After completing a two-game sweep of the Flyers Friday night -- their second such sweep of Philadelphia already this season -- the Bruins now get an unscheduled mini-break, with the Sabres' COVID-19 outbreak postponing their next two games before they return to game action on Wednesday against the Rangers.
It marks a good opportunity to take stock of where things stand for Boston through 11 games, which believe it or not is already 20% of the regular season.
All things considered, it's been just about as good of a start as the Bruins could have possibly hoped for.
They've won three in a row and seven of their last eight, and they picked up an overtime point even in that one loss. They're now two points clear of Philly (with a game in hand) and three clear of Washington for first place in the East Division, and they've handed both those teams some demoralizing losses with their ferocious comebacks.
Their plus-12 goal differential is well ahead of the Flyers' and Capitals' plus-2 margin. They have the third-best record in all the NHL (.818 points percentage) and are second in the league in expected goals-for percentage (56.7%).
Their early offensive struggles seem like a thing of the past, as they've scored three or more goals in seven of their last eight games. So do the preseason question marks about their new-look defense, as they're giving up the second-fewest goals per game in the NHL (2.18) and the fewest shots on goal per game (23.5).
They haven't missed Torey Krug on the power play, as their 33.3% conversion rate ranks sixth in the league. Nor have they missed Zdeno Chara on the penalty kill, where they rank third at 87.8%.
They were already playing better before David Pastrnak returned after missing the first seven games, and all he's done since joining them is register five goals and three assists in four games.
Oh, and there are more reinforcements on the way. Matt Grzelcyk, who was playing like their second-best defenseman behind Charlie McAvoy, is expected to return on Wednesday after missing five of the last six games.
Jake DeBrusk, who has missed the last four games, is also expected back Wednesday. He was off to a slow start with just one point in six games, but was playing better just before getting hurt and could really help balance out the lines after the top trio.
Jack Studnicka and Ondrej Kase's returns are also on the horizon, which will only provide even more competition up front. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Friday night that Studnicka is closer to a return and didn't rule out Wednesday as a possibility.
It might be tempting to say it would be better for the Bruins to just keep playing since they've been rolling, but the reality is that they clearly didn't have their legs early on Friday night at the end of a four-game road trip, something Cassidy acknowledged after the game.
Turning around and playing another game Saturday, and then another Monday, would have been tough. Of course, they're going to have to make those games up at some point, and the short-season schedule doesn't let up much, so they're going to have to fight through tired legs at some point.
But for now, they'll take advantage of these four days off -- to get healthier, to work guys back into the lineup, and to address these midgame lulls they've fallen into (their starts have actually been pretty good; they just haven't scored as many goals early as they do late).
And they can do it all knowing that they're in really good shape and playing like the best team in their division.
