There’s only so much credit to go around for the Boston Bruins.
Boston has been the best team in hockey through 64 games, on pace for what would be a record-breaking amount of wins (64) and points (135) in a season. Linus Ullmark is a lock to win the Vezina Trophy and Jim Montgomery is the leading candidate to win the Jack Adams Award as both men have combined with captain Patrice Bergeron, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and leading scorer David Pastrnak to earn the bulk of that credit.
On an afternoon that they became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 50 wins, however, it goes to the Bruins’ fourth line.
Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer and Garnet Hathaway have settled in together on the fourth line following Nosek’s return from injury, Hathaway’s arrival from the Washington Capitals and an injury to Nick Foligno. On Saturday, they put together their best showing as a unit, combining for the game-winning goal in a come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
The performance helped instill some confidence in their captain.
“They deserved everything of it,” Bergeron said postgame, per team-provided video. “They’re the ones that got us back in the fight. Their work ethic, throughout the season ever since Garnet (Hathaway) came in, the way that they play. They were our best line. They got us going and they got rewarded with a great goal… I’ve talked a lot about our depth throughout the lineup. I think for them, it’s a good example. They’re extremely hard to play against.”
Depth on the whole is perhaps the Bruins’ biggest strength. Even with injuries to McAvoy and Brad Marchand early in the season, and Foligno and Taylor Hall more recently, Boston has carried sustained success throughout the year. In fact, it may be the deepest team Bergeron has ever been on.
“It’s definitely up there,” Bergeron said. “… It’s been fun, great team chemistry as well. I think guys stick together, but obviously depth is something we want to rely on. Everyone can contribute and we want to make sure everyone is valued and bringing their best. It’s someone stepping up every night and it’s great to see.”
There isn’t much to argue there from the captain. Boston quite literally has too many defensemen to play them all. As players continue to get healthy, and scheduled rest, there’s no doubt the Bruins’ depth has the capacity to improve.
