On this weeks edition of the Broons weekly update, we get to talk about an actually exciting road trip for Boston! The Bruins headed out to Western Canada and came back with five points out of six. Not bad at all considering two of the teams they played are currently some of the top teams in the league. And of course the only game they lost was to the Canucks in a shootout…
Marchand’s Return
So yeah uhhhh…In the last Broons Weekly Update, I boldly predicted that Brad Marchand would have a huge first game back from his suspension. I also mentioned that I would look stupid if that was not the case. And well, I looked stupid. Against the Vancouver Canucks, the Bruins only mustered one goal on their way to a shootout loss. Not exactly the best way to start a road trip.
To be fair though, I guess that I was still right about Marchand having a huge impact on the team, it just took another game. In the next two games, Marchand would go on to score one goal and two assists which included a signature sweet shorthanded goal. This helped the Bruins to take out the Oilers and Flames. Not exactly setting the world on fire numbers, but Marchand’s presence clearly helped push the Bruins’ level of play further both nights in Alberta. And at least too it makes me look a little less stupid.
A Very Much Needed (And Deserved) Two Wins
As already stated, the Bruins took down both Edmonton and Calgary last week. With both those teams appearing as front runners for the Pacific Divison, the fact Boston was able to beat them both shows that the Bruins clearly have potential. I think the funniest part of these two games though was that they were almost like the reverse of a typical Bruins game this season.
If you go and look at the box score for a few of Boston’s losses, you may just sit there and think “ok how did this team lose?” Boston had been outshooting opponents by wide margins yet losing games. But honestly, the only reason that was the case was that Boston was not exactly taking the best of shots while handing scoring chances on a silver platter for their opponents. In these two games though, Boston was outshot, yet came away with wins in both games.
Against the two Albertan teams, Boston was actually creating shots instead of forcing them. This obviously leads to more goals for the Black and Gold. And more goals then equals more wins. Some could argue that the Bruins did get outplayed and were lucky to scrape away with their wins, but I’d argue that the Bruins just played smart. Your opponent could have the zone time and shot advantage, but if they don’t have the goal advantage then that does not even matter.
What’s Up Next For the Bruins?
Well, unfortunately, both Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron have come down with COVID these past few days. Boston already dropped a tough one against Vegas on Tuesday night and now go on another three game road trip against the Islanders, Habs, and Senators. Now those teams are not exactly the best, but Boston should not let up on them, especially with two of their best players out with COVID. If Boston wants to maintain some of that momentum from last week, they cannot take a game off.
