The Bruins sensational start to the season has now become historic. The Boston Bruins have made NHL history as they are the first team ever to win their opening 12 home games as they beat the Hurricanes 3-2 in OT.
The Bruins season just keeps getting better and better. Not only are they still the best team in the league with a staggering record of 18-3 (36 points), but they also have now just made NHL history with this win today.
Like I said, the Bruins are now the only team in the 104-year history of the NHL to have won their first 12 home games to start off a regular season. Now, it’s not as impressive as winning the Stanely Cup, the Atlantic Division, or the President’s Trophy, but that’s still an incredible achievement.
Not even the great teams of the past, such as the 1970’s Montral Canadiens, the 1980’s New York Islanders, the 1980’s Edmonton Oilers, the 1990’s Pittsburgh Penguins, the 1990’s Detroit Red Wings, or the 2000’s New Jersey Devils, were able to string together 12-consecutive home wins. Except for this Bruins team.
And what a game it was for them to do it in.
The Carolina Hurricanes, who are putting together an impressive start to their own season, came prepared and ready to play in this game. Having already beaten the Bruins in the 1st round of last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, the Hurricanes were one of the few teams that knew how to find the weaknesses on the Bruins roster and beat them. And they nearly pulled it off.
The Hurricanes scored two powerplay goals, through Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Stefan Nosen, early on in the 1st Period as Carolina completely caught the Bruins napping. In fact, I’m not even sure if the Bruins knew that they were playing a game today by the way they came out for the 1st Period as they were absolutely awful (by this season’s standards).
Apart from one Jake DeBrusk chance that Pyotr Kochetkov just managed to keep out, the Bruins were limited to half-chances and harmless wrist shots on offense. It was a really bad outing from the B’s to start off the game, which is rather surprising as they generally have been one of the better teams in the NHL when it comes to scoring the first goal.
But the Bruins eventually played through their funk as Davd Pastrnak set up his fellow countryman David Krejci with a wonderful cross-ice pass, which the Czech superstar buried in the top corner to make it a 2-1 game. Then, in the 3rd period, David Krejci tied the game up with a seeing eye wrister from the blueline as Kochetkov was screened by his own defenseman and Nick Foligno.
Well, to say he was screed is kind of an understatement as he was literally blinded from the puck as Brett Pesce was inexplicable shoving Foligno into Kochetkov’s face.
Anyway, the Bruins capped off their history making night with another goal from their Czech superstar…though this time it was Pastrnak who came up with the goods. After the Hurricanes took a stupid overtime penalty, the Bruins had a 4 vs. 3 for two minutes with Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci on the ice.
Yeah, a recipe for disaster as Marchand quickly found some space, drew a Hurricane defender onto him, and then dished a pass to a wide open Pastrnak, who then buried the puck over Kochetkov’s shoulder to win the game for Boston.
That game probably wasn’t how Jim Montgomery and the Bruins roster was imagining it would go at the start, but the Bruins got the job done in the end. And that’s all that matter when you are writing history.
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