In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Bruins set a new NHL record by winning their 12th consecutive home game with their victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday (Nov. 25) afternoon. In other news, star goaltender Linus Ullmark and winger Craig Smith left Friday’s contest early due to upper-body injuries. Meanwhile, NHL insider Frank Seravalli has named the Bruins as one of the possible landing spots for Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat.
Bruins Set NHL Record
During Friday’s contest against the Hurricanes, the Bruins made history by winning their 12th straight home game. This is certainly a remarkable accomplishment but even more so when noting that several people believed that this was going to be the season that they would finally fall off. Instead, even with stars Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand being out for the start of the season, they have been simply dominant.
Friday’s win was not an easy one, either, as the Bruins were down 2-0 to the Hurricanes after the first period. However, Boston would take away Carolina’s momentum entirely as the game carried on. Veteran David Krejci potted two goals to tie it up, while superstar winger David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal in overtime. All in all, it was an entertaining contest between two superb hockey clubs, but in the end, the Bruins came out victorious and made history in the process.
Ullmark & Smith Leave Game Injured
Friday’s win was not all sunshine and rainbows for the Bruins, however, as Ullmark and Smith both left the game early due to upper-body injuries. Ullmark has arguably been the team’s most valuable player (MVP) this season, and the truth is in his statistics. In 16 games played thus far, he sports a 13-1-0 record, 2.00 goals-against average (GAA), and .935 save percentage (SV%). Smith, on the other hand, has one goal and two assists in 12 games.
Related: 3 Possible Trade Options for Bruins’ Mike Reilly
There is some optimism regarding their estimated timelines, however. Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reported that the Bruins believe that Ullmark and Smith are only dealing with day-to-day injuries. Things could change on that front, but at the time of this writing, it appears that these two may only be dealing with short-term ailments. We will have to keep an eye out for updates on their conditions from here.
Horvat to the Bruins?
With the Bruins being at the top of the NHL and looking like legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, it makes sense that they are already being linked to big-name players like Horvat. The 27-year-old center is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) on a struggling Canucks team, so we very well could see him get moved at the deadline. There’s no question that he would be a major addition to the Bruins but even more so if they can sign the star center to an extension upon his arrival.
However, before the Bruins can even consider the prospect of making a push for Horvat, they will need to fix their current salary cap problem. Once Derek Forbort is activated off of long-term injured reserve (LTIR), the Bruins will be over the cap. As a result, players like Mike Reilly and Smith have emerged as legitimate trade candidates. Once they fix this ongoing issue, then general manager (GM) Don Sweeney can try to acquire Horvat if he wishes to.
If the Bruins acquire Horvat, they would sport a fantastic trio down the middle of him, Krejci, and captain Patrice Bergeron in the short term. Yet, more importantly, Horvat could become the eventual replacement for Bergeron if he inks a long-term extension.
Bruins Unveil 2023 Winter Classic Jersey
The Bruins already made plenty of their fans happy by bringing back the infamous “pooh bear” logo for their 2022-23 Reverse Retro jersey. Now, another classic logo is set to return, as the Bruins’ 2023 Winter Classic jersey will be using the secondary logo they wore from 1976 to the early 1990s.
The #WinterClassic returns home for the B’s 🐻⚫️🟡
— NHL (@NHL) November 25, 2022
Introducing the @nhlbruins 2023 Winter Classic jersey. Don’t miss them on-ice, January 2nd.
– – –#adidasHockey x #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/6PU11DoHYv
Overall, this is such a unique creation by the Bruins. Instead of going with their traditional patterns, this jersey has ‘Boston’ written on top of the bear and sports yellow stripes throughout it. Overall, it has been quite fun to see the Bruins bring back both of their legendary bears. Now we will have to wait and see if either their Winter Classic or Reverse Retro sweater becomes their next third jersey. Either way, expect them both to sell like crazy.
Bruins’ Upcoming Schedule Only Gets Harder
Over the last three games, the Bruins have faced some rather challenging opponents in the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Hurricanes. Although they managed to win two out of those three contests, things are going to get harder before they become easier. Over their next four games, they play the Lightning, Colorado Avalanche twice, and Vegas Golden Knights. Needless to say, it is going to be an immensely difficult next few days for Boston. Yet, it also will effectively show how they match up against some of the league’s top teams.
If the Bruins can win three out of their next four games, I’d consider that a major accomplishment. Either way, we will have to wait and see if they can stay hot from here.
