The Bruins blanked the Penguins, who were playing without Evgeni Malkin (shoulder), Sergei Gonchar (wrist), Maxime Talbot (shoulder), Kris Letang (shoulder) and Tyler Kennedy (groin). The injuries slowed down a powerful Pittsburgh team that won the coveted Stanley Cup less than five months ago. But the Bruins — a team that has been questioned recently — looked like the team of old. And they got that momentum in a huge win on Saturday night against Buffalo.
Encouraged that their power play went 2-for-3 against the Sabres, the Bruins took their new spark on offense into one of the biggest games so far this season. The Penguins are dangerous in all areas of their game, and the Bruins were able to take advantage of the Penguins’ missing playmakers to continue to build on the momentum they created.
Patrice Bergeron has been carrying this team with the injuries to Marc Savard and Milan Lucic. There was never a question about Bergeron’s ability, and it was only a matter of time before he got his game back after a devastating season-ending injury in 2007. A shorthanded goal and assist on Tuesday against the Penguins added to Bergeron’s team-leading six goals on the season. The Bruins are thankful their assistant captain is able to fill the void and slip into Savard’s role quite seamlessly.
Another positive in the Bruins’ play against the Penguins was their quick start, outshooting Pittsburgh 10-2 in the first period of play. Getting out of the gate and getting on their opponents early has been a focal point for the Bruins.
As I wrote about last week, the Bruins just needed to get their wheels going. It started two games ago against the Canadiens, when Bergeron got Boston out of its scoring slump. The Bruins continued to push right through Northeast Division-leading Buffalo and then blanked Pittsburgh three nights later.
The Bruins’ game is much-improved, and the goals are coming.
Now everyone can finally relax, stop panicking and realize that the hockey season is long and arduous. Injuries come and go as the season experiences ebbs and flows. It’s a grind that presents many challenges along the way. And that’s the beauty of the sport.
