It was another perfect week for the Boston Bruins. In this edition of Bruins Weekly, they tie an NHL record, they begin the toughest part of the schedule this season to date with a win, two veterans’ reach milestones, and more.
Bruins Tie NHL Record for Consecutive Home Wins to Start a Season
There have been many different impressive numbers all across the board for the Bruins and their torrid start to the 2022-23 season, but what they have done on home ice is reaching a historic feat. In their 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 19, Boston tied an NHL record for most consecutive wins to begin a season on home ice with 11. They tied the 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks and the 2021-22 Florida Panthers to begin the season perfect on home ice through 11 games. While becoming the third team to reach this feat, coach Jim Montgomery still wants his club focusing on the task at hand.
“It’s nice to be part of the record books,” said Montgomery. “One thing we wanted to do was focus on staying in the present. Focus on the next shift, and I thought we did a great job of that tonight.”
Related: Bruins’ 3 Up, 3 Down: Goaltending Shines, Krejci, Zboril & More
The next Bruins home game is their annual day after Thanksgiving game, this season against the Carolina Hurricanes in a rematch of last spring’s first-round playoff series won by Carolina in seven games. The post-Thanksgiving Day games have not been too kind the Black and Gold which makes this game even more intriguing.
Bruins Begin Tough Stretch With Win Over Lightning
After a home-heavy schedule to begin the season, the Bruins began a tough stretch against playoff-contending teams on Nov. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and picked up a signature win. After being badly outplayed for the first nine minutes and being outshot 9-0, they turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-3 victory on the strength of five different goal scorers, including David Pastrnak’s team-leading 12th goal.
Linus Ullmark was strong again between the pipes with 32 saves, but it was an impressive win against the defending Eastern Conference champs on their home ice. They continue their two-game Florida trip against the Florida Panthers Wednesday night (Nov. 23), before returning home for games against the Hurricanes, Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights, coached by former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. This is a good test for the NHL’s team with the best record at 17-2-0.
Foligno & Bergeron Record Milestones
One of the better bounce-back performances so far this season has been Nick Foligno. After a tough first season in Boston, the veteran forward is thriving in Montgomery’s system through the first 19 games. Against the Flyers, he collected a milestone assist in impressive fashion.
Boston was on the power play late in the third period when Foligno was parked out in front of the Philadelphia net. He took a pass from Taylor Hall on the right side of the net and swung around a pass to the opposite side of the net where Krejci one-timed the pass into an open side to seal the Bruins’ victory. It was Foligno’s 300th career assist and his sixth of the season. He is up to seven after picking up another assist in the win over Chicago.
Against the Lightning, Patrice Bergeron reached a milestone when he collected his 1,000th point on a second-period goal by Brad Marchand.
Bruins Quotes of the Week
- Montgomery on Krejci’s play after scoring two goals against the Flyers: “I thought he was really on. Everything looked on – he looked faster, he was stronger on pucks, he was holding on to pucks, he was skating away from people. I could tell he was on his game by how quickly he was closing on people in the D-zone. I thought he was a great 200-foot player tonight.”
- Charlie McAvoy on how his body feels after recording four assists on the Bruins’ six goals in their win over the Blackhawks: “My legs feel good, brain feels good, trying to move quick and use my first reads and its certainly easy when you’re playing with guys with this much skill. Up and down the lineup we’ve got a bunch of really special players, so just trying to let my instincts take over and be in positions where I can help guys.”
- Goalie Jeremy Swyaman after returning to the crease against Chicago and recording his third win of the season after a two-and-a-half week out injured: “It’s just one shot at a time. I had the best seat in the house to watch the boys go to work, so it was fun.”
- Foligno on Bergeron after he collected his 1,000th point: “He was like, ‘Love you guys, you guys are the best’…we were like, ‘Hey, just take this moment.’ That’s just who he is. As a role model, sometimes you can be disappointed by certain people – he’s a guy that lives up to it every time. I think that’s a big character trait of his. He just doesn’t disappoint. It’s just who he is. It speaks volumes about his parents and the way he was raised and the values he’s stood for his whole life. It’s a reason why he’s gonna be a Hall of Famer one day.”
Bruins Week Ahead
- Friday: vs. Carolina Hurricanes: 1 p.m.
- Tuesday: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.