With the Boston Bruins reeling after the Philadelphia Flyers put a thumping on them mid-week to the tune of a 6-3 victory to break open a 3-3 tie, the team lost Nick Foligno to injury and saw rookie phenom Jeremy Swayman’s roughest NHL start.
This called for Bruce Cassidy and the Boston coaches to call the names of several next men up. Linus Ullmark and Tomas Nosek both impacted the game positively with the win and a goal respectively. Defensemen John Moore and forward Anton Blidh slotted into the lineup with Connor Clifton going out and Nick Foligno’s injury in Philadelphia opening up a spot up front.
All are showing what the importance of depth at all positions means for an experienced crew like the B’s. The Bruins beat the 3-0 Buffalo Sabres on the road 4-1 to give them a 2-1 record limping home with more players expected to be out of the lineup to face the 4-0 San Jose Sharks for a Sunday matinee game.
That kind of a quality road effort helps to set the conditions for the club to build some positive momentum with just three games played in 11 days since the 2021-22 NHL regular season began. It's why the B's are still a respected opponent in the Atlantic Division and have a chance to build on their success from 2020-21.
In addition to Ullmark and Nosek, Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass.) had a multi-point effort, scoring a power play goal against Buffalo and finding a way to stay productive with Taylor Hall (both have 3 points) on the second line.
“That’s normally (Pastrnak) banging that in, so good for Charlie,” Cassidy said. “He shot the puck, something we want more out of in any situation, so happy for him. He made a good play, on the goal, too, on the backdoor pass, so find a little offensive rhythm.”
That offensive rhythm is going to be crucial for Boston this season, so give Coyle credit for getting off to the kind of start that has kept the doubters at bay. A scoreless three games to open the campaign filling in for David Krejci, and we would no doubt be hearing about it.
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Nosek, for his part, is proven a lower-line, north-south forward who finds himself on the third line with Foligno in sick bay. He has size and wheels to get to the net, though the lack of skill is what makes him a fourth-line fixture. Still, getting a goal out of Nosek in Foligno’s absence is what the B’s needed.
Moore, who found himself with an opportunity after Clifton struggled with turnovers against the Flyers, played his off-side as a left shot defender, keeping things simple. The B’s waived him in an attempt to get his contract off the books but found no takers. He’s still an experienced piece and provides that needed depth in the event of injuries or struggles on the back end. For now, Moore has probably earned himself another look on the roster.
Ullmark wasn’t exactly a next man up scenario, as he had been identified as the starter against his former club in Buffalo, but he shut the door, nearly posting a shutout. He stopped 35 of 36 shots (.972 save percentage) in his first official game with the Bruins.
The former Sabre was discovered through some gumshoe scouting work in the 2012 draft. Due diligence made him a sixth-round pick and the rest is history. Ullmark posted 50 victories and a winning record in Buffalo despite the team being one of the least successful.
Never mind the doubters in Boston who were already clamoring to trade (he with the no movement clause at that) the unrestricted free agent signing after an admittedly shaky preseason followed by Swayman’s first home win against Dallas.
“It’s always fun to get a lot of shots, obviously,” Ullmark said after beating the club that drafted him in 2012. “It’s not something that you really want to have every single night. You want to have a tight defense that don’t let them have a lot of scoring opportunities. The further the game went, the better we got, and it was just a solid team game all around.”
If he had any nerves about facing the only team he had ever known in the NHL, Ullmark didn’t show it, but the opportunity was definitely not just another start for him.
“It was more of an out of the body experience during warmups and the anthems as well,” said Ullmark. “But then, I kind of settled in once the puck dropped…it was enjoyable. It felt familiar, just being on the other side this time.”
Good thing for Boston that he did settle in and was ready for Buffalo’s onslaught of shots. Having a capable duo in net is paramount for any winning NHL club, and as it turns out, the quickness in judgment during the preseason was premature. Even with Swayman’s stumble in Philly, the club is well positioned in net.
It remains to be seen what will happen when Tuukka Rask is cleared to return, but the goaltending has gotten the job done.
For GM Don Sweeney, Cassidy and the rest of the Bruins, being strong in net is welcome news.
Why Brad Marchand is at the top of his class
Oops…he did it again.
Brad Marchand is off to another team-leading start for the B’s, and it is not only the consistency and excellence playing on the top line’s left side that the 33-year-old has brought regularly for years now, it is his emergence as a leader to go with his ability as an all-around threat.
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The best players in the world do it because they don’t limit themselves to a single dimension. For an elite hockey player, the same holds true for anything else in this world: the more effective hats you can wear, the more valuable you are. We previously discussed Marchand’s evolution as a leader on the Bruins, but even on the wrong side of 30, he continues to score at an all-star level clip.
His three goals and 5 points in the first three regular season games not only makes him Boston’s MVP, but makes a convincing case for Marchand to be the top LW in hockey.
For years, observers and fans around the NHL have disliked Marchand simply because he cut his teeth in the league as an agitator without peer. However, as he developed into a major scoring threat, No. 63 has grown as a player and person.
Marchand’s speed, hockey IQ and shot always made him a threat to score on the penalty kill. He became a top power play weapon in time and can score at even strength. His 720 points rank him fifth in the 2006 draft class, all four of the players taken ahead of him drafted inside the top-30, with three of them (Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Phil Kessel) going 3-4-5 in that NHL lottery held 15-plus years ago.
When the B’s moved up to draft Marchand 71st overall in the third round, few had the kind of high hopes for him that he has achieved since breaking into the NHL as a fourth-liner 11 years ago. While the Hall of Fame might prove to be out of his reach for reasons beyond the scoring numbers (unpopular players, no matter how effective, have a harder time getting the votes), there is no denying that Marchand has become and shall remain one of the most popular Bruins players in the eyes of fans. He’s been a highly respected teammate and leader for some time now.
Unfortunately for Marchand’s NHL legacy, it probably isn’t enough for him to win over outside fans who superficially focus on past transgressions and refuse to bring themselves to admit the obvious- scant few NHL wingers bring the pace, skill, intelligence and three-zone impact that Brad Marchand does.
He couldn’t give a whit for what others think of him, but when all is said and done, Marchand will go down in history as one of the most successful Bruins forwards of any era. In future decades, those who saw him flying around the ice and making plays at crunch time will fondly tell their children, friends and other Boston fans in the coming generations about how good a player he was. Much like those who saw the Big, Bad Bruins of yore and talked about Johnny “Pie” McKenzie or Derek Sanderson, Marchand’s legacy will be one of lasting greatness and respect in Boston.
If that isn’t good enough for the average Predators, Jets or Blues fan out there, then so be it.
He’s a Boston Bruin. Through and through.
