Marco Sturm’s Boston Bruins have made it through October, and they now have a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that this season isn’t already getting away from them.
The kind of stretch that might bury a club before Thanksgiving even starts is a demanding 15-game schedule with extended road trips that October ushers in.
November turns the tables. This team really needs to take advantage of the fact that nine of Boston’s 11 games that month will be played at TD Garden, which provides a significant home cushion.
Around American Thanksgiving, teams outside a playoff position historically spend the remaining of the season fighting their way back into contention. Boston cannot afford to be one of them.
Even though the schedule is at home, the month does not start well. Vegas is the first team in town, and it is still a powerhouse despite Pavel Dorofeyev’s departure.
The front attack in Vegas is still among the strongest in the league thanks to Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and Tomas Hertl.
Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm have a difficult defensive task attempting to hold Eichel in the middle, while David Pastrnak must be the one to set the offensive tone.
Major rivalry games with Montreal and Florida are on the horizon.
Boston travels to Pittsburgh a few days afterward for a close-fought away game versus Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm lead that defensive effort, and a victory on the road would be a major statement point taken on the road.
Florida is one of Boston’s most intense contemporary rivals and a genuine Cup contender, making it the most significant test of the month.
In order to defend its talented players, Boston is forced to win the minor battles thanks to Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, who provide the ideal amount of size and physicality.
That matchup concerns identity as much as it does the scoreboard.
The month concludes with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, a legendary rivalry where every little thing still matters.
Boston plays 11 games in November, nine of which are at home, with just one back-to-back on the schedule, making it about as easy a stretch as the team will have all season.
With a possibility of 7-4 if the home ice advantage is actually utilized correctly, Boston is expected to finish the month at 6-5.
With a difficult October in their rearview mirror, Boston will be able to stay in the playoff race thanks to a fully acceptable record of roughly 13-13 after 26 games with that kind of run.
The formula is simple. Pastrnak has to keep producing like a superstar, and Jeremy Swayman needs to steal games against the league’s best.
Swayman posted a .907 save percentage across 55 games last season, exactly the kind of form Boston needs him hitting again when Florida or Vegas come to town.
November won’t guarantee Boston a playoff spot. But it’s the month that shows whether this roster can still compete in a brutal Eastern Conference.
Leave a Reply