Through the first two games of the 2023-24 season, things have gone as well as they could have for the Boston Bruins. They won both games at home and now they begin a four-game, six-day road trip out West.
In the latest edition of Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down, we will look back at the last week of the season for the Black and Gold
Plus One: David Pastrnak Picks Up Where He Left Off
Following a huge turnover of the roster following last season, one thing that the Bruins need this season is another strong season from David Pastrnak. He scored 61 goals last season and in the first two games, he picked up where he left off.
He broke a 1-1 tie in the second period in the season-opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 11 with his first goal of the season, before adding an empty-net goal in the third. Against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 14, he scored on a second-period penalty shot. Two games and three goals is a nice start for Pastrnak.
Minus One: Bruins Take Too Many Penalties
Every season, the Bruins generally have one of the top penalty-killing units in the league, but through the first two games, they have been shorthanded too many times. Against the Predators, they were called for seven minor penalties and even an eighth, but Nashville scored during the delayed call.
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There is very little room for error this season for the Bruins and having a parade to the penalty box each night is not a recipe for success for them. Managing minutes for some players is going to be key this season, but forcing some players to spend a good chunk of each game killing penalties will eventually catch up to them.
Plus Two: Bruins Penalty Kill
Despite being called for all those penalties, the Bruins were able to kill off the penalties with some impressive penalty-killing. They even had to kill off a 5-on-3 for 14 seconds in the middle period. It was an all-hands-on-deck on all the power plays and Jeremy Swayman was their best penalty killer with some big and timely saves. If the Bruins are going to have success this season, the penalty kill is going to need to step up.
Minus Two: Too Many Shots Allowed
This has a lot to do with the amount of penalties that have been taken this season through two games, but the Bruins have allowed. Against the Blackhawks, they only allowed 21 shots at Linus Ullmark, but Nashville fired 38 at Swayman. Through two games, that’s an average of 28.2 shots per game and ideally, the Bruins would like to see that number slide down to the mid-20s. Again, staying out of the penalty box will a go long way into achieving that.
Plus Three: Bruins Rally for First Two Wins
If there is one thing that stood out in the first two games, it’s that Boston was able to rally for both wins. Against Chicago, Connor Bedard scored his first-career NHL goal in the first period on a wrap-around for a 1-0 lead. The Bruins got two goals from Pastrnak and one from Trent Frederic for the 3-1 victory.
Nashville got an early goal in the first period, but the Bruins rallied with two goals from James van Riemsdyk and one from Pastrnak in a 3-2 win. Boston is not blessed with offensive talent this season compared to 2022-23 and keeping games as close as possible is going to be key for Jim Montgomery’s team.
Minus Three: Derek Forbort/Kevin Shattenkirk Defensive Pairing
One of the bigger storylines from training camp was how the Bruins’ third defensive pairing would shake out. According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, general manager (GM) Don Sweeney was working the phone to begin the season trying to move a defenseman. He wasn’t successful and because of that, Mason Lohrei had to begin the season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). That meant that Derek Forbort and Kevin Shattenkirk were going to be the third pairing on defense and after the first two games, should it be time to be concerned?
Aside from penalty killing, Forbort’s play along with Shattenkirk has been shaky and it hasn’t burned the Bruins yet, but you get the feeling that the time is coming when it will. There are times when you get the feeling that Boston should give Lohrei and Jakub Zboril a shot, but unfortunately, that can only happen in Providence right now.
The Bruins now head west to play the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Blackhawks for a four-game trip, their first road test of the season. This is a good early-season test for the Black and Gold.