It was another perfect week for the Boston Bruins. They finished a quick two-game road trip on Feb. 16 with a dominating 5-0 shutout of the Nashville Predators, then won both games on TD Garden ice on a short two-game homestand on Feb. 18 with a 6-2 win over the New York Islanders and a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 20. After losing four of five games around the All-Star Break, they have now won four games in a row.
In this edition of Bruins Weekly, a veteran reaches a milestone, the Black and Gold head out West for the third time this season with a four-game road trip and more.
Krejci Honored for 1,000th Career NHL Game
On Jan. 16 in a 6-0 Boston win over the Philadelphia Flyers, David Krejci played in his 1,000th career NHL game. On Feb. 20, he was honored before the game against the Senators. He was presented with the traditional silver stick from general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and a commissioned painting from team President Cam Neely. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak also presented him with a Rolex watch, and a magnum bottle of wine, and his wife, Naomi was given a custom gold and diamond necklace from the Bruins’ wives and girlfriends.
“I was on the bench for a few of the guys’ 1,000th game, so I knew what to expect a little bit, but it was more than I expected,” said Krejci. “It was a pretty special moment, and having the family there with me, it was more than I expected. It started before the game in the room with the boys. Special moment. Very, very thankful that I am part of this team.”
In the 3-1 win, Pastrnak had two goals to increase his total to 41 on the season, one behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers for the NHL lead. With the clock winding down and the Ottawa net empty, Pastrnak and Krejci were on the ice and Pastrnak had a chance for the hat trick and moving into a tie with McDavid for the league lead, but instead, he passed to Krejci to try and get his teammate a goal on his special day. He admitted it after the game.
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“Yeah, for sure,” Pastrnak said. “I mean, that was my goal was to look for him the whole game. It was still a good game and we definitely needed it as a line.”
You don’t see that very often and it says a lot about Krejci, Pastrnak, and the entire team. Speaking of Pastrnak, his two goals allowed him to record his third season of at least 40-plus goals, with his career-high being 48 in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 season.
Bruins Head West for Four-Game Road Trip Against Possible Trade Targets
For the third and final time this season, the Bruins are heading west to play the four teams they have yet to face on the road in the mountain and western time zones. First up is a stop against the Seattle Kraken and believe it or not, this is a revenge game for Boston. Seattle handed the Bruins their first home regulation loss of the season, 3-0, on Jan. 12. The Kraken are in third place in the Pacific Division and are on pace for their first-ever postseason berth in just their second season.
The second stop is against the Vancouver Canucks and it will be a bit of a reunion against a former teammate and even a peek at some potential trade targets. Jack Studnicka was traded in October and is finally getting a shot full-time with the Canucks and in 32 games this season, he has four goals and six points while averaging 10:33 a night. On Jan. 31, Vancouver sent Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, but do have some other pieces the Black and Gold could have interest in. Defenseman Luke Schenn was held out of the lineup against the Predators and is expected to be moved. Two long-shot options, Conor Garland and Brock Boeser, are other players that could be long-term fits in Boston.
After Vancouver, the Bruins will close out the trip with games against the Oilers and Calgary Flames. The battle with the Oilers will feature the NHL’s two leading goal-scorers in McDavid (44) and Pastrnak (41). Calgary is a team that is desperate for points as they find themselves fighting for one of the two Western Conference wild card spots.
Bruins Week Ahead
- Thursday: at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
- Saturday: at Vancouver Canucks, 7 p.m.
- Monday: at Edmonton Oilers, 8:30 p.m.
- Tuesday: at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.