The Boston Bruins left California with exactly the kind of trip that can change the mood around a team in a hurry: three wins, two comebacks, and Charlie McAvoy back in the lineup.
Before they close out the West Coast swing Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, the Bruins have already handled the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings. It added up to a 3-0 sweep, a sharp contrast from last season’s West Coast trip, when they went 0-3.
Back then, Boston was 3-4-0 afterward. This year, the Black and Gold sit at 7-2-0.
The numbers from the three games tell the story of a team that found ways to win in different styles. Boston outscored those three opponents 14-6, and 10 different Bruins found the net over the stretch, including McAvoy in his first game back from the six-game suspension.
Goaltending held up, too. Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro combined to allow just six goals across games in which the Bruins faced 38, 28, and 26 shots.
DiPietro earned his first NHL win against the Ducks after bouncing back from his game against the Wild. Swayman, meanwhile, looked much like he did last season, giving Boston a chance to stay in games and keeping them alive even when they were ahead 5-3 against the Sharks.
Maybe the clearest sign of progress has been the way the Bruins are finishing. Last season, when they fell behind by a goal or two, the comeback often felt out of reach. This time around, they’ve shown they can hang around, stick to their identity, and let the puck find the net late.
Not everything was clean, though. The turnovers have started to pile up, and that’s the part Boston has to watch.
Across the three games, the Bruins coughed the puck up 55 times, including 24 against the Kings. That’s the kind of habit that can snowball, especially when it leads to more time in their own end and more shots on goal for Swayman and DiPietro to handle.
Boston has only held an opponent under 20 shots on goal once, and that came against the Philadelphia Flyers.
If that issue gets cleaned up, the ceiling looks awfully high.
The penalty trouble was the other blemish. The Bruins finished the three-game stretch with 38 penalty minutes, and 15 of those belonged to Nikita Zadorov, who was a healthy scratch against the Kings.
Marco Sturm said to the media about the scratch that, "“Z’s a tremendous player and leader for our team. I think we’ve been mentioning for a while his discipline on the ice.
That’s something that just needs to be better. He was not happy.
But he’s a great human being and he’s a competitor. I do believe he’ll become stronger after this message, be back to normal and be even better after that.”
The issue showed up most clearly against the Ducks, when Zadorov took a double minor after elbowing Frank Vatrano and then picking up a second penalty for roughing him. He settled in later in the third period, but it was still the kind of unnecessary trouble Boston did not need while Anaheim kept pressing.
Now the Bruins move on to Dallas, with no easy finish to the trip. After that, they return home for a two-game homestand against the Nashville Predators and another meeting with the Sharks. They’ll be chasing a sixth straight win, and they’re doing it while sitting atop the Atlantic Division for the first time in three years.
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 Fast Start Is Starting To Feel Like Something Bigger
A West Coast trip can tell you a lot about a hockey team, and the Bruins came home looking every bit like a group that belongs in the conversation. Boston won three of four out west, swept through the three California stops and only missed a perfect trip by dropping an overtime decision to Dallas, a run that has already started to reshape how the rest of the league sees them.
The rankings bump followed quickly, with Boston climbing in both major national power lists, but the more interesting part is what comes next. The Bruins now get to bring that momentum back home for a stretch that includes Nashville and San Jose, a chance to see whether this fast start is merely a strong opening or the beginning of something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]