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The Bruins are rolling and winning games in different ways |
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Winners in eight of their last nine, the Bruins are finally rolling.
Deterred by injuries and COVID related cancelations for most of the season to date, the Bruins have finally put those issues behind them, playing their best hockey of the season.
Injuries and COVID related issues are still very much present, but since the calendar flipped to 2022, none of it has seemed to slow the Bruins down.
With wins over teams like the Lightning and Capitals over the last two weeks, the Bruins have finally started to string together wins against quality opponents.
That was no different on Saturday as the Bruins took on the Nashville Predators who entered Saturday as the leaders in the Central division.
The Bruins eventually would go on to win in overtime in a game that felt similar to a playoff game.
"You got to play 20 something (games) like that in the playoffs, typically. You can have an off night, but in general, that's kind of how it goes,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy. “I guess as they'd describe it as a playoff-style game, and we responded well.”
The game was one of the most physical ones the Bruins have played in to date. Ultimately, they were up for the challenge.
“We tried to finish the checks that were there. Certainly everybody’s capable of it. We saw that with [Brad Marchand] on Dante Fabbro, good clean hit, drills [Roman] Josi in overtime, clean hit,” Cassidy said. "They were out there, take them. I thought Taylor Hall had a good hit early on and then just the other ones where you got to rub people out, finish so they don’t jump into the play.”
There’s been some criticism with the Bruins of late, pointing to their lack of toughness in certain situations. That sentiment was magnified last month when there were stretches of games where teams were being extra physical with captain Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins not doing much to respond.
But between their physical night with the Canadiens earlier in the week, and Saturday’s matchup with the Predators, the Bruins have certainly turned up the heat when it comes to being physical.
“They’re an aggressive team. They’re a team that wants to get going up the ice,” said Hall who scored the game winner in overtime.
“Then when you get a chance to pop someone clean, shoulder-to-shoulder or shoulder-to-chest, it’s a really good thing to do. It gets the crowd going and gets our bench going. And it doesn’t need to be a fight every time. I mean, the other team’s mad at honest, clean hits, then that’s their problem. But we know what we have to do.”
Everything is clicking for the Bruins right now.
Their top-six shake up is providing nightly results, Marchand, Hall and David Pastrnak all catching fire at the same time. Not to be forgotten, their secondary scoring has been prevalent and a key to their recent success.
Whether it’s by scoring seven goals, for a lopsided victory, or needing overtime to beat a very good team like the Predators, the Bruins are finally showing the ability to win games in different ways, a sign of a good hockey team.
Mix in some nights were they're required to be more physical than some others and the Bruins are earning wins however they need to.
“Ultimately, that’s the team you want to be. You want to be able to play different styles of games,” Hall added.
“Not every game is going to be the same, but if we can be physical at the right times, especially on our home ice, that’s going to be a real strength of ours as the season goes on, and when the playoffs start, you know you need to be able to have that game in your bag.”
The Bruins have shown a lot over these last two and a half weeks, a lot of what we hadn’t seen prior.
There’s a lot of hockey left to be played and a lot can change in a hurry. But for now, the Bruins are rolling and are looking more a playoff contender than maybe people thought they would be.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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