It has been another memorable start to the season for the Boston Bruins. The team that set the regular-season record for both points and victories last year has been at or near the top of the Eastern Conference since the start of the season.
That, in itself, has been an achievement for a couple of reasons. Last year's regular-season success dissolved into a nightmarish first-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers that was as shocking as it was painful. The hangover from that loss could have ruined the 2023-24 season.
The other more tangible factor was the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci during the offseason. Those two brilliant players were the Bruins No. 1 and No. 2 centers, respectively, and attempting to play winning hockey without them seemed like a major challenge to many observers.
Many of the experts that made preseason predictions thought the Bruins might make it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team and a few thought they might make it as a top-three team in the Atlantic Division. Still many others thought this was the end of the Bruins as a winning team and that they would be on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
The Bruins were brilliant in the early going, getting off to an 11-1-1 mark as they used the combination of solid goaltending and excellent defense to get the best of their opponents.
Additionally, they had David Pastrnak picking up where he left off last season when he scored 61 goals, which was second to Edmonton's Connor McDavid. Pastrnak has been the cornerstone of the offense, and veteran/new captain Brad Marchand has also been a key contributor.
As the season has progressed, the Bruins have had a couple of lapses and have had significant problems when asked to play more than 60 minutes. However, they are still one of the best teams in the league and head coach Jim Montgomery and his players have aspirations of succeeding in the second half of the regular season — and beyond.
Bruins Goaltending: B+
The Bruins are once again going with their dynamic goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. That duo gave up the fewest goals in the league in 2022-23, and while they are still good at preventing goals, four other teams have allowed fewer goals than the 111 the Bruins have given up through the team's first 41 games.
Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender last year, but his numbers this year are not as good in 2023-24. He has a 13-5-2 record with a 2.75 goals-against average along with a .917 save percentage. Swayman has been somewhat better, as he has an 11-3-7 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Swayman has the only two shutouts the Bruins have recorded, and while Montgomery alternates his goaltenders, he appears to be the more dependable netminder going forward. Ullmark suffered an injury in a January 11 game against the Golden Knights and required assistance leaving the ice, but he should be back in the lineup shortly.
Bruins Defense: B+
The Bruins don't have the high-scoring defense that teams like the Colorado Avalanche have with Cale Makar or the New York Rangers bring with Adam Fox, but they play excellent positional defense and make far fewer mistakes than many other teams.
Their best defensive player is clearly Charlie McAvoy, who is just below the level of the top Norris Trophy contenders. It is unlikely he will ever compare offensively with Makar, but he appears to be the equal of any other defenseman in the in the league.
McAvoy is strong, physical, smart and dependable. He has 4 goals and 22 assists and he can carry the puck up ice and make big plays. He will take risks from time to time, but he is a true leader.
Brandon Carlo is the team's plus-minus leader at plus-15. He is big, rangy and excels at blocking shots and clearing the front of the net. He is not a huge offensive factor with 2 goals and 8 assists, but Montgomery would like to see him shoot more often. Carlo is currently out with an upper body injury.
Hampus Lindholm may be the team's X-factor moving forward. He is a brilliant skater and he is capable of dominating at times. However, he has just 1 goal and 13 assists to this point in the season, and he needs to be more involved in the offense.
Bruins offense: B
The Bruins are a hard-working and tough-minded offensive team, and much of their success has to do with winning battles in the offensive zone. They are dependent — as nearly all Bruins teams have been — on a relentless forecheck that allows them to hound pucks and make plays.
Pastrnak is clearly the star and one of the best offensive players in the league. He has 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in the first half of the season, and that puts him on pace for a career-best 114 points. However, he will have to step up his goal production to match last year's total.
On the negative side, Pastrnak will make some soft passes that result in far too many turnovers. It is difficult to be critical of Pasta, but he does make too many mistakes.
Marchand has taken over from Bergeron as captain. While he was a loose cannon early in his career, he has matured greatly and understands what the team expects from him. He is a solid leader, but he is not in the Zdeno Chara-Patrice Bergeron category. He has 17 goals and 20 assists, and he is the team's second-best offensive player.
Charlie Coyle has been asked to step up this year following the retirement of Bergeron and Krejci and he has responded with 14 goals and 16 assists. The Bruins would like to see more production from Pavel Zacha, Jake DeBrusk and James van Riemsdyk in the second half of the season.
Bruins Overtime/Shootout grade: D-minus
When games have gone past regulation this season, the Bruins have been among the worst teams in the NHL.
They are 2-8 in games during the 5-minute overtime, as they regularly lose possession, botch outstanding scoring opportunities and make uncharacteristic defensive errors during the 3-on-3 sessions.
It seems their mistakes feed on each other, and the more they go to the overtime sessions, the worse they get. Pastrnak was guilty of letting an opposing skater go right by him in the OT loss to the Golden Knights.
They are 2-1 in shootouts as Pastrnak and DeBrusk are solid weapons, but they have failed too often in overtime to use those shootout weapons very often.
Overall Grade: A-minus
Despite the personnel losses and the overtime issues, the Bruins are still a formidable team and it takes a major effort to beat them — especially in regulation.
They are motivated to make up for last year's playoff debacle, and they should continue to play well in the second half of the season so they can truly have that chance at redemption in the Stanley Cup playoffs.