BSJ Game Report: Bruins 4, Sharks 1 - B’s pummel Sharks, extend point streak to 14 games taken at TD Garden (Bruins)

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Bruins

BSJ Game Report: Bruins 4, Sharks 1 - B’s pummel Sharks, extend point streak to 14 games

By Conor Ryan

Feb 26, 2019 • 11:55 pm

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Everything you need to know from the Bruins 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis…

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES:

Bruins roll with new additions: So far, so good in the Marcus Johansson era. Boston’s new top-six winger might have only finished with a secondary helper in Tuesday's 4-1 win, but he fit in seamlessly on a line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk — with the trio out on the ice for five scoring chances generated over 10:40 of 5v5 TOI, along with just one scoring chance for the Sharks.

“Guys better be ready for the puck because he’s got good composure in the o-zone, off the rush can separate and freeze people, and he’s looking to make a play backdoor in those areas,” Bruce Cassidy said of Johansson’s addition. “So, really skilled, good speed, and again, looked like those guys were reading off each other well. And it’s only game one, so hopefully, it grows from there. We’ll see.”

Meanwhile, while Charlie Coyle was out on the ice for a positive shot differential in 12:18 of 5v5 play, his line with Joakim Nordstrom and David Backes had a bit of a tougher shake with a 42.86 Corsi For Percentage in just 6:58 of 5v5 play. Look for that line to get shuffled a bit ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Lightning.

Young guns continue to turn corner: Even before Boston pulled the trigger on deals for Coyle and Johansson, the Bruins' offense was humming at an effective rate without David Pastrnak. A big key in this recent role has been the strides made on offense from Boston’s younger core — namely Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy and even guys who don’t regularly contribute on the stat sheet like Brandon Carlo.

What do you know — on a night in which players like DeBrusk and McAvoy dominated, Boston’s offense once again looked ferocious against a very good San Jose club. DeBrusk may not be able to keep his torrid stretch of six goals over seven games, but another dominant outing from McAvoy is starting to become the norm, and not the exception for this Bruins club.

If McAvoy can continue to weave through the o-zone as he’s done over the last couple of weeks, it can provide a whole new dimension to a Bruins team that’s been in desperate need for a 5v5 spark, especially at even strength.

FOUR UP

Brad Marchand: Marchand continued his recent warpath on Tuesday, tallying a shorthanded goal and adding a pair of assists to give him 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) over his last 18 games played. His shorthanded score was also significant, as it stood as the 25th of his career — tying him with Rick Middleton for the most in Bruins franchise history.

Jake DeBrusk: For all of the extended cold streaks that DeBrusk has had to fight through this season, the 22-year-old winger now has his first 20-goal campaign in just his second year with Boston. He certainly helped his cause thanks to this recent tear he’s been on — with No. 74 capping off a tic-tac-toe sequence with his sixth goal in seven games. Whether it be driving to the net, using his wheels to get the puck out the D zone or winning battles in the neutral zone, DeBrusk is locked in right now.




Jaroslav Halak:
Make that four wins in a row for Halak, who turned aside 19 of the 20 shots that came his way against a Sharks team that ranks third in the NHL in goals per game at 3.62. Since Feb. 10, Halak is 4-0-0 with a .966 save percentage.


Charlie McAvoy:
Along with his goal — which stands as his first tally in nine games after only lighting the lamp once in his first 27 games — McAvoy was a force back on the blue line, logging 23:32 TOI to go along with three hits and a pair of blocks. Assertive in the offensive zone, he also put out a number of fires on the back end — impressive stuff against a team that can pile on goals in a hurry in San Jose. 


TWO DOWN


Evander Kane:
Want to drop the gloves with
Zdeno Chara?
You’re going to have a tough time.




Third Line:
After generating three high-danger scoring chances in Saturday’s loss to the Blues, the Coyle line finished with zero on Tuesday. Still, Coyle looked strong on the puck, and even earned a few looks on a line with Marchand and
Patrice Bergeron.


PLAY OF THE GAME


A hobbled
Erik Karlsson
certainly didn’t help San Jose’s cause on the play, but what a filthy set of moves for Marchand on this shorthanded goal — his 25th tally of the year.




PARTING THOUGHT


Classy move by Coyle, an East Weymouth native, for taking part in Tuesday’s pregame ceremony for First Responders Night — as he greeted the family of
fallen Weymouth police officer
Michael Chesna
out at center ice.




LOOKING AHEAD


The Bruins will continue their six-game homestand on Thursday night with one of the top tests of the season, as they will welcome in the Tampa Bay Lightning — who sit atop the Atlantic Division (and the entire NHL) with a record of 48-11-4. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.

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