Bruins Wake-Up

After a turbulent start to the seasons the Boston Bruins have won the last 12 of 13 games. Both Coach Clouston and GM Valente are pleased with the recent turnaround. Although the Bruins have shown some steady play as of late the Bruins Coach is keeping his team grounded, “ We have played some close games and able to squeeze out the win but we are far from where we want to be as a club”. The Bruins will be put to the test in coming weeks as they face some stiff competition with meetings with Chicago, Pittsburg and a key match up against Ottawa.

The special teams have been among the best in the league.  “We have role players on our team and a team really performs well when everyone is doing their job” said Clouston. The recent call-up of Nate Thompson from Providence has settled the fourth line down. The fourth line of Sjostrom, Thompson and Jones have had limited ice-time but when they get their chance to play they are an effective checking unit. The Bruins penalty-kill percentage is amongst the best in the league at 87% just behind Pittsburg and Nashville.

Not only is the PK doing well but the Boston Bruins special teams have been outstanding so far. The Bruins currently have the best power-play in the league, scoring 27 goals on the power-play. Andrei Markov has quarterbacked on of the most lethal power play units for the first 25 games of the season.

Despite the recent success GM Valente continues to characterize his team as an “evolving work in progress”. “Cory has done a great job with this young team getting them to pull in the right direction but I still feel we can be better.”

Rumor Mill: There has been a calm on the trade front not just for the Bruins but league wide. There is plenty of chatter behind the scenes. It is speculated that GM Valente has been looking for a veteran defensemen to play alongside of Zach Bogosian for second unit duties. The Bruins have had some success as of late and shaking up the roster seems unlikely at this point however its still too early in the season.