The Boston Bruins kicked off their Centennial season last night (Oct. 11), and it was a historic night for the organization. Before the game, Bruins legends took part in a pregame celebration that honored the Bruins’ 100-year history. It was a real treat before the contest began, and the Bruins then delivered with a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Overall, it was a solid showing for the Bruins, and let’s discuss three main takeaways from the game now.
Poitras Impresses In Debut
Heading into this contest, prospect Matthew Poitras was the Bruins player to watch. The 19-year-old center was both the surprise and star of the Bruins’ preseason, and he earned himself a spot on the NHL roster because of it. Although his preseason play was great, the regular season is a different beast, so it is natural to question his readiness. Yet, if you ask me, Poitras did not look out of place at all in this game. In fact, he was one of the bright spots.
Poitras notably recorded his first NHL assist in this game, and he played a big role in Trent Frederic’s goal. The young center brought the puck into the offensive zone, did a spin move near the corner, and made a beautiful pass to Brandon Carlo. From there, Carlo let a shot go, and Frederic tipped it in for the goal.
Related: 3 Bruins Roster Cut Victims to Watch Closely in 2023-24
Since the preseason, Poitras has shown immense confidence with the puck and his passing, which translated over to this game against the Blackhawks. The Bruins will be hoping for more of this play for Poitras from here, as he has the tools to be an effective playmaker in the NHL.
Pastrnak’s Back to Scoring
A lot of the Bruins’ success this season will depend on David Pastrnak’s offense. It is not a secret that the Bruins lost several forwards this offseason, most notably Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall, and Tyler Bertuzzi. However, Pastrnak showed last night that he can still be quite effective with different talents around him, as he potted a two-goal night.
Pastrnak’s first goal was certainly a nice one. After receiving a beautiful feed from Milan Lucic – who also impressed in his return to Boston – Pastrnak skated it into the offensive zone before firing a perfectly placed wrist shot past Arvid Soderblom. From there, the 2014 first-round pick secured this opening night victory by scoring an empty-net goal.
Related: Top 5 Players With 60-Goal Potential for 2023-24 Season
Overall, this is exactly the kind of game that the Bruins are hoping to see from Pastrnak moving forward. The superstar winger has 60-goal potential, as he showed last season, and it will be fun to see if he can do it again in 2023-24 from here.
That Bedard Kid Is Pretty Good
Heading into this season, there has, understandably, been a ton of hype about Connor Bedard. The generational prospect got his career off to a strong start on Oct. 10 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, recording an assist and creating several offensive chances. However, he took his game to another level against the Bruins, as he scored his first career NHL goal with a nice wraparound past Linus Ullmark.
Besides his goal, Bedard was everywhere on the ice, and it was a pain for the Bruins to defend. His great speed with his excellent shot made him a clear standout in this game, and he could have scored more had it not been for Ullmark’s strong play. The 18-year-old ended the game with six shots and was clearly the Blackhawks’ best player in this one. However, it was not enough for the Blackhawks to get by the Bruins.
Nevertheless, this was a nice start to the Bruins’ season. Their goaltending and defense were strong, while their offense delivered in the end. The Bruins will now try to carry this momentum over to Oct. 14’s contest against the Nashville Predators. This is a winnable matchup, but we will need to wait and see if they do just that.
