Welcome to the first Broons weekly update, and yes, that is spelled correctly! With four games under their belt at the time of writing, “da Broons” sit at 3-1-0. Boston was able to take it to the NHL’s two surpising fast starters in Buffalo and San Jose. The Boston Bruins that showed up in those two games are hopefully the ones that we’ll be seeing for the rest of the season. Even with the big changes that occured this offseason, the Bruins look like they are playoff contendors yet again.
A Hot Start By Marchand And Is Anyone Surpised?
Firstly in the Broons weekly update, left Winger Brad Marchand never seems to cool down. For the past several seasons he has been one of, if not, THE biggest sparks for Boston. Whenever the Bruins are down, you can count on Marchand to never be out. Our loveable rat always seems to have a way to push the team forward. And that trend has continued so far in this infant season.
In just four games this season, Marchand has scored 4 goals and had 3 assists. The Bruins have scored 14 goals in total so far this season. This means that with his 7 points, Marchand has factored into 50% of all Boston goals. Yeah, it is only four games but it still just shows how ridiculous Marchand can be sometimes. According to the tweet above from Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, Marchand currently is projected to score 103 points this season if he keeps up his current pace. Considering the only two players projected to finish ahead of him are the NHL’s two (arguably) best players, maybe Marchand’s name will come up in Hart discussions.
Some Decent Depth Scoring
At this point, the lack of depth scoring on the Bruins has been such a common occurrence that hockey reporters might as well schedule tweets about it. However, with the start of this season, it is looking like that trend might get axed. Fears over a second line without David Krejci seem to have been quelled thanks to great play between Charlie Coyle and Taylor Hall. Also, the bottom 6 forwards have been carrying their weight as well. Of those bottom 6 forwards though, the one shining the brightest is Jake DeBrusk.
DeBrusk had an abysmal 2021, and many fans seemed to want to move on from him after the season. Though the Bruins did not move him and he’s still kicking it in Boston. That’s a good thing as well because it seems as though DeBrusk may be poised for a big year. DeBrusk has scored 2 goals this season, but the effort he has been putting in is clear. He’s making plays happen and fighting for the puck on every play. If DeBrusk keeps up this effort, then Boston’s depth troubles will be a thing of the past.
Some Other Happenings
On a less positive note, forward Nick Foligno was put onto Injured Reserve this past week. As a depth player and veteran presence, this is not a good loss for the Bruins. Thankfully though, the Bruins are not too pressed for bottom 6 forwards right now.
Linus Ullmark also has shown that his poor preseason was really nothing to worry about. While not perfect in his two starts, he has absolutely shown why the Bruins decided to sign him this off-season. With Ullmark working in tandem with Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins situation in the net looks solid in the early season.
Hi, I’m RJ Oakley and I’m the Bruins beat writer here at Belly Up Sports. Check back here and follow me on Twitter for news and discussion on the B’s. Be sure to follow Belly Up Hockey as well for all your NHL needs!
