Despite struggling through a four-game road trip, the Boston Bruins returned home still in first place in the Atlantic Division. Over the last three weeks since coming out of the three-day holiday break, the Black and Gold certainly have had more ups than downs.
There is a lot to discuss in the latest Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down as the calendar hits the middle of January.
Plus One: Swayman & Montgomery Heading to the All-Star Game
On Jan. 4, David Pastrnak was named the Bruins All-Star to play in the 2024 All-Star Game Totonto the first weekend in February. Two other members of the organization will be joining the Black and Gold’s leading scorer that weekend.
Goalie Jeremy Swayman was named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team, one year after Linus Ullmark played in the game in Florida. Bruins second-year head coach Jim Montgomery will be the Atlantic Division’s head coach for the second straight season after his team beat the St. Louis Blues, 4-3, in overtime on Jan. 13.
Minus One: Injuries Testing Overall Depth
During the Bruins’ four-game road trip, the number of injured players grew by three, joining Derek Forbort. Defenseman Brandon Carlo was hurt against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 8, and center Matthew Poitras went down one night later against the Arizona Coyotes, along with goaltender Linus Ullmark. The good news is that all four players skated on Jan. 15 at the TD Garden ahead of the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils and they could be back in the lineup at some point in the not-too-distant future. They all went through a full practice on Jan. 17.
Ullmark appears to be the closest as on Jan. 16 Boston sent backup goalie Brandon Bussi to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Plus Two: Brad Marchand
When teams are struggling, they usually look to their captain to turn things around and that’s what Brad Marchand did against St. Louis and New Jersey. Entering the final game of the four-game road trip against the Blues and looking to end the trip on a high note, Marchand stepped up.
He scored two of the four Bruins goals, opening the scoring in the first period, then adding a second power-play goal on a two-man advantage. His first goal of the game was his 900th career point. Against the Devils, he picked up two assists, assisting on Charlie Coyle’s second-period goal, and then picking up an assist on Pastrnak’s third-period power-play goal. Leaders lead and Marchand certainly did when his team needed him to.
Minus Two: Four-Game Road Trip
A lot of people are going to think that the four-game road trip against the Avalanche, Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, and Blues could be considered a success as they got five out of eight points, but it was the way they went about getting those points that are concerning. A shootout loss to Colorado was followed by overtime losses to Arizona and Vegas, before flipping the script against St. Louis by winning in overtime.
Related: Bruins Shut Out Devils Behind Swayman, Pastrnak & Coyle
It seemed like the Bruins couldn’t catch a break on the road trip in any of the first three games in those losses, but they appeared to have caught one against the Blues in the extra session. Pastrnak got away with what appeared to be a trip at center ice, which led to Charlie McAvoy’s game-winning goal off of the non-call at center ice. It was a break that the Bruins desperately needed, but don’t let three losses go unnoticed as each one was winnable, and self-inflected wounds led to three losses and the loss of three points in the standings. They’ll take the loser’s points, but it should have been more.
Plus Three: Bruins Schedule
Following the four-game road trip, the Bruins returned home to play New Jersey to kick off a five-game homestand. They entered the homestand with 24 games played on the road and just 18 at home and will have a chance to put some separation between them and the Florida Panthers. It’s not going to be easy as the Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, and Carolina Hurricanes. They have played well at the TD Garden this season and need to take advantage of being home.
Minus Three: Third Period Struggles
On the road trip, the Bruins struggled to close out games in regulation and ended up suffering three losses in either overtime or a shootout. They flipped the narrative against the Devils and carried a 1-0 lead into the third period and played a good third period and were able to win 3-0. If they are going to stay on top in the Atlantic Division, they’ll need to have more third periods like they had against the Devils.
Boston has four more games at home before road games at the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers before entering the All-Star Break and they have an opportunity to build on their division lead before heading into an earned break.
