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The Boston Bruins kicked their seven-game preseason schedule off at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on Sunday night by way of a 2-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Defenseman Matt Irwin picked up both of Boston’s goals -- both were scored on the power play -- while Jonas Gustavsson and Jeremy Smith combined for a 30-save shutout.
Some quick bullet points from the win…
- It’s something Claude Julien eluded to after the second day of camp, but don’t be surprised if the Bruins do indeed carry eight defensemen on their NHL roster. One of the reasons I think they will end up going ahead with that idea is the play of Colin Miller. He’s still just a 21-year-old, but he’s all of the things that embody some of the little tweaks the Bruins want to make to their system.
He has a strong first pass, an accurate, powerful shot, and can play physical when he needs to.
And the truth is that given the fact he’s an out-of-the-pipeline talent, I think the Bruins will want a longer look at him than what this seven-game sample will provide. The issue of course becomes finding the ice-time for him given the returning status of five of Boston’s six defenders from a year ago, but that one that left (Dougie Hamilton), could be lessened if Miller ascends the way the B’s are hoping.
- Staying on the point, Matt Irwin is a player that wants to be an everyday talent for the Bruins.
He’s admitted as much, too. Irwin, who played his college hockey at UMass (Amherst), noted that he wasn’t an everyday guy in San Jose, and that it was something he wanted to be in his next stop. He’s another guy that seems like a perfect fit for what the B’s are trying to do out of their own end this season, too. One of the things you could see in Irwin’s game in San Jose -- and tonight on Boston’s first goal for that matter -- is his willingness to take chances and attack the net in search of a strike.
It’s a gamble and Irwin knows this, but he’s wasted no time in making his pitch for regular ice time.
(I would expect him to slot next to Adam McQuaid on the B’s third pairing come opening night.)
- Camp invite Jonas Gustavsson looked solid in his Bruins debut. The veteran Swede stopped all 18 shots he faced before second-period reliever Jeremy Smith made his way in to finish the night a perfect 12-for-12 in the crease. It may have helped that they played some regulars from a Jersey squad that finished with the third-fewest goals in the league last year and a bunch of kids, but a shutout is a shutout and Gustavsson (and Smith for that matter) looked comfortable in net. Confidence has to be a must in that position this year, both from the goalie and the coach giving him those 15-25 starts.
- I do not want to hammer Alex Khokhlachev. He wants a chance at the NHL level, I get it. But if you’re going to come out on the second day of camp and in essence demand that you make the big club or face the wrath of your agent, you should probably show up with more spark to your game. He didn’t play poorly, and I don’t want it come across like I’m saying as much. But man oh man, if you’re going to come out with that fire vocally, it’s gotta translate onto the ice.
- Seth Griffith, one of the number of young guns challenging for a spot on the big league roster, left Sunday’s tilt with a lower-body injury following a collision with Tuomo Ruutu.
The 5-foot-9 winger scored six goals and 10 points in 30 games for the Big B’s last season.
The Bruins will return to the ice at TD Garden tomorrow for another grueling, learning-heavy day of camp before a Tuesday night tilt at the TD Garden against the Washington Capitals.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com