There were bound to be some bumps in the road for the 2022-23 Boston Bruins. It just was not going to be as easy as it looked for the first half of the season. After hitting a mini bump right before the All-Star Break, they hit another one last week. It is not time to panic yet for the Bruins, but more of having some extra time to work things out before the postseason begins in mid-April.
In this edition of Bruins Weekly, a veteran archives another impressive feat, a weekend series with a divisional opponent raises some flags and more.
Marchand & DeBrusk Secure Another 20-Goal Season
When Brad Marchand skated into the left circle in the Edmonton Oilers end on March 9, he took what seemed to be a harmless wrist shot on Stuart Skinner. The puck had eyes and found its way into the back of the net for an early 1-0 Bruins lead. It was Marchand’s 20th goal of the season and it marked the 10th consecutive season and 12th time in his career that he registered a 20-goal season.
Marchand has 371 goals in the regular season and has been a 30-goal scorer five times. He has played in 57 games this season after missing the beginning of the season recovering from double-hip surgery last off-season. He has 36 assists this season and is closing in on his seventh straight season with 40 or more assists. Depending on how much he plays and rests over the final 16 games could make 40 a little more difficult to hit before the playoffs.
DeBrusk reached the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his career with a breakaway goal in the third period of the Bruins’ 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on March 12. The 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft has scored four goals since returning from a foot and hand injury on Feb. 17. Prior to his injury, he was on pace to match his career-high of 27 goals he had in 2018-19. He also took off in the second half of the 2021-22 season on the first line with Marchand Patrice Bergeron to finish with 25 goals.
Bruins Continue to Have Slow Starts
The 2022-23 Bruins have been so good this season and some things have flown under the radar, but one thing that has got some attention lately is their slow starts, something that was evident in their home-and-home weekend series with the Red Wings on March 11 and 12.
On March 11, they dug themselves a 2-0 hole on a shorthanded and power play goal in the first 4:26. After a dominating second period, the Bruins were able to tie the game and…
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