Brandon Carlo Playing Best Hockey When Bruins Need It Most

It’s time we talk about (and acknowledge) how valuable Brandon Carlo has been to the Boston Bruins this season.

In fact, there’s a case to be made that he’s been their MVP.

The Bruins have obviously gotten off to a quick start, but their 9-1-1 record seems to be a result of them finding ways to win, not flat-out dominating as they did a year ago. A big reason for that has been injuries, with Boston’s defenseman seemingly dropping left and right in the last week or so. Derek Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk are both on the shelf for the time being, which already had the Bruins shorthanded, but Charlie McAvoy’s suspension essentially has them playing with spare parts.

That thrust Carlo into the busiest stretch of his career, where he’s responded by playing his best hockey yet. There was no game more evident of his improvement than Saturday night’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, where he was Boston’s best player.

“I got up in the rush a couple of times and created a couple of scoring chances,” Carlo said postgame, as seen on NESN. “I’m trying to move pucks as fast as I can throughout the (defensive) zone. I think, overall, our game has been pretty good as a team throughout these first 10 games. That’s helpful for me to be able to play a little better, having a group behind me that will always be able to support me.”

Carlo played just under 20 minutes against the Red Wings, including a team-high 4:59 in shorthanded situations. It’s true that we’ll never see Carlo put together big numbers on the scoresheet, but his steady presence on the ice is extremely important during this stretch.

Mason Lohrei spoke about Carlo’s mentorship being important for him during training camp, and now the two are trying to hold together a patchwork d-corps.

McAvoy has a couple of games left on his suspension, while Grzelcyk isn’t eligible to return on Nov. 25. In the meantime, Carlo’s continued success could go a long way in keeping the Bruins afloat.