The Boston Bruins fought hard and were able to secure 3 points against the Buffalo Sabres. Hopefully, the team will continue their winning ways in the Winter Classic.
The Boston Bruins needed a win. There last two games have been brutal. Fans got what they wanted on Saturday night.
It looked like the Bruins were destined for another disappointing loss. This would have been Boston’s 3rd straight loss.
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Then all of a sudden something clicked, and the Bruins were able to finally figure out the Buffalo Sabres.
This was a big win for the Bruins since the Sabres have been dominating the Atlantic Division. They are now 2 points behind the Sabres for 4th place in the Eastern Conference.
It was interesting to see Bruce Cassidy play with the lines. It seemed like the first line was going to stay intact, but with Brad Marchand out, Cassidy got creative.
We got to see Ryan Donato skate with the top line and so did Joakim Nordstrom. Also, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson skated on the 2nd line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.
There was also a glaring hole in Boston’s lineup. Danton Heinen played horrible. It may have been his worst game of the season. I think it is time that Anders Bjork gets called up.
This was a whirlwind of a game so let’s get into the 5 takeaways from the Boston Bruins gritty win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
1. Welcome back Tuukka Rask
Tuukka Rask has struggled recently but Saturday night was a glimmer of hope.
Rask looked great on Saturday night stopping 26 shots and doing his job perfectly.
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There was only one goal that you could really get on Rask for and that was the 2nd goal of the game. He could’ve made the stop, but it was a 2-on-1 so he was in a rough spot.
Rask made some timely saves that kept the Boston Bruins in the game. Without Rask bailing the team out, Boston probably enters the game on a 3 game losing streak.
I think that Tuukka Rask earned himself the start in the Winter Classic. He is looking great and Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has been known to ride the hot hand.
If Tuukka Rask is able to win on New Year’s Day it will be a big confidence boost and hopefully spark a hot streak for Tuukka.
2. Shorty’s galore
The Boston Bruins have plenty of issues, but one major problem is the number of shorthanded goals the team is giving up.
On Saturday night the Bruins allowed yet another shorty. It seems that the team forgets they have to play defense when on the power play. The Bruins have given up plenty of odd-man rushes.
Boston has given up 8 shorthanded goals this season. That puts them at the top of the entire NHL. Not exactly a No.1 spot you should be proud of.
Plain and simply the Boston Bruins power play needs to be better on the defensive side of things. Their focus needs to be on scoring goals, but they can’t afford to give opponents a clear pathway to the net. If they give up even more shorthanded goals it will be a long season for Bruins fans.
Hopefully, we will see the Boston Bruins improve on this aspect of their game.
3. Perfect power play
Even though the Boston Bruins allowed a shorthanded goal their power play did have some highlights. The team was able to tie the game at 2 with some quality play on the man advantage.
Jake DeBrusk did a great job of screening Carter Hutton and was able to deflect a shot by Torey Krug.
DeBrusk had a slow start to the season but is really heating up. He is one goal away from being 2nd in the team in goals.
It looks like DeBrusk is going to be on the Bruins 2nd line for a long time. David Krejci and he have some great chemistry. DeBrusk could be the quality winger that Krejci has been searching for ever since the Bruins Stanley Cup run.
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If DeBrusk can start heating up the Bruins will get some balance in their lineup which could help the team out a lot. He may have had a slight drop off, but Jake DeBrusk definitely isn’t suffering from a major sophomore slump.
4. Gritty goals
The Boston Bruins got scoring from an unusual source, the 4th line. The line is known for driving opponents into the boards, but they were lighting the lamp on Saturday night.
Noel Acciari scored the first goal of the game for the Bruins thanks to being in the right place at the right time. Buffalo misplayed the puck in their own zone and Acciari was right in front of the net and put it home for his 1st goal of the season.
Then the game-winning goal was scored by the ever so excited Sean Kuraly.
Kuraly skated into the zone and fired a shot off of Hutton’s pads. The center managed to get the rebound and win the game for the Bruins in overtime.
A team always gets a boost in morale when they see the 4th line scoring. Hopefully, this will start a Bruins scoring outburst for the rest of the season.
5. Ryan Donato
Ryan Donato may not have scored any goal on Saturday night but he had a great game.
Donato looked great in the offensive zone. He was skating hard and had some quality scoring opportunities. Hopefully next time Donato will be able to convert on these opportunities.
After getting sent down early on in the season it seems that Donato has improved as a player. He is more well balanced and well adjusted to the style of play in the NHL. I am expecting a strong 2nd half of the season from Ryan Donato.
Now we get to wait for New Year’s Day to arrive. The Winter Classic has finally arrived. We will see the Bruins play outdoors at the legendary Notre Dame Stadium.
Hopefully, the Boston Bruins will hop over the .500 mark in Winter Classic games and defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in which should be a great Original 6 matchup.