The time for the Bruins to make some hay is now.
Not solely are the brand new go-go B’s taking part in their dwelling opener on Saturday evening on the Garden towards the rebuilding Arizona Coyotes, it’s the begin of a stretch by which they play six of their subsequent video games at on the Garden, with the lone roadie being a visit throughout the border to play the Ottawa Senators.
With Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand anticipated to be out until late November, and Jake DeBrusk in the intervening time (dominated out for Saturday with an higher physique harm; Trent Frederic will make his seaosn debut), the B’s have to safe as many factors as they will earlier than embarking on what ought to show to be a tough street journey in late October/early November after they enterprise out to play the Blue Jackets, Penguins, Rangers (wanting like they may problem for East supremacy with wins over Tampa and Minnesota already) and Toronto.
And although this crew – particularly with the way in which it’s at the moment constructed — shouldn’t apologize for gaining two factors on any evening, the season-opening victory in Washington was a combined bag. With some new-found freedom for the defenseman to leap into the offensive zone below coach Jim Montgomery, some blueliners, particularly Mike Reilly, performed with it prefer it was the brand new BB gun they obtained for Christmas. And it almost poked their eyes out.
Sometimes it labored out superbly, just like the time Reilly jumped into the play and was the primary leg of a tic-tac-toe play that resulted in a fairly Taylor Hall purpose. Other instances it didn’t, akin to with the two-odd-man rush targets when a turnover and a blocked shot excessive within the offensive zone and went the opposite means. Fortunately for the B’s, the previous outweighed the latter.
While no person desires to see the B’s go right into a defensive shell halfway via the second interval, they may have been a contact extra prudent after they had been up 3-0. You reside and study, and studying in a victory is perfect.
Ullmark snug
It can be unfair to suppose every part you see on opening evening is the way it’s going to be for the remainder of the season. Wrinkles do get ironed out. But proper now greater than ever, the B’s want their goaltenders to offer a security internet. Linus Ullmark actually held up his finish on opening evening, stopping 33 of 35 photographs.
Around this time final yr, many Bruins followers had been questioning simply what their crew had purchased when GM Don Sweeney signed goalie Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million contract.
Most observers felt just like the then 28-year-old netminder had been in a tough scenario in Buffalo taking part in for the ordinary doormat Sabres and couldn’t exhibit his skills to one of the best of his talents. The pondering was comprehensible
But you by no means understand how a participant will reply to a brand new scenario. And very early final yr, Ullmark was not precisely setting the world ablaze. After a couple of blips within the preseason, Ullmark was 3-3 with a .barely respectable .903 save share via his first six recreation earlier than finally getting his recreation on monitor.
There has been no such sluggish begin this yr. So far within the preseason and now with the opener below his belt, his consolation degree off the ice is displaying.
“It was new team, new city, new everything. I was in Buffalo for a long time in upstate New York and just getting to know everybody was a challenge in itself,” mentioned Ullmark after the sport. “I had a whole new organization. And it’s not just the team, you’ve got the trainers, you’ve got the physical (therapist), the doctors. You want to be on top of everything and know everybody by their first name basis and stuff like that. So obviously, yeah, you can say it was a little bit of a transition. And leading into this year, we were settled into our place and schools and everything. And when everything works off the ice, it feels way better getting on the ice.”
As for the brand new system that’s being performed in entrance of him, the underside line for a goaltender by no means modifications.
“It comes down to stopping the puck, obviously,” mentioned Ullmark. “There are going to be some minor changes obviously, however we play and interact with each other out there. But it was the first game out of 82 and we come out with the win and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
With Montgomery’s said plan of alternating his goalies via the primary 4 video games, it will likely be Jeremy Swayman’s begin towards Arizona. He ought to be prepared for somewhat extra motion than normal.
Grzelcyk getting shut
Montgomery mentioned Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder) is day-to-day and will make his season debut by the top of subsequent week.
Source: www.bostonherald.com