Through the first 14 games of the 2023-24 season, the Boston Bruins are 11-1-2 and have one of the best records in the NHL. After an offseason that saw a roster overhaul and the addition of young players into the lineup, it’s safe to say that the Black and Gold are exceeding expectations in the first month.
For a team like Boston to exceed expectations, they need some players to exceed expectations and that is the case for second-year head coach Jim Montgomery. Here are three players that are exceeding expectations early in the season.
Charlie Coyle
Coming into the season, one of the questions surrounding the Bruins was whether or not Charlie Coyle was going to be able to handle the top six at center. So far so good, but what he has been most impressive at is the way he’s been able to produce offensively for a team that needs offense from anyone who can supply it not named David Pastrnak or Brad Marchand.
Through 14 games, Coyle has five goals and seven assists and he had his first career hat trick in a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Nov. 9 at the TD Garden. He had a power-play goal, an even-strength goal and he capped it off with an empty-netter off a pass from Pastrnak. He has won 53.2% of his faceoffs and one of his biggest was with five seconds remaining against the Dallas Stars in a 3-2 win on Nov. 6. He was able to win the faceoff, the puck went into the corner and Brandon Carlo was able to pin the puck in the corner long enough for the clock to run out.
Coyle and Trent Frederic have continued to form a very good connection that has blossomed over the last couple of seasons, regardless of who is on the other wing. Coyle has become one of the underrated Bruins in the first month of the season.
James van Riemsdyk
One of several veteran free agent signings when free agency began in July, James van Riemsdyk has been better than anyone expected in the first 14 games of the season. The former Philadelphia Flyers forward has bounced around the lineup for Montgomery and he has found a home on the first power-play unit as the net-front presence.
He has been moved around the lineup at even strength, but against the Islanders, he made a nice pass across the front of the net to Coyle in the third period for his second goal of the game and gave Boston some breathing room at 4-2. In 14 games, he has four goals and six assists and he’s on his way to pass his numbers of 12 goals and 17 assists last season in 61 games for the Flyers. He spoke about Coyle and playing with him and what he has meant so far this season for the Black and Gold after the win over New York.
“He’s a super valuable player, super versatile player for us, plays every situation, so you can’t speak enough about what he does in all facets of the game. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.”
In the win over the Islanders, van Riemsdyk had two assists and recorded his 600th career point. He brings a veteran locker room presence that Boston lost last season with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retiring and Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. This is turning into a very underrated pickup by general manager (GM) Don Sweeney.
Matthew Poitras
The Bruins were looking to add some youth into the lineup this season and Matthew Poitras was one of two surprising youngsters to break training camp along with John Beecher. The second-round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft got nine games before the front office needed to decide on him, but he played so well that sending him back to the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) was not an option.
Through 14 games, the 19-year-old has been impressive with four goals and seven points, he has a plus/minus of plus-3 and is averaging just under 15 minutes a night. If there is one area that he could improve on is at the faceoff dot where he’s won 40.5% of his draws, but his ability to see the ice and set up teammates has been impressive against NHL players on a nightly basis.
Jeremy Swayman & Linus Ullmark
There were a lot of questions entering the season for the Bruins, but one of them was not really in goal with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. They figured to be the backbone of the Black and Gold, but in the overall picture, who saw this start coming for the duo?
Last season Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy, but this season, Swayman has had the better start of the two. In seven starts, he is 6-0-1 with a 1.69 goals-against average (GAA) and a .944 save percentage (SV%). In his last outing against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 11, he suffered his first loss of the season, 3-2, in overtime, but he did his part to keep his team in the game with 24 saves, many at point-blank range.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Bruins’ 3-2 Overtime Loss to Canadiens
Ullmark is 5-1-1 this season with a 2.49 GAA and a .919 SV%. His one regulation loss was part of a third-period meltdown by the Bruins where they gave up three goals in a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 4. Other than that, the former Buffalo Sabres goalie has been solid this season and both players are a major reason as to why Boston is off to the surprising start they are.
These are some of the surprising starts that some of the Bruins have had this season and a big reason why they are currently the top team in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Boston will need some of these players to continue to play like they have all season long if they are going to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but without a doubt, all five players are off to surprising starts in 2023-24.