Ups And Downs From The Bruins' Home-Opening Win Over New Jersey
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thursday night was nothing short of special for the Boston Bruins, who not only played their first home game of the season but honored two of the franchise's biggest legends. Hall-of-Famers Bobby Orr and Milt Schmidt appeared for the ceremonial puck drop.
Orr is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of his first year in the NHL. He was one of the game's first great prodigies and was certainly a hockey revolutionary. He was the first defensemen to dominate the game in all three zones, especially offensively, and there may never be another player who changes the game like he did.
Schmidt, meanwhile, won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins as a player in 1939 and 1941, then again as a GM in 1970 and 1972 with Orr leading the team. It's fair to say that Orr is still the franchise's greatest player, but Schmidt is as close as it gets to the ultimate Bruins icon.
Good thing the Bruins followed up honoring two franchise luminaries with a strong effort in their 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, who looked dangerously close to stealing a win for much of the game. Devils goalie Cory Schneider stymied the Bruins for most of the game and New Jersey scored the first goal on Tuukka Rask, who otherwise turned in a second straight impressive performance. But Brad Marchand and the returning Patrice Bergeron would not let the Devils take the win away.
The Bruins controlled the tempo of the game for most of the 60 minutes. Despite taking a bit of a step back in the second period, the Bruins generated the majority of the scoring chances and certainly had higher-quality chances. Schneider turned in a similar effort for the Devils as Rask did for the Bruins in Winnipeg, keeping his team in the game amid a flurry of offense from the opposition.
So, let's get to the ups and downs from Thursday night. More ups than downs today, as the win was mostly a total team effort.
UPS
Bergy's back. After what felt like a slow start, Patrice Bergeron eventually got his feet under him and finally buried the game-winning goal with just 1:05 left in regulation. Brad Marchand continued to look like one of the elite players in the league as he flew all over the ice and generated his own scoring chances, one of which he finished off with an absolute snipe through a defenseman's legs for the game-tying goal in the third period.
The Bruins' top line has potential to be one of the league's best if they can continue playing like they did Thursday night, especially if they keep coming up with timely goals like Bergeron and Marchand did. Not to mention, the Bruins looked more under control in their own end with Bergeron back on the ice, which was to be expected.
David Krejci. The Bruins' No. 2 center looked much better in the home opener with David Backes flanking him on the right wing. Left winger Danton Heinen continues to look like he can't keep up with the players he's facing as part of the Bruins' top-six, but Krejci and Backes showed they have big potential to be a strong combination for the Bruins on both ends of the ice.
Krejci not only looked like he had a little extra juice in his skates but also set up Backes for several good scoring chances. Backes will continue to open up the ice for Krejci as he commands attention in front of the net, and as long as Krejci can get open looks he will eventually rack up the assists if Backes can bury more of his chances.
Brandon Carlo. Another strong game for the 19-year-old, who continues to prove why he was the 37th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He blocked six shots and one of them was a huge one, coming late in the game with the Bruins in the lead. He even got scrappy near the end, blowing the Devils' Kyle Palmieri out of Rask's grill and into the net. You love to see that kind of attitude from a kid playing in his fourth career game.
Carlo and Zdeno Chara have looked solid in their own end so far for the Bruins, whose net-front defense was the team's Achilles heel last season. Most importantly, the 19-year-old has not made glaring mistakes or cost the team with his play, which will continue to be the main concern with a player as young as he is.
DOWNS
Bruins power play. The B's have scored just once on 14 power play opportunities (7.1 percent) to start the season. They haven't necessarily lacked chances to score and the team passing has been solid when they've had the man advantage, but they simply haven't been able to finish.
The team could be adjusting to their new-look power play, which has not included Zdeno Chara in either unit. Colin Miller and John-Michael Liles have looked solid in their PP specialist roles, but the group simply needs to start putting pucks in the net at a higher rate in this situation than they have been.
David Backes' bad penalty. Call it a ticky-tack penalty all you want, but there was no need for Backes to remove even one glove in the late-game scrum that landed him in the penalty box and gave the Devils a 6-on-4 advantage with a chance to tie the game back up. If the Devils tie the game in that spot, Backes' penalty would have more of a spotlight on him on Friday.
Backes said he liked "everything except the finish" about his game and took responsibility for the undisciplined play. You have to love the way Backes sticks up for his teammates and in the long run, you want him to play this way. But he needs to toe the line in certain situations, and Thursday night he crossed it.
Ultimately, this is a bit of a nitpick, but it was a crucial point in the game and Backes needs to eliminate those mistakes. He also could have buried one of the many scoring chances fed to him from Krejci, but in the long run that looks like a strong pairing for the Bruins and eventually more goals will come from that line.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
