The Bruins are in the midst of a season-high five-game losing streak. But Boston remains atop the Atlantic Division standings during a tough stretch in its schedule.
The B’s haven’t lost five straight since the 2016 season and look to get back in the win column Saturday night against the Florida Panthers. And while the team is equipped with the likes of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, it also boasts some pleasant surprises.
Boston didn’t make a whole lot of changes to its roster after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues in June, with the exception of adding Brett Ritchie after Marcus Johansson signed with the Buffalo Sabres. But the Black and Gold had to dig into their depth early in Providence after a slew of injuries began to pile up.
And now with about a third of the season gone, let’s check out who has been a surprise for the Bruins.
Anders Bjork
Bjork hasn’t played much hockey over the last two seasons due to shoulder injuries that required two surgeries. The Notre Dame product had a lot of hype around him and has been able to live up to some of that this year due to injuries to the Bruins forwards. Bjork has four goals and five assists in 25 games played this season with a plus/minus of three. While he’s not finding the back of the net in every game, he’s been consistent and has earned high praise from head coach Bruce Cassidy. The 23-year-old brings his A-game each night and has provided a boost to the bottom-six forwards. Bjork has used his size and speed to his advantage and it only will be a matter of time until he is able to convert his strong offensive shifts more consistently.
Danton Heinen
On a team that is led by Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron, Heinen has been one of the few to provide secondary scoring. Heinen has five goals and eight assists in 33 games. He never was expected to be a 30-40-goal scorer, but he’s able to provide the B’s some scoring relief that isn’t from the top line. Heinen has spent time on the second line of late, but seems to excel when he’s paired with Bjork and Charlie Coyle. But he is a versatile weapon for the Black and Gold and wins the 50/50 puck battle more often than not. Also check out these stats from the beginning of December from Boston Sports Journal’s Conor Ryan that demonstrate just how important Heinen is and has been.
More fun factz:
Since 2017, opponents have only scored 54 goals in the 2,226:48 of 5v5 ice time that Danton Heinen has logged.
Down the other end of the ice during that same stretch, Boston has tallied 94 goals. https://t.co/lcuvFB1leS
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 4, 2019
Matt Grzelcyk
Grzelcyk progressed mightily last season, and his absence certainly was felt during the Bruins’ Stanley Cup Final run after landing in concussion protocol in Game 2. The defenseman returned for Game 7 and scored Boston’s lone goal in the loss on home ice. He’s developed not only as a blueliner but as someone who moves pucks, as showcased in the Bruins’ 3-2 over the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 21 when he never gave up on the puck which led to Pastrnak scoring the game-winning goal. Grzelcyk has looked confident on the ice this season. And if he can continue to develop to give the B’s some offense here and there, he’ll pose even more of a threat on the blueline.
