The Boston Bruins opened the 2023-24 season with a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night. While coach Jim Montgomery described his team’s game as “very average” afterwards, the Bruins were in control for much of the night, especially at 5-on-5.
Takeaways from Bruins' season-opening win
They outshot the Blackhawks 33-21 for the game and out-attempted them 64-40 at 5-on-5 (61.5% Corsi). Holding onto a 2-1 lead, the Bruins put the clamps on Chicago in the third period and eventually sealed the win with a David Pastrnak empty-netter, his second goal of the night.
It wasn’t perfect, of course. Pastrnak’s two goals aside, the new-look top six, with Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle as the top two centers, was a bit quiet offensively for some stretches at 5-on-5 and their power-play work was sloppy. The top power-play unit of Pastrnak, Zacha, Brad Marchand, James van Riemsdyk and Charlie McAvoy actually got outplayed by the second unit of Hampus Lindholm, Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt Poitras, Morgan Geekie and Jake DeBrusk.
Still, there was a lot to like Wednesday night. Here are five of the most encouraging signs:
1. Matt Poitras continued to impress
How many good games does the 19-year-old center have to have during this nine-game extended tryout in order to stick around? We don’t know that answer, but what we do know is that he’s now 1-for-1.
Poitras carried his strong preseason into his NHL debut and picked up his first career point with a secondary assist on Trent Frederic’s season-opening goal. It was a nice play that showcased exactly what he does best, as he pulled up in the offensive zone to give himself some space, surveyed the ice, and made a nice pass across to Brandon Carlo, whose shot then got tipped in by Frederic.
Poitras made a heads-up drop pass to Lindholm that led to another scoring chance. He was active in the offensive zone and was at the front of the net for several shots from the point, a big point of emphasis from Montgomery in camp. He hounded pucks and helped force a few turnovers with his efforts. He also won five of his seven faceoffs and drew a penalty.
During his 5-on-5 shifts, the Bruins out-attempted the Blackhawks 21-10, had a 14-6 advantage in scoring chances, and had 65.3% of expected goals. Simply put, Poitras continued to do everything he needs to do to show he belongs.
2. Milan Lucic and the fourth line set the tone
Lucic got one of the biggest ovations pregame, with fans loving the opportunity to welcome back a player who remains a fan favorite eight years after he last donned the spoked B. He gave them something to cheer about during the game, expertly playing his role on a fourth line with Johnny Beecher and Jakub Lauko that continues to show promise.
Lucic even turned back the clock and got bumped up to the top six for a few shifts in the second period. That admittedly unexpected tweak paid off when Lucic set up Pastrnak on a 2-on-1 to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
There were plenty of positives when Lucic was in his expected spot on the fourth line, too. That trio was physical and played with pace, which should be the name of the game for them. They were responsible in their own zone and forechecked hard in the offensive zone. Beecher even dropped the gloves in his NHL debut (something Lucic said he can offer a few pointers on after the game), and Lauko drew a hooking penalty, building on a terrific habit he developed last season.
When Lucic, Beecher and Lauko were on the ice, the Bruins out-attempted the Blackhawks 8-2, outshot them 4-1 and had 82% of expected goals. They’ll face some tougher bottom-six matchups than what Chicago can offer in that department, but that line also saw a handful of shifts against rookie phenom Connor Bedard and more than held their own in that matchup, too.
3. The Lindholm-Carlo pairing limited Bedard
Speaking of matching up with Bedard, no one saw more of him than Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo, who were on the ice for more than half of Bedard’s 16 5-on-5 minutes. During that matchup, the Bruins out-attempted the Blackhawks 13-7, outshot them 9-4, and had a 4-1 advantage in high-danger chances.
Lindholm and Carlo were even more dominant in their non-Bedard shifts, finishing the night at 73.2% Corsi and 76.8% expected goals. Lindholm was a plus-3 on the night, while Carlo assisted on Frederic’s goal and was a big part of a penalty kill that went 3-for-3. Carlo was on the ice for the Blackhawks' lone goal, scored by Bedard, but that was a tough play where a loose puck just fell to Bedard and he wrapped it inside the post before Linus Ullmark could get there. Carlo had his man tied up on the play.
Lindholm-Carlo was arguably the best shutdown pairing in the NHL last season, and they certainly passed their first test of this season by bottling up a generational talent who could be one of the best players in the league even as an 18-year-old rookie.
4. The Forbort-Shattenkirk pairing quieted its critics
To say that some Bruins fans weren’t too excited about a Derek Forbort-Kevin Shattenkirk third D pairing would be an understatement. Many wanted one or both off the team, especially with top prospect Mason Lohrei pushing for an NHL job.
Maybe those critics can calm down for a couple days. Forbort and Shattenkirk were rock solid Wednesday night, giving up next to nothing in their own zone. The Blackhawks managed just two shots on goal during the nearly 13 minutes of 5-on-5 play that Forbort and Shattenkirk were on the ice together.
Shattenkirk looked comfortable and confident getting involved offensively, too, both at 5-on-5 and on the second power-play unit. His three shots on goal tied for second on the team and his three blocks led the team. Forbort, unsurprisingly, led the team in shorthanded time on ice and was a big reason Bedard and the Blackhawks couldn’t break through on their three man-advantages.
5. Linus Ullmark returned to form
Ullmark was historically great in the regular season last year. He was not anywhere close to as good in the playoffs. He won’t get another chance to prove himself in the playoffs for six months, but for now, getting off to a good start will be important given that the Bruins may have to rely on goaltending more and win some lower-scoring games this season.
Ullmark did just that on Wednesday, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced. While the volume wasn’t high, he was tested early as the Bruins worked through some opening-night jitters. He denied old friend Taylor Hall on an early breakaway after Brad Marchand coughed up the puck, then he stopped Taylor Raddysh on a 2-on-1 and turned aside a point-blank rebound chance from Bedard as well.
BONUS: The Bruins nailed the pregame centennial celebration
The Bruins’ pregame ceremony to kick off their season-long centennial celebration was a long one, but it was very well done. The video highlights were great, and seeing so many franchise legends together at once (full list of those who were part of the ceremony below) was pretty remarkable. The fans at TD Garden were clearly into it, with a bunch of those former players getting massive ovations.
We in the media were fortunate enough to talk to some of those players before the game, and it was clear that they were all excited for Wednesday night and really this whole week as well. They also had a homecoming of sorts at the Kowloon in Saugus on Tuesday, and there’s a Centennial Gala on Thursday.
While the ceremony threw off their warmup routine, this year’s Bruins were into it as well.
“I was just soaking it all in like a fan,” Lucic said after the game. “I was on the bench there thinking, ‘This is really cool to be a part of.’ It was a real special moment for hockey history. To see all the legends that are here and former teammates and to be a part of the whole ceremony tonight was something special to be a part of.”