Another week, another impressive one in 2022-23 for the Boston Bruins. Things are going to get more interesting in the next couple of days with the NHL trade deadline being Friday (March 3) at 3 o’clock ET. What does general manager (GM) Don Sweeney do? Does he add another piece or stand pat after last week’s deal? Definitely, a lot to keep an eye on.
In this edition of Bruins Weekly, the Black and Gold achieve an impressive feat, Sweeney pulls off a surprising trade, the schedule is going to get tougher, and more.
Bruins Pull Off Surprising Trade
The question surrounding the Bruins was whether or not Sweeney would look at adding to the roster by the deadline or standing pat with his roster. He added with a trade nobody saw coming.
Sweeney acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals in a three-team deal that saw Craig Smith and three draft picks go to Washington, who retained 50% of Orlov’s salary, and a draft pick to the Minnesota Wild for retaining 25% of Orlov’ssalary. Adding both players provides something the Bruins have been missing in past postseasons, grit and toughness on defense and in the bottom six.
Hall & Foligno Injuries Force Another Trade?
Taylor Hall left the Bruins to fly back to Boston following their 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury. There has been no update, but against the Calgary Flames in a 4-3 overtime win, Nick Foligno left at the end of the second period after taking a hit from Nikita Zadorov along the boards. The veteran struggled to get off the ice and it didn’t look good.
Related: 4 Bruins Who Could Still Be Traded at the 2023 Deadline
With some time before the trade deadline, does either injury force another move by Sweeney? If so, a right wing for the third line with Hall, when he’s healthy and Charlie Coyle would be the area to address. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that another move is made by Boston’s GM.
Bruins Achieve Impressive Feat
There have not been too many revenge games for the Bruins this season, but one of them happened on the first game of the four-game road trip. The Seattle Kraken handed the Boston their first regulation loss at home this season on Jan. 11 with an impressive 3-0 shutout. On Feb. 23, the Bruins were able to turn the tables on the second-year organization. In a very entertaining back-and-forth game, the Bruins got two goals in the final four minutes to come away with a 6-5 win after Brandon Carlo tied the game and Jake DeBrusk won it with 1:34 left when he deflected a Charlie McAvoy shot past Philipp Grubaur. It was a slow start for the Black and Gold after the long flight, but it was another comeback win in 2022-23.
The sweep on the trip was an impressive one considering that they won all four games in six days, however, they also accomplished an impressive feat in a really impressive time. With their 3-2 win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 27, it was the Bruins’ 46th win of the season and it also means that the Black and Gold have beaten all 31 teams in the NHL in 2022-23. Who saw that coming at the beginning of the season?
Bruins Have Third 7-Game Winning Streak of 2022-23
Everywhere you look this season, it seems the Bruins are piling up impressive stats. From beating all 31 teams to winning games in different fashions with what seems like a different hero every night. Their win over the Oilers was not only a win that marked a victory over all 31 teams, but it was the seventh straight win for the Black and Gold.
Why is so big that it was their seventh straight win? That’s because it’s the third time this season alone that Boston has had a seven-game winning streak or more. With their 4-3 overtime win over the Calgary Flames on Feb. 28, they are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. The longest winning streak in the league this season belongs to the New Jersey Devils who won 13 in a row from Oct. 25-Nov. 21 and the Carolina Hurricanes won 10 in a row from Dec. 10-Jan. 1. The New York Rangers have had two seven-game winning streaks this season. All of this is being done with a first-year coach Jim Montgomery in Boston.
Bruins Face Tough Four-Game Homestand
After four games on the road, the Bruins return to the TD Garden, where they are 24-2-3 this year to face four tough opponents. The young and surging Buffalo Sabres make their second appearance in Boston this season with young star forward Tage Thompson, who has 41 goals, one behind David Pastrnak for second in the NHL.
The new-look Rangers will make their only TD Garden appearance this season and will have a star-studded lineup. After acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 9 along with Niko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues, they made another big splash and acquired Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 28. Those moves could be the moves that GM Chris Drury needs to push them over the top in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference come the postseason.
After a five-day break, the Bruins will host McDavid and the Oilers for the only time this year on March 9, 10 days after Boston’s win in Edmonton. The Oilers made a couple of moves this week, sending forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the Hurricanes and acquiring defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. The Detroit Red Wings, who have crept back into the Eastern Conference wild card race close out the homestand with their second trip into Boston this season.
This will be a good challenging homestand for the Bruins coming off a Western road trip as they look to solidify their spot in the NHL standings.
Bruins Week Ahead
- Thursday: vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
- Saturday: vs. New York Rangers, 1 p.m.