A legendary start: NHL update

Gabriela Gondolfe

She/ Her

SGA President Class of 2023

12/3/22

If you have been to a Bruins home game this season, there’s a good chance you’ve seen them win in Boston, a 100% chance to be exact. The Bruins, following their come-from-behind, 3-2 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday afternoon, and a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night are 13-0-0 at TD Garden. Yes, that’s officially the best home start in NHL history. The Bruins broke the mark of 11 straight home game wins that was set by the 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks and equaled by the Florida Panthers last season. The Boston Bruins didn’t make a ton of massive roster changes in the offseason. Sure, the bottom-six forward group being a bit different and David Krejci coming back after a year away from the NHL are definitely notable, but there was no seismic overhaul. In fact, many experts predicted the Bruins would struggle early in the 2022-23 season with defensemen Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, and left winger Brad Marchand all out of the lineup because of injuries. So why are the Bruins the best team in hockey right now? Look no further than Boston Bruins’ first-year head coach Jim Montgomery. The former Head coach for the Dallas Stars deserves huge credit for the team’s remarkable start this season. Overall the franchise is 19-3 and ranked first in the league-leading in points. Montgomery has implemented a more up-tempo system that is unlocking the speed and skill of this Bruins roster without sacrificing too much of the defensive structure and discipline that has given the franchise so much success over the last 15 years. “It’s been great. He obviously brought a different energy and a different voice,”  Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron told reporters. “A tweak here and there in the system, not too many changes but he wants us to be really aggressive, he wants the D to be really aggressive and he wants the D to join the rush. I think you see the results of it. It’s been great for us.” (NBCSports)

The results really do speak for themselves. Captain Patrice Bergeron just amassed his spot in the 1000th-point club in the NHL all with Boston. He reached this milestone on the road in Tampa and was recognized Friday against Carolina and I was lucky enough to join fellow bruins fans in the TD Garden for his much-deserved standing ovation. Bergeron would probably win a “Most Humble” award if there was one in the NHL, he mentioned after the game he didn’t even know it was his 1000th point until seeing Brad Marchand’s reaction. Bergeron joined Ray Borque, Johnny Bucyk, and Phil Esposito as the only players to reach this plateau. It has been an electric start to the season thanks to Monty and the incredibly skilled players. Bruins star goalscorer David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Hurricanes and currently leads the team in points. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman was in net Tuesday against Tampa Bay making 27 saves, as only one shot got by the 24-year-old that came on a blast by Steven Stamkos on the power play. Other than that, it was lights out for the lightning. The next match is going to be fierce as we face the 2022 Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche Saturday on home ice. 14-0?