Boston Bruins' Average Start One Month Into The NHL Season

© 2107 Jordan Long

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The Boston Bruins are one month into the hockey season.  Their record is 4-3-3 for a total of 11 points.  They have 72 games left in the season.

The Bruins are doing a decent job scoring goals.  They average 3 goals per game.  The Bruins are able to spend time in the offensive zone and are creating scoring chances; more times than not those end in goals.

The Bruins are playing well on special teams, taking advantage of opponents’ penalties, scoring on 28.9% of those opportunities.  The Bruins are not allowing rival teams to take the puck away from them.  Boston is setting up the power play and is able to shoot pucks on net.  Those become rebounds that can end up in the back of the net.  On the power play kill, they are not allowing teams to set up in their defensive zone.  When they do, the Bruins block the shot before it comes to the goaltender.  They will fire the puck to the other end to take time off penalties.  They kill 85.4% of their penalties. 

The downside for the Bruins is how many goals they give up per game.  In the young season, they are giving up 3.20 goals per game.  Opponents are spending too much time in the Bruin's defensive zone.  The skaters are not able to block the shots which can end up in goals.

            

The Bruins are lucky to be where they are in the first month of the season.  The area they must clean up is defense.  It starts with the goaltenders.  Anton Khudobin has been out playing Tuukka Rask with a 3-0-1 record and a save percentage of .926.  His goals against average is 2.52.  He is seeing the puck well and covering it to not allow rebounds.  The defense can trust that a shot past them will still be saved.

            

On the other hand Rask isn’t playing as well.  His record is an unimpressive 1-3-2 with a save percentage of .896.  His goals against average is 2.93.  The Bruins can’t trust him in net.  It seems any time the puck is blasted to the net he can’t see it.  It’s difficult on the defense to play well in front of him. Rask must play better hockey if he wants to be the number one goaltender. Luckily for the Bruins they have plenty of time to improve on defense as well as in the standings.