The Boston Bruins have been struggling since mid-January, going 9-10-1 over that stretch and suffering four shutouts in their last nine games. On top of that, the Bruins are without Nathan Horton indefinitely (concussion) and Rich Peverley (4 to 6 weeks, knee injury) and have seen a sharp drop in production from David Krejci, Tyler ...
While the NHL Entry Draft is usually considered a very important part of a rebuild for an organization, there have been scores of diamonds in the rough who never heard their name called on any given draft day. Draft day is always exciting for the best young players in the world and their families. However, ...
In the past few weeks, all we’ve heard from the Boston Bruins was their displeasure for not being able to play the full-60 minutes of hockey. Every game was an opportunity to bounce back to what they call “Bruins hockey” and yet, still no sign of the fast-paced, hard-hitting team that won the Stanley Cup last season.
It was no different for the Bruins on Saturday as they dropped their second straight game with a 2-1 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Welcome to the first installment of the Fantasy Hockey Panel at The Hockey Writers. Every two weeks, three of THW’s correspondents will be weighing in on issues that can have a significant impact on one’s fantasy lineup. This week, Monica McAlister, Fred Poulin, and myself, Anatoliy Metter, will be answering some questions that could possibly ...
For fantasy hockey enthusiasts, accurate forecasting is half of the battle, but now that we have met the proverbial hump that is the All-Star break, heroes have become villains, villains have become heroes, studs have become duds and, well you get the idea. This article will combine statistics and past historical analysis in an attempt to ...
Despite a somewhat disheartening loss to their 2011 Finals opponent, the Boston Bruins are still riding a run of twenty-three wins in twenty-eight games. Will this in mind, will the B’s be able to maintain their torrid winning ways or will they fall back to Earth, well shy of the Presidents’ Trophy. The Bruins Opponents’ ...
The Boston Bruins have won 23 of 27 and following their recent nine-goal victory over Calgary, a look at the reasons behind the B’s dominance.
Two-fifths of the way through the 2011-12 season and it’s hard to spot a weakness on the defending champion Boston Bruins. The B’s lead the league in offense, defense; and own a top rated penalty kill, a potent (if unspectacular) power-play and a goaltending tandem that would make Moog and Lemelin weep. Perhaps one of ...
Chris Kelly has never scored more than 15 goals in any one of his seven seasons in the NHL. In 24 games, he scored 10 for the Boston Bruins.
The facts could go on for awhile, too.
For example, the Bruins are a perfect 8-0 this season when Kelly scores a goal, 9-1 when he registers a point. Speaking in regards to his defensive abilities, Kelly is a +16, tied for third-best in the NHL with teammate Brad Marchand. He has a shooting percentage of 23.8%, fourth highest amongst NHLers who have played 20 games or more and he’s seen his average time on ice jump from 13:32 in October to 14:45 in November.
Chris Kelly, as underrated as he may be, is actually a very crucial part of this Bruins team.
He also happens to be on the final year of his contract.
Earlier on Thursday, Tim Thomas was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month for November. Last season’s Conn Smythe and Vezina Trophy winner posted a perfect 9-0 record, three shutouts and a .941 save percentage for the Boston Bruins during their best statistical month since January 1969. Pass along more credit to the forwards, particularly the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin who combined for a total of 19 goals and 22 assists in 13 games. And don’t forget the captain, either. During the streak, Zdeno Chara went off by scoring four goals and assisting on ten others.
Though it was the players on the ice garnering much attention and praise for the Bruins’ 12-0-1 record in November, the key piece to the winning streak, in this writer’s opinion, never suited up for a game.
Bruins’ coach Claude Julien was as much of a vital component to their success as any player. Seriously.
