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New Guy Delivers: Breaking Apart Bruins Win Over Jets
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- New Guy Delivers: Breaking Apart Bruins Win Over Jets
New Guy Delivers: Breaking Apart Bruins Win Over Jets
BOSTON –The new guy made an immediate impact.
The Boston Bruins (38-23-8) thumped the Winnipeg Jets (28-29-11), 6-1, on Thursday night at the TD Garden. Six different goal scorers factored into the Bruins' win, and Jeremy Swayman backstopped the team with 23 saves.
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One of the goal scorers was Lukas Reichel , who made his Bruins debut on Thursday. His goal put the Bruins up 2-0 and proved to be the game-winner. He used the speed, as advertised, to catch a bouncing puck and tap it into the open net.
"Just try to keep it simple, play my game," Reichel said on his confidence to contribute. "If I have a play, make it. If not, then try to keep it simple and try to do what they want me to do."
He later added an assist on Jonathan Aspirot's third goal of the season.
Ahead of the game , Marco Sturm said that he brings speed and skill to the lineup. He delivered.
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Before joining the Bruins, Reichel was with the Providence Bruins for a brief three-game stint. He made a strong first impression down in Rhode Island, as well. In his first game, he scored the overtime game-winner and recorded an assist. In his second, he had three assists.
"Yeah, I think Providence helped me a lot," Reichel said about starting out with the P-Bruins. "It was just three games, but the boys are really… It's fun to play with them down there. They did a really good job helping me out, and I felt comfortable right away, and they're a really good team, so it's fun to play there."
Reichel also got a look on the second power play unit, skating alongside Casey Mittelstadt , Viktor Arvidsson , Mason Lohrei , and Pavel Zacha . The Bruins only had one power play on Thursday; they did not capitalize, but the second unit generated chances.
"Well, what I liked today was our second unit," Marco Sturm said about the power play. "Because now, you know, we added Lukas, so now, actually, it looked really good. I liked the chemistry, what they had [in] just one minute there. Why do I like it? Because now it's going to push the other unit. And I think that's going to be good for both units."
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The power play is 5-for-40 (12.5%) since the Olympic break. But despite the struggles, Marco Sturm sees an opportunity to turn the power play around.
But, a constant since the Olympic break has been the second line.
They factored into two of the goals on Thursday, and Pavel Zacha added another goal to his already career-high number.
"I think the work ethic," Zacha said about the success of the line. "I think, you know, when we have pucks on our sticks, I think, you know, we can make plays, but kind of winning the puck battles now way more in the offensive zone, and that makes us create some chances. So I think that was one of the things when we have good games, that's what we do, and we just have to keep going."
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The first goal the second line scored took some time to determine. After the game, Viktor Arvidsson said they still have not figured it out amongst themselves.
Arvidsson was credited with the goal; both Mittelstadt and Zacha assisted.
"I think we have fun together," Arvidsson added about the success of the second line. "We talk about stuff and joke about stuff on the bench, too. And I think that's the most important thing. That creates chemistry. I think we're just really connected, and we know where each other are and what the other guy likes to do. It's just a really good mix of speed, playmaking skills, and people going to the net, too, being around there and wanting to score. We're never happy with a shift; we just want to do better and better, so I think that was part of it."
The Bruins' second line generated five high-danger chances, the most out of any line on either side last night.
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Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots and finished with 3.05 goals saved above expected, continuing what has been the best season of his career.
After the game, Marco Sturm called him the best goalie in the league.
A good vote of confidence for Swayman, who continues to add wins (27) to his career-high total.
As the playoff race narrows down, the Bruins put together a full 60-minute effort, one that they will need in the final 13 games.
The Bruins sit in the first wildcard spot and sixth in the East. They share an identical record with the Detroit Red Wings (38-23-8), but rank above them due to regulation wins (BOS: 28, DET: 27).
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One team will gain an advantage on Saturday night, when the Bruins head to Detroit for a nationally televised game against the Red Wings.
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The post New Guy Delivers: Breaking Apart Bruins Win Over Jets appeared first on Boston Hockey Now .
