Everything has seemingly gone right for the Boston Bruins through the first 40 games of this season.
They have made the transition to a new coach in Jim Montgomery look absolutely seamless as the Bruins sport a clear league-best 32-4-4 record.
Even Montgomery, who was “honored” to be named the Atlantic Division head coach for the upcoming NHL All-Star Game, couldn’t have seen this coming. He actually admitted he has been caught off guard by several aspects of his team, and those qualities have directly led to Boston’s success.
“I was surprised at how quickly we picked (the system) up the first 20 games,” Montgomery told reporters following practice Wednesday, per team-provided video. “The grind of the season, what I’m amazed is their consistency and how hard we’ve been to play against. I don’t think we’ve been that dynamic offensively in the last 15 games, to be honest, but I think how hard we are to play against in big moments has been consistent throughout the year and I think that’s a reflection of our record.”
It’s kind of head-scratching that Montgomery believes the Bruins’ offense isn’t in top gear at moment, especially after Boston notched 16 goals while sweeping its recent three-game California road trip.
But the Bruins certainly have been consistent, as evidenced by their 14-game point streak they take into Thursday’s matchup with the visiting Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken, who have won six straight games, will be a test for the Bruins when the puck drops at TD Garden at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
