After a disappointing effort in the season opener against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, the Boston Bruins returned home for a matchup with their longtime rival Montreal Canadiens, the first home opening game against Montreal since 2005. Boston rebounded with a 6-4 win and displayed some of the pace and urgency that Head Coach Jim Montgomery thought was lacking in the first game. The Bruins outshot Montreal 29-24 and answered a late Montreal rally with a Mark Kastelic goal, his second of the game, to seal the victory for goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who made his season debut. Here are five takeaways from a much-needed early-season win:
The Bruins set the tone early with a noticeable jump
The comments from Montgomery seemed to resonate with the team as the Marchad-Coyle-Geekie line started the game with a dominant shift, resulting in a Montreal penalty. Hampus Lindholm appeared to score the first goal of the game, but a goaltender interference penalty by Justin Brazeau wiped it off the board. However, the Bruins came out with more conviction and a better pace of play and started the game “on time.”
Charlie McAvoy was Charlie McAvoy again
The Bruins defenseman was physical and had a shot-first mentality that led to a goal, his first of the season. McAvoy was more noticeable in a good way and played more like the $9.5 million defenseman that the Bruins need him to be. There were a couple of miscues, but for the most part, McAvoy was stout and a difference-maker offensively as well. In just under 23 minutes of ice time, McAvoy finished with three shots, two hits, and a blocked shot.
The fourth line continues to excel
Kastelic scored two goals, and Cole Koepke scored one goal and two assists in just 7:20 of ice time. Each member of the line posted a plus-3 and has become an early-season strength of the team. Kastelic, Koepke, and John Beecher also combined for seven hits and made the most of their ice time. Koepke has been a nice surprise so far and the unit could be a factor for weeks to come.
Jeremy Swayman gets some game-action
After a much-publicized contract dispute with the team, Swayman made his first start and allowed three even-strength goals. Most of the goals were not necessarily his fault, as Cole Caufield scored at the post unguarded, and Josh Anderson tipped home a point shot from the high slot. Swayman finished with a .833 save percentage but did make a couple of sparkling saves and got into a short dust-up with Montreal forward Nick Suzuki in the crease.
The Bruins defense still has some improvements to make
Caufield was left unmarked for a goal, and there are some coverage mishaps from the Bruins defensemen that need to be cleaned up. Brandon Carlo has not played to his capability in the first two games as he gets back into a rhythm. Carlo did have two assists but his zone exits and decisions with the puck have been suspect. Mason Lohrei was a scratch Thursday night after a minus-3 effort on Tuesday. Nikita Zadorov was better against Montreal and delivered two vicious hits as he was moved to pair with McAvoy. Look for this group to continue to improve and be a strength of the team long term.
Season 4. Episode 14. West Coast Road Trip. – Bruins Benders Podcast
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