After a bit of a sluggish start in both ends for the Boston Bruins, fans were hoping that their team would give them a reason to be more optimistic at the end of the second month of the season after finishing October in 14th place. With a record of 4-6-1, as long as they didn’t stay stagnant or fall two spots to last place, it was a pretty safe assumption that fans would be happy with any sort of progress.
Related: Boston Bruins’ 3 Stars of the Month: October
One month later on Nov. 30, conditions had improved, at least in the standings. The Bruins sat in ninth place with a record of 11-11-3, trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning for the coveted eighth spot in the Eastern Conference by just one point.
With two months gone in the 2024-25 NHL season, there are the three individuals who stand out as most valuable from November for Boston and stand as the Bruins’ three stars for the previous month.
*Disclaimer: this list will not include players from the previous month*
Third Star – Joonas Korpisalo
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be putting a goaltender not named Jeremy Swayman on this list. However, for a guy who is considered to be the “backup” goalie for Boston, Joonas Korpisalo has put together one of heck of a season despite his playing time being limited this season since being traded to the Bruins for Linus Ullmark.
Korpisalo has put together a 5-2-1 record through nine games (eight starts) and collected a 2.45 goals-against-average (GAA), and .907 save percentage (SV%). More importantly for the Finnish netminder is that he has turned it around of late for the Bruins.
In November, Korpisalo only played five games, but he made the most of his time on the ice. In those games, he went 4-0-1 stopping 125 of 134 shots, and picking up two shutouts along the way—one on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers, and one at home against the Utah Hockey Club. He also made a season-high 34 saves in a matchup against the Calgary Flames, another win for the 30-year-old from Pori, Finland.
While he may be the backup to Swayman for now, he certainly isn’t playing like it and doesn’t appear willing to give up his spot on the bench for any up-and-coming netminder anytime soon.
Second Star – Joe Sacco
Following the firing of Jim Montgomery and quick replacement by associate coach Joe Sacco, fans were unsure what to make of…
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