There is a lot to like about the 2022-23 Bruins team and that trend continued Wednesday night.
Boston avoided its first back-to-back loss of the year with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
This season continues to be one of dominance for the Bruins as they now have 59 points in 35 games and are 7-0-0 after a loss.
Here are four takeaways from Wednesday’s win.
Linus Ullmark continues to be incredible
There really isn’t much more we can say about Ullmark and the season he’s put together thus far in his second year with the Bruins. His Vezina-worthy start continued Wednesday with a 30-save performance over the Devils. Ullmark now is 20-1-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage — both of which lead the NHL.
“He made some incredible saves,” Patrice Bergeron told reporters after the game. “He was tremendous and really gave us a chance to stay in the game.”
One of those incredible saves came on a breakaway by Miles Wood. He looked prime to get it past Ullmark but the Bruins goalie made an incredible glove save.
There also was this save in the second period:
Pavel Zacha gets the last laugh
Zacha visited his former team for the first time this season and made his return to Prudential Center after being traded to the Bruins by New Jersey for Erik Haula. Zacha never quite reached his ceiling with the Devils but has been tremendous for the Black and Gold. Even during his recent scoring drought, which was snapped against the Ottawa Senators, he still was finding ways to contribute to the team.
The forward gave the Bruins some insurance when he scored against the team that traded him this summer. Sure, it was an empty-netter, but Zacha never gave up on the puck and gave 100% effort until he lit the lamp.
“I think he’s doing a lot of good things,” head coach Jim Montgomery told reorters. “He doesn’t get the point production for how much he helps us win.”
Patrice Bergeron is ageless
Bergeron continues to play at an elite level at age 37. It’s unclear what the future holds for the captain after 2022-23, but what he’s doing on the ice isn’t talked about enough. Bergeron scored the game-winner against New Jersey and now has 29 points in 35 games.
“There’s not enough words to describe him,” Montgomery told reporters. “That’s a big-time goal. Not everyone goes to those hard areas. That’s why he scored, that’s why he has 1,000 points, and that’s why he’s our leader.”
Bergeron has shown no signs of slowing down as he continues to make his case for a sixth Selke Trophy.
Bruins can overcome anything
Even when the Bruins don’t start on time or don’t have their legs under them during a period, they find ways to get over it and get the win. The chemistry the team has is evident by its record and it’s clear whatever Montgomery is doing and saying is working.
The Bruins earned three out of four points in their first two games out of the winter break, which isn’t too shabby after spending some extra time with their families for the holidays.
“We were able to get three out of four points in this trip right after Christmas,” Montgomery told reporters. “It speaks volumes about the character of this team.”
Bergeron agreed.
“I think we showed a lot of character tonight,” he told reporters. “I thought we stuck with it and we found ways to stay in the game. … I think it’s always one of those things when you’re a tight group off the ice, you go the extra mile on the ice and you kind of sacrifice for each other.”
