The bruins had a solid victory against the Flyers and iced an almost full complement of regulars. As expected the top players looked good. Brad, Bergy, and Pasta all had solid outings. What more can one say about that line. Brad looked like he is ready to go and Pasta was, well Pasta. Bergeron is just the model of consistency.
The 3rd line really impressed me. They played with pace , had some excellent looks, and contributed to the scoreboard as well with DeBrusk scoring. That line of DeBrusk-Haula and Foligno looks like they are developing some real chemistry. Plus so far it looks like DeBrusk is playing with confidence and determination. He is engaged and skating really well. That is a line I'll be keeping my eyes on going forward because I think they are just tapping into what they could be, a very dangerous line that gives the Bruins something they haven't had consistency in years, real depth scoring.
The 4th line was effective and showed good energy. Caused some good forechecking and pressure on the Flyers D , which is what you want. That will be a very competitive line with the players the Bruins have added. Wagner who played will have to play well to earn a spot , as will Fredric and that I do think that will be a good thing because last year the 4th line really struggled with structure and identity.
The 2nd line is definitely a work in progress. Studnicka centered between Hall and Smith . He doesn't look completely out of place but I didn't think he had a strong outing overall. He showed flashes of being able to be a true center but other times looked a bit lost. But he is learning and already has improved from last year. Coyle who is still being slowly brought back into the lineup after his knee surgery will have that spot but if Studnika can impress enough, he might get a look later. Hall looked really good and made some nice plays and it's great to see him on the top player unit, where he paid off with a nice setup for a goal from Brad. Smith looks like his affective self. Scoring a PP goal on a nice setup from Foligno.
The D pairings where Forbort /McAvoy, Carlo/Grzelcyk, and Clifton/Zboril. These pairing looked solid with McAvoy logging over 22 mins. Not sure as of right now how the top 2 pairings will be because Rielly set this one out and will be a regular no question, so Cassidy will probably play with different combinations depending on who builds chemistry and the opponent. One exciting thing is to see McAvoy on the top PP. That will give that unit a new wrinkle and should really help Charlie's point totals.
Swayman played the full game and had a solid outing. Wasn't overworked at only 20 shots but looked comfortable and assertive.
So as a unit, the Bruins get an A grade
. Good game.
The Player of the game and the Bruins player of the game are the same. It goes to Jake DeBrusk .
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