It was a struggle, but the Boston Bruins survived November. In a month headlined by the absence of Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and even Chris Kelly for a bit (along with countless others), the Black and Gold won an impressive seven of 11 contests throughout the month, and ended it on a high note with last Friday’s 2-1 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, December won’t be much easier. In more ways than one.
From a workload perspective, the Bruins will skate in 14 games (eight on the road and six at the Garden) this month, including two sets of three games in four night stretches. And of the Bruins’ 14 opponents this month, just six of them come against teams presently on the outside of the league’s playoff picture. And for what it’s worth, two of those outsiders are the Minnesota Wild, who are just one point out of the wild card, and the San Jose Sharks, a club right behind Minnesota and out of the playoffs by just two points right now.
Now, the Bruins should get Chara back within the next couple of weeks, and maybe they’ll get Krejci back at some point (there are days where he skates and days where he does not), but it’ll be a trying month and that’s operating with the belief that the Bruins don’t deal with another injury. Or, in this case, with the month beginning with tonight’s game down in Anaheim, the mumps. (Blogger’s note: Never thought my blogging career would involve googling ‘how to know when you have the mumps’. But here we are.)
All that said, though, I don’t think there’s a doubt that the Bruins are better equipped to handle adversity now than they were this time last month. In fact, it’s almost as if the club is learning to battle through the reality of situation, accept the two points -- pretty or not -- and move on.
But the Bruins won’t bury their heads in the California sand when it comes to what needs to spark.
“We need a little bit more production from certain guys that should be giving it to us when we’re a little bit challenged. But I think that’s one of the things. You know, you’re forcing plays, you’re getting frustrated, and you know, instead of doing the right thing you’re trying to do a little bit more and it ends up taking away scoring chances,… B’s coach Claude Julien said last Friday when asked what needs to happen for his club on this road swing. “I think we need to get our offense going here. Again tonight, as much as we’ve worked on it the last couple of days, maybe because we weren’t skating as well as I thought we were – we weren’t going up the ice with speed and we weren’t coming back to generate that speed that we needed.…
The Bruins could use a little bit more production from Loui Eriksson. He has just one goal in his last 18 games played. Reilly Smith hasn’t fared much better, with two goals in his last 18 games played, and with zero in his last eight games. I mean, the Bruins’ leading scorer, Seth Griffith, was sent down to the minors for a game last week and is still tied for the team lead in goals… with five.
This is a trip where an Eriksson, Patrice Bergeron, and Milan Lucic need to lead the way. The good news, in the case of Lucic anyway, is that it looks as if he’s capable of doing that.
Skating with Eriksson and Carl Soderberg, Lucic has goals in two straight contests, and has provided some much needed muscle to that line, especially in front of the net.
“It’s been good because it gives us another option when we need it and when we’re going to need it down the road. So, it’s nice to know that if at some point I want to move certain guys around, that he could be a good fit on that line,… Julien said of Lucic’s chemistry with the Swedes. “It’s been a good fit for him. A big centerman who skates and has good chemistry with his right winger, and him to just drive to the net. He keeps scoring goals driving the net, so I hope he continues to do that.…
2014 first-rounder David Pastrnak continues to make a noticeable impact on the Boston offense, too, finishing his second NHL game with a team-leading seven shots on goal. He’s still just 5-foot-11 and barely 180 pounds, but is he a dynamic talent. He has that type of next level creativity through the neutral zone and in the offensive zone that’s kept the opposition guessing. He’s still searching for goal No. 1, and point No. 1 for that matter, but his speed and skill has not gone unnoticed. His ice-time, deservedly so, is on the rise.
They’ll all go against an Anaheim Ducks squad that’s lost two straight, and six of their last ten. They’re still a loaded squad, though, and that comes back to the summertime addition of Ryan Kesler, along with a deep wing corp that includes Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg, and Kyle Palmieri.
The Bruins will give the start to Tuukka Rask for his fourth straight start. With three wins and a .956 save percentage in his last five games, and after stopping 35-of-36 shots in Friday’s win over Winnipeg, the 27-year-old is certainly finding the groove that made him the league’s best goaltender last season. Rask has just one win in three career games against the Ducks, though, with an .853 save percentage. And though he wasn’t pulled, Rask made just 15 saves in a 5-2 loss to Anaheim back on Jan. 7, 2014.
Anaheim counters with Frederik Andersen. For Andersen, November was, uh, brutal. In 11 games played, the Danish netminder had just three wins and an .895 save percentage. His last start didn’t go as planned, either, as Andersen was lifted after surrendering five goals on 19 shots in just 26 minutes. The 25-year-old has not yet played the Bruins in his career.
- Loui Eriksson has 15 goals and 31 points in 41 career games against the Ducks.
- B’s center Carl Soderberg has four assists and 14 shots on goals in his last four games.
- Torey Krug has just one goal and zero helpers in his last nine games played.
- Duck centerman Ryan Kesler has three goals and 11 points in 13 home games this season.
- Ryan Getzlaf has 10 points in his last 16 games.
Other news and notes
Sounds like forwards Seth Griffith and Craig Cunningham and defenseman Zach Trotman will be the healthy scratches for the Bruins. Matt Fraser, a healthy scratch in the previous two contests, will take Griffith’s spot in the Boston lineup. The 6-foot-1 winger has three goals and 18 shots on goal in 14 games this season. Fraser has been held without a shot in five games this year, too.
On Cunningham, he's clearly with the club as their emergency plan in the event of an injury to a center. That said, though, it'd be interesting to see if the B's throw Cunningham into the mix to shake up the fourth line, which has at times been an unbelievable disaster in their own end.
Also: Strep throat is the worst. I don’t recommend you ever get it.