Man, this team is under pressure. Like the David Bowie song turned up to 11.
It was loud and clear earlier this month – all because of a trip out West in which the B’s dropped three straight.
Not 15 straight, not eight straight, but three straight.
Who cares?
And this year’s Bruins – a little faster, a little younger – didn’t pout because of a lousy road trip.
On home ice, they pounced.
Against Colorado and Winnipeg – both of whom we might see in June – as well as Eastern Conference foes New Jersey and Montreal, the Bruins played them all like a Nintendo.
From nine goals in a game (Montreal) to making Colorado look like a piece of cake, the homestand more than did its job, despite a one-goal loss to Carolina.
Nice going, B’s (29-9-9 by press time). But one question remains.
Are we repeating the past (65-12-5 last season), or destined for a better future?
I don’t know, but I think we’re headed toward a better future – for these five reasons.
First, feel free to pull out some advanced statistics against me, but we’re faster this season.
As much as I enjoyed prime David Krejci, he wasn’t the same last year. Insert a guy like Matthew Poitras, and the 19-year-old skates like the wind.
Guys like Pastrnak, DeBrusk, and McAvoy are quick as ever, and, overall, conditioning seems strong.
Secondly, a lot of guys are improving. Let’s start with Charlie Coyle (17 goals), who’s more than on-pace to pass his career-high of 21 in 2016.
Brandon Carlo leads Boston in plus-minus with a phenomenal +20. Next to him is Trent Frederic with a +14.
Speaking of Frederic, how great is he? The old-fashioned, Big Bad Bruin has 13 goals and 12 assists as a bottom-six forward.
Then there’s Jeremy Swayman, who just earned his first NHL All-Star nod (.923 save percentage). I wouldn’t put him in Thomas/Rask talks yet, but you never know.
Third, we match up very, very well with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Rangers may have Boston’s number with two wins this season, but the Bruins have beaten Florida twice and Toronto twice – among some others.
We’re first in the Atlantic Division – and Eastern Conference – for a reason.
Fourth, Marchand hasn’t slumped.
He’s as legendary as it gets around here, but it’s only fair to mention his 16-game scoring drought last season.
Fast forward a year, and Marchand – who scored 21 total goals last season – has already eclipsed that number before the All-Star break (23).
Well done, captain.
Lastly, the absence of Marchand’s former partner-in-crime, Patrice Bergeron, hasn’t hurt the Bruins as badly as I thought.
Bergy’s staple was his ability to win faceoffs – can they rename the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) after him already?
But Boston has done a great job in the category thus far. Coyle, Jakub Lauko, and Pavel Zacha all have faceoff percentages higher than 50 percent.
That’s incredible.
Look, I can’t see into the future, but for those five reasons, I wouldn’t say the Bruins are winning regular season games for nothing.
This spring could be very, very fun.
