon’s defensive play. Some guys can let the bright lights get to them and look completely out of their league when they first make the jump to the NHL. Lauzon has looked like a capable defenseman from the start.
He was making smart plays and wasn’t trying to be flashy. Lauzon just put his head down and went to work.
The defenseman has also shown that he can get things done in the offensive end. Lauzon knows when to join the rush and that was the reason he scored his first NHL goal.
With Kevan Miller now out for even more time, I think Lauzon could stay in Boston as a bottom pair defenseman or the 7th defenseman when everyone is healthy.
No matter where Lauzon ends up he has proved this season that the Boston Bruins are even deeper than we thought.
4. Joakim Nordstrom
Joakim Nordstrom has played on many different lines but has looked solid throughout. Especially as of late Nordstrom has looked like a really solid pickup.
Nordstrom has a goal and 4 assists so far this season and has been a staple of the Bruins 2nd and 3rd lines.
Like most of these players he wasn’t expected to be a major help, but thanks to all of the injuries, Nordstrom has taken on a larger role with the team.
In a similar way to Cave, Nordstrom proved that he wasn’t going to let his teammates be pushed around.
With Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller out, the Bruins don’t really have an enforcer. So opposing teams now feel that they can go after the Bruins stars. David Krejci seems to have a bullseye on his back. Multiple times he has been the victim of some vicious hits.
He once again got drilled on Saturday night and Joakim Nordstrom answered the bell. A few minutes after the hit Nordstrom dropped the gloves and even though he ended up getting pummeled he stood up for his teammate.
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Nordstrom is looking like he was worth the money the Bruins spent in the offseason.
5. Connor Clifton
Connor Clifton isn’t a scoring machine but he plays the game the right way. If you are a Boston Bruins fan it is hard to hate Clifton.
Clifton reminds you of old-time hockey. He always seems to be delivering a big hit and loves getting physical.
I knew I was gonna love Clifton from his first game. Dallas Stars veteran Jason Spezza was getting in Clifton’s face so what did the rookie do? He dropped the gloves.
There have been some times throughout his 8 games where Clifton has made mistakes but in the grand scheme of things he has done rather well.
Clifton will most likely be headed back down to Providence when the Bruins get healthy, but he has shown that he can compete in the NHL. If he is able to fine-tune his skills he will be back in Boston in no time.
So even though these guys weren’t expected to do a lot for the Bruins this season, they have contributed in a major way.