The Bruins came out of their West Coast swing looking like a team that’s forcing the rest of the NHL to pay attention.
Boston wrapped up a four-game trip by going 3-0 in California, beating the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings while outscoring those three teams 14-5. The trip ended Tuesday night in Dallas with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars, but the bigger picture was hard to miss: seven out of eight possible points is a haul few people would have expected when the journey started in Northern California.
That run sent the Bruins home at 7-2-1, and they’ll be back at TD Garden on Thursday night to face the Nashville Predators.
The strong start has already shown up in the latest NHL power rankings, where Boston is climbing fast.
Bleacher Report bumped the Bruins from No. 12 to No. 5, a seven-spot jump from last week. Lyle Fitzsimmons highlighted how the trip helped answer a concern from last season.
"The Bruins made one of the league's longest trips to California but came away with three wins after beating San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Boston was tied for 26th in the league last season with just 16 road wins in 41 games,'' Fitzsimmons wrote.
CBS Sports also moved Boston up sharply, lifting the Bruins eight spots to No. 10. Austin Nivison centered his note on Jeremy Swayman’s impact in net.
"The Bruins' annual push to make me look like a moron has commenced. Jeremy Swayman is once again leading the charge with 7.97 goals saved above average as he erases every mistake Boston makes in front of him,'' Nivison writes.
It’s still only 10 games into the season, and the Eastern Conference is loaded, so there’s no room for a victory lap yet. But Boston’s next two games at home - against Nashville and San Jose - carry their own test.
Dropping points in both would sting. Good teams answer the bell, and the Bruins will get a fresh chance to show exactly where they stand.
In Other News...
Bruins Have A Nikita Zadorov Problem They Cant Ignore
Bostons strong start has come with a familiar trade-off on the blue line, and Nikita Zadorov sits right in the middle of it. The Bruins have long valued his size, edge and ability to disrupt opponents, because when hes on, he can change the tone of a game in ways few defensemen can. But the early-season picture has been more complicated, with his play drawing scrutiny for the kind of undisciplined mistakes that can undo a good night in a hurry.
The concern is not just the penalties themselves, but the broader impact they have had on Bostons five-on-five play. The Bruins can live with some risk if Zadorov is tilting the ice in their favor, yet there has been a growing sense that the balance has been off lately, enough to lead to disciplinary scratches and renewed questions about how much rope he should get. For a team trying to build on its strong start, the issue is no longer whether Zadorov matters, but whether the Bruins can keep tolerating the version of him they have been getting. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Turn To A Different Goalie In A Spot Fans Will Watch
The Bruins are giving Michael DiPietro another turn in goal against the Nashville Predators, a spot that comes after a demanding four-game road trip and a strong stretch away from home. Boston picked up seven of a possible eight points on that trip, and DiPietro will get the assignment after already logging two previous starts this season, including his first NHL win against the Anaheim Ducks.
For a team trying to keep the momentum going, the goalie decision adds a little extra intrigue to a home matchup that arrives right after the travel grind. Jeremy Swayman handled most of the work on the road, so this start gives Boston a different look in a game fans will be watching closely to see how the crease lines up moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Late-Game Choice Put Marco Sturm Under The Spotlight
When the Bruins came out of Dallas with one point after a 2-2 tie late in the third period, the attention shifted quickly from the comeback itself to how Marco Sturm managed the closing stretch. With the game in a tough arena and the result hanging in the balance, the first-year coach leaned on a more protective approach in the final minutes and through overtime, a choice that stood out even more because of the lineup decisions he made after the Stars pulled even.
The move left some of Bostons younger players on the bench as the Bruins tried to secure at least a point on the road trip, and it underscored how much Sturm is weighing development against game-state realities early in his tenure. Dallas ultimately finished the rally in overtime, turning a late Boston lead change into a narrow defeat and giving the Bruins plenty to sort through beyond the standings point they salvaged. [Read more 🡒]