Lost in the chaos created by Linus Ullmark’s historic goal Saturday night was the Bruins debuts of two new faces in Boston.
Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway both played their first games in Black and Gold sweaters at Rogers Arena. Charlie McAvoy was the only Bruins defenseman who had more time on ice in Vancouver than Orlov, who came to Boston by way of the Capitals. Hathaway, also a part of the trade with Washington, served as the Bruins’ fourth-line right wing and logged nearly 12 minutes of ice time, including 1:18 on the penalty kill.
Hathaway, a Maine native who played collegiately at Brown, made a good first impression with his new head coach in the B’s 3-1 win over the Canucks.
“Really impressed with Hathaway’s details and penalty killing,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, per The Athletic. “Seems like he understands our D-zone coverage already.”
After spending a combined 15 years in the nation’s capital, it’s probably going to take some time for Hathaway and Orlov to really ingratiate themselves with the Bruins and fire on all cylinders. But Saturday night’s showing, which came a mere two days after the big trade, suggests both players will be impact players for the NHL’s best team.
Boston will try to push its win streak to seven games Monday night in Edmonton. NESN’s complete coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
