How Brandon Carlo's Elite Shot-Blocking Has Improved Bruins Defense
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's getting hard to overstate how impressive rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo has been for the Bruins in the first nine games of his NHL career. He and Zdeno Chara have each used their immense size to their advantage on the top defensive pairing for the Bruins (Carlo is 6-foot-5) and limited opportunities for opponents around the net better than last season, when it was a major problem for the entire team.
The Bruins still aren't perfect in their own end, but by and large, Chara and Carlo have been effective as the top pairing. It's just hard to explain Carlo's impact on the rebuilding Bruins defense without using the vaunted "eye test" or pointing to something on a score sheet.
But there is one thing: Carlo is blocking shot attempts at an elite rate.
Through nine games, Carlo has blocked 25 shots, which is good for 10th in the National Hockey League. He has the same amount of blocks as P.K. Subban. If he has a big night blocking shots on Thursday night in Tampa Bay, he could inch closer to the league lead of 32 (Alexander Edler). On average, he is blocking 2.78 shots per game; compare that to Chara's frequent linemate last season Kevan Miller, who blocked about 1.73 shots per game.
Carlo has even blocked shots in the clutch; he got in front of two shot attempts in the final 31 seconds of the Bruins' 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 20.
Yes, blocked shots are just one aspect of playing defense, but you also need to factor in that Carlo is 19 years old (he turns 20 on November 26). The next-youngest player in the top-30 shot-blockers in the league is 22-year-old Seth Jones of the Columbus Blue Jackets - who, by the way, was the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Carlo has been especially impressive when you consider that he's averaging the second-most ice time on the team (22:35) behind Chara (23:36). His ATOI is "only" 43rd in the league, but again, he's the youngest player in the top-50. The next-youngest player with as much or more ice time is 20-year-old Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, who is 29th in the NHL at 23:36. And he, by the way, was the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Carlo was selected 37th in the 2015 Draft, 24 picks after the Bruins took defenseman Jakub Zboril. He's certainly looking like he was well worth that kind of draft capital with the way he's played in the first nine games of his career. He may yet hit the dreaded "rookie wall," but the results so far have exceeded expectations.
It's also fair to note that blocked shots can be viewed as a pure volume stat. It doesn't necessarily mean that your team is playing good defense as a unit or that you're doing the most to limit the opponents' chances. The Bruins defense still looks like a fire drill at times. But that hasn't been much of the fault of Carlo, who has officially logged only two giveaways on the season and has done a solid job sticking to his assignments and keeping opposing players from getting too close to the goaltender.
If you want to have a tangible example of how Carlo is sparking the defense, watch for how well he blocks shots. His 6-foot-5 frame is getting in front of the puck at an impressive rate and it's certainly a reason why the Bruins' top defensive pairing has shown marked improvement.
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.
