The junk drawer is where you throw everything you can’t find a place for, so these articles going forward will have a little of everything: Some statistics, some prospects, some opinions, some information, no swearing (you’re welcome, John!), and anything else Bruins related I feel like you all need to know. If there is anything you’d like to see appear in The Junk Drawer, just let me know in the comments.
What’s The Junk?
The Bruins have begun the 2024-25 season with a 3-2-0 record after 5 games, with both losses coming to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. The Bruins were never really in either game against Florida. Jim Montgomery has said the Panthers are in the heads of the Bruins. The players disagree. It seems there may be a disconnect between players and Coach or at the very least, they don’t appear to be on the same page. This is something that bears watching as the season rolls on.
Here are Boston’s league ranks after the team’s first five games (3-2-0):
Goals For: 20 (1st)
Goals Against: 18 (26th)
Assists: 32 (2nd)
Shooting Percentage: 14.81% (5th)
Power Play Percentage: 18.2% (19th)
Penalty Kill Percentage: 80.0% (16th)
Penalty Minutes: 73 (31st)
Looking at the stats, the goals for, assists, and shooting percentage are positives but may be fools gold because of the otherworldly play of the Bruins’ “4th line” but the goals against, power play, penalty kill, and amount of penalties taken are concerns.
The Bruins have always relied upon defense and goaltending as the backbone of their club so I believe they will get the defensive side and the penalty killing figured out. Some early-season growing pains are to be expected with new players in a new system.
The biggest reason for the Bruins’ success thus far is the play of the 4th line. (Bruins fans, we need to come up with a name for this monster line.) The line of John Beecher, Mark Kastelic, and Koepke has been the most dominant line in the NHL in goals for per 60 minutes. Each player on the “4th line” has 5 points (2g, 3a), and they are a combined +26 with 50 hits while winning almost 59% of faceoffs. You want to talk about a perfection line? I know, I know, can’t compare…but that’s how good these guys have been.
Mason Lohrei has shown some resilience after getting scratched and has 4 points in his last 3 games. We could be witnessing a breakout season from the young blueliner as his confidence grows with every game. There will certainly be bumps in the road along the way, but I think you have to be encouraged by Lohrei’s play so far this season.
Elias Lindholm has gotten off to a good start with his new team with 5 points in 5 games while being a +3 and winning over 50% of faceoffs. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lindholm as I hadn’t watched a lot of him because he played primarily on the West Coast but his 200-foot game is as advertised and he’s a little more feisty than I thought already laying a few crunching checks.
The Bruins released their Centennial Game jerseys ahead of the December 1 matchup with Montreal. The jerseys have a nice style and some cool touches along the hem with the words “tradition,” “grit,” “passion,” and “heart.” Inside the collar is the score from the first-ever Bruins game played: Game #1: Boston Bruins 2 – Montreal Maroons 1.
The Bruins are a forward or two short in the top nine. (Don’t you dare touch that “4th line,” Jim Montgomery!) I wonder where Tyler Johnson, Fabian Lysell, or Georgii Merkulov fit into this equation. Or do the Bruins go outside the organization for some help at the trade deadline? Hard to say, with only around 400k in cap space currently. Don Sweeney is going to have to earn his money if he’s going to improve this team at the trade deadline with limited cap space.
New acquisition Joonas Korpisalo (1-1-0, 4.57GAA, .850 SV%) has struggled so far in his two games played. He tends to get off his angles by sliding out of position. His rebound control has also been an issue early on, as several juicy rebounds have been left in the slot causing chaos in front of his net. Goalie Bob has been known to work wonders with Bruins goaltenders, but he may have his work cut out for him in this case. If Brandon Bussi or Michael DiPietro play well in Providence, it’s possible there could be a switch if Korpisalo continues to struggle.
In the Minors:
The Providence Bruins named Patrick Brown the 27th captain in team history. Brown is a great choice as he’s a tireless worker, stands up for teammates, and is a natural leader.
Providence has started the season 1-1-0, with Vinni Lettieri leading the club with two goals. Defenseman Jordan Oesterle leads the team with three points (1g, 2a) in two games.
Bruins Prospects In the NCAA:
A couple of Bruins prospects have had strong starts to their collegiate seasons:
LW/C Oskar Jellvik has started fast for Boston College with 3 points (1g, 2a) in 2 games.
LW/RW Casper Nassen has started his college career with 4 points (2g, 2a) in 4 games with the University of Miami-Ohio.
The Bruins are at Utah and Nashville before coming home to start a three game homestand that begins with Dallas. The next game, Saturday October 26, your boys are at Lops Brewing in Woonsocket, RI for a live podcast at 5 pm, followed by a watch party for the Bruins/Leafs game and a Halloween party.
