The Boston Bruins return home tonight, after going 4-0-1 and getting 9 out of a possible 10 points on their longest road trip of the season.
The Boston Bruins have had quite an interesting week leading up to the NHL trade deadline. The dreaded West Coast trip has not been kind to the Bruins in recent years, but this year they return to Boston after extending their point streak to 13 games.
With just over a month left in the NHL regular season, points are at a premium. The Bruins need every point they can get if they want to keep home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Speaking of the NHL Playoffs, the Bruins were able to go 2-0-1 against playoff teams on this trip (San Jose, Vegas, St. Louis). Let’s take a look at 3 takeaways from the road trip.
1.Secondary scoring has stepped up
Going into this trip, David Pastrnak was placed on injured reserve with a thumb injury. Losing the leading scorer on your team is tough, and questions arose of who would step up and provide scoring in his absence. A week and a half later, these questions have been answered.
Young players especially, have provided scoring. Jake DeBrusk had 7 points on this trip, with 4 goals and 3 assists. David Krejci had 7 points, all assists, including an assist on each of Charlie McAvoy’s game winning goals against the Kings and Sharks. McAvoy also provided an assist on Brad Marchand’s goal in the Sharks game. Seeing McAvoy and DeBrusk lighting the lamp is very encouraging with playoffs right around the corner.
The Boston Bruins also got production from some of the lesser names on the roster, including 1 goal and 1 assist from Noel Acciari, 3 assists from Sean Kuraly, and 3 big goals from Chris Wagner. If everyone can continue to provide scoring once Pastrnak comes back, the boys in black and gold could find their stride at just the right time.
2. Both goalies have shined
Another big takeaway from this 5 game road trip is the goalie play. Both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak played out of their minds. Between both goalies, the Bruins allowed only 10 goals en route to picking up 9 points.
Tuukka went 3-0-1, with 84 saves on 92 shots, allowing 8 goals. This stat is inflated from the Sharks game, where the Bruins won 6-5 in overtime. Rask played great this game, where he kept his composure in this back and forth, playoff type game. He also made 5 saves in overtime against the Sharks and 6 in overtime against the Blues on Saturday.
Jaroslav Halak had quite a road trip himself. The former Islander got the start in 2 games, against the Ducks and against the Golden Knights. Halak stood tall in Anaheim, blocking all 30 shots and preserving the Bruins 3-0 victory for his 4th shutout this season. On a nationally broadcasted game last Wednesday night in Vegas, Halak made 31 saves on 33 shots and only allowing 1 goal in the 6 shootout rounds this game took. The Bruins have gained even more confidence in their backup following the road trip. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a few of the big games coming up.
3. Have proven themselves as a top team
Year in and year out, the Boston Bruins are always in the mix of making the playoffs; it is what we expect from any team in this city, and especially since the Bruins made the Cup Finals twice in the past 9 seasons.
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The Bruins faced 3 playoff teams in the latter part of their road trip in San Jose, Vegas, and St. Louis. The Sharks were the best team out of any of those games, and the Bruins had a 3-1 lead on them in their building after the opening period. The Sharks game had the biggest playoff feel, as they both were in the top 6 overall in the league entering the game. The Bruins hung in there and battled with the big boys, eventually forcing OT and winning off a McAvoy goal.
Vegas and St. Louis are both clinging on to playoff spots with the season turning towards the home stretch. The Bruins got points in those game where they needed them. Vegas and St. Louis were desperate for points, and the Bruins were able to take care of business and pick up 3 of a potential 4 points in those games.
Entering the road trip, the Bruins were 11-10-5, nearly a .500 team on the road. Boston improved its road record to 15-10-6. Going into hostile (playoff) environments and winning is huge for this team. The Bruins will have to show this same grit and composure if they were to matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs, which would end up being a road series.
On Tuesday night, the Bruins welcome the San Jose Sharks into TD Garden who will be looking for revenge following last week’s meeting.
On Thursday, the Lightning come to town for a potential playoff preview. Let’s see if the Boston Bruins can defend home ice in these two (playoff) games and build off a strong road trip.