The Boston Bruins are not just off to the best start of any team in the National Hockey League, they’re off to a franchise-best start following their 4-0 shutout road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Friday.
Boston, who put together a three-goal second period in Columbus, now own a very impressive 8-1-0 record to begin their 2022-23 campaign.
Bruins first-year head coach Jim Montgomery, who wasn’t aware of the historic attachment to the team’s win, quickly attributed Boston’s roster to their red-hot start to the year.
“I attribute to the talent on our roster and how hard those guys are playing for each other,” Montgomery said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I mean, you look at the (Jake) DeBrusk’s goal. I think we had three blocked shots before and he blocks it, goes on a breakaway and snipes it. Guys are playing hard for each other and we’re getting goaltending, we’re getting great special teams. So, things are clicking right now and proud of the bunch because to go nine games in 17 days like we did, with an 8-1 record , it’s a tribute to leadership in that locker room and how committed they are to each other.”
Montgomery added: “Offensively, I loved the way we hung on the pucks. … We have great depth, and don’t forget, we have 63 (Brad Marchand) and 73 (Charlie McAvoy) who are sitting at home. Yeah, ‘Let’s go home,’ is right.”
Center Charlie Coyle, who scored for the second consecutive contest, isn’t at all content despite the Bruins ending October as the top-dog in the NHL.
“I don’t know if a lot of people expected us to have the record that we have now, but it don’t matter,” Coyle said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We know what’s in here and the guys we have, and the guys that can fill in and take our responsibility. … We’re pretty happy but we wanna keep pushing. We’re never satisfied. This doesn’t get us in the playoffs, this doesn’t give us a championship. It’s a good start, yeah. But we gotta keep pushing and playing the right way and I think that’s why we’re getting success.”
Here are more notes from Friday’s Bruins-Blue Jackets game:
— David Pastrnak extended his point streak to four games, totaling four goals and four assists within the stretch.
— Boston has 15 different goal scorers through their first nine games of the season.
“There’s a lot of people that were out there that were counting us out from the start of the summer,” DeBrusk said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Obviously with some big names, not being in the mix but historic and especially in a team like Boston, that’s cool to be a part of. We want to continue that, obviously but I think it’s just everybody buying in from the bottom, down. You look at how many goal scorers we got and how many different guys are contributing.”
— The Bruins are undefeated in games where they score first and in games where Ullmark starts as the goaltender this season. Ullmark is tied with ex-Bruin Tiny Thompson (1937) for the most wins by a goaltender to start a season, per NESN broadcast.
— Boston is riding a five-game winning streak, dating back to their victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 20.
— The Bruins return to action on Tuesday, facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue their road trip. Puck drop from PPG Paints Arena is set for 8 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus with an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
