With the Bruins set to enter the bye week, we decided to hand out our grades for the first 49 games of the 2019-20 campaign. Yes, it’s a bit past the mid-season point, but we feel as though this extended break is a good jumping-off point when it comes to sizing up how Boston has fared so far in this new year. Let’s take a look:
FORWARDS
David Pastrnak — 49 games played / 36 goals / 68 points / 19:32 ATOI
Grade: A+
You’d be hard-pressed to find any issue with Pastrnak’s campaign, given that the dynamic winger is on pace for 54 goals and 114 points this season. Barring any injury, it seems like a given that the forward will hit that 50-goal threshold. Pastrnak’s scoring totals might be in line for some regression (he’s only tabbed for 19.83 expected goals), but given his heavy minutes on a dynamic power play, those quality chances should continue to be there for the skilled sniper.
(Let's take a look at Pastrnak’s shot map this season — his average shot distance of 31.41 feet is greater than the league average, but the winger’s quick release and booming one-timer have kept him atop the league scoring charts.)
Patrice Bergeron — 40 games played / 20 goals / 40 points / 19:17 ATOI
GRADE: A
Even with some nagging lower-body injuries that will have to be monitored down the stretch, Bergeron has continued to be as advertised in his 16th season in Boston. On pace for a career-high 37 goals, Bergeron is the engine that drives the B’s top line while excelling at the "bumper" position on the power play.
Add in his trademark defensive wizardry and proficiency at faceoffs (57.5%), and it’s been another dominant campaign for No. 37.
As expected, Bergeron’s impact on both offense and defense is rather evident whenever he’s out on the ice. Let’s take a look at Micah Blake McCurdy’s individual impact charts via Hockey Viz for some context: On the offensive side of things, you’d want to see a player providing positive numbers — with the red blobs signifying where the Bruins are generating a majority of their shots from whenever said player (Bergeron, in this case) is on the ice.
Defensively, negative numbers are a sign that a team is snuffing out opposing scoring chances whenever said player is on the ice. As such, the blue blobs represent where the opposition's shots aren’t regularly coming from.
As you can see below, the Bruins fare better on offense when Bergeron is on the ice during 5v5 play, while the opposition’s shot rates really dry up whenever Bergeron is out on a shift (especially down low and in the slot). He can do it all.
Brad Marchand — 49 games played / 21 goals / 64 points / 19:58 ATOI
Grade: A
Yes, Marchand is catching flak this past week —both for some gaffes with the puck and an extended goal-scoring dry spell (3 goals in last 24 games). But even with that "dry spell," Marchand has still been a consistent point producer, recording 18 assists during that 24-game stretch. On a Bruins club that has struggled for most of the year when it comes to 5v5 scoring, Marchand has continued to excel at driving play — with his individual 5v5 points per 60 minutes rate of 3.13 ranking fourth overall in the NHL (min. 300 minutes played), behind only Artemi Panarin, Evgeni Malkin and Nathan MacKinnon.
(As you can see, Boston’s 5v5 offense and shot rates completely dry up when Marchand isn’t on the ice).
David Krejci — 41 games played / 11 goals / 32 points / 17:24 ATOI
Grade: B
Surprise, surprise — Krejci still hasn’t had the luxury of a reliable right winger for most of the season. Still, even if the veteran has logged at least 20 minutes of 5v5 TOI with 10 different forwards this season, Krejci is still on pace to hover around 60 points this year. One thing that has stood out about Krejci this year has been the lack of chances the opposition has generated whenever he’s on the ice (12 5v5 goals allowed in his 580:01 of ice time). Boston desperately needs to get him a top-six winger to work with.
Jake DeBrusk — 44 games played / 14 goals / 27 points / 16:10 ATOI
Grade: C+
DeBrusk’s recent hot streak (seven points in last six games) has bumped up his grades on what has been an up-and-down year for the top-six winger. Yes, he might be on pace for another 20-goal campaign, but DeBrusk continues to be tabbed as a streaky player — with Bruce Cassidy even benching him for some extended stretches in the middle of games. He will have to work more on his consistency, but his game has trended in the right direction for the past couple of weeks, especially on the defensive side. That second line can be lethal when DeBrusk is engaged down both ends of the ice.
Charlie Coyle — 49 games played / 9 goals / 25 points / 16:31 ATOI
Grade: B
Coyle has filled in admirably as a top-six winger when needed this year (Boston with a 7-1 edge in 5v5 goals when Coyle has skated with Krejci), but the Weymouth native is best utilized on the B’s roster when he’s driving a third line and feasting against bottom-six competition. Methinks a trio of Bjork-Coyle-Heinen could do some major damage together if they continue to get an extended look.
Danton Heinen — 48 games played / 7 goals / 20 points / 14:23 ATOI
Grade: B-
One of the most polarizing players on Boston’s roster, Heinen may not be a flashy player in the O-zone and yes, his offensive production has left a lot to be desired this season. But the two-way forward still has plenty of value both in terms of versatility and overall defensive excellence. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, there have been 512 players that have logged at least 1,500 minutes of 5v5 TOI. Heinen leads all players in 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes during that extended stretch at just 1.49. Yes, he makes a hell of an impact defensively, even if he’s not all that noticeable.
Still, Heinen is going to have to produce more offensively down the stretch in order to get that bottom-six chipping in consistently. Getting Coyle back in at 3C should do wonders for Heinen and whoever else is slotted in with that group.
Anders Bjork — 41 games played / 7 goals / 14 points / 13:05 ATOI
Grade: B
After his previous two campaigns were halted due to season-ending injuries, Bjork is finally starting to establish himself as a viable — and effective — winger up at the NHL level. While his speed and craftiness have always been trademarks of his game, his strength on the puck has really stood out this year — both in terms of winning battles on the forecheck and driving toward Grade-A areas of the ice.
He has all the makings of a reliable 20-goal scorer as he continues to gain more experience, but Bjork’s ability to extend O-zone possessions and beat skaters to loose pucks has also made him a plus defensive player. As you can see below — when Bjork’s on the ice, the opposition’s shot rates really dry up. Can’t say I predicted that going into the year.
Sean Kuraly — 49 games played / 4 goals / 17 points / 13:24 ATOI
Grade: C-
He might be on pace for a new career-high in scoring this season, but Kuraly’s game has lacked consistency for most of the 2019-20 campaign. When he’s on, Kuraly can be one of the top fourth-line centers in the league, using his blend of speed and size to frustrate opposing top-six skaters and excel in a suffocating forecheck. Both him and Boston’s fourth line haven't played to the high standard that they set last year, but they have been trending in the right direction as of late. Boston needs this crew to get rolling down the stretch.
Joakim Nordstrom — 36 games played / 4 goals / 6 points / 12:06 ATOI
Grade: C
After missing an extended stretch to open the season due to injury, Nordstrom has been as advertised on a hot-and-cold fourth line this year. A versatile piece in the lineup that can play up when necessary, Nordstrom may not be flashy, but he regularly chips in with winning plays — whether it be strong PK shifts, blocking Grade-A shots or winning puck battles down low. Much like Kuraly and Wagner, his game has started to turn the corner as of late.
Chris Wagner — 47 games played / 7 goals / 14 points / 12:45 ATOI
Grade: C
Some of the hallmarks of Wagner’s game haven’t dipped at all in 2019-20, with the Walpole native still leading the club with 131 hits on the season. While it seemed unlikely that Wagner was going to flirt with 12+ goals after setting a career-high in scoring last season, Wagner can still be awfully effective by playing a simple, heavy game and wearing down the opposition. That fourth line hasn’t been nearly as consistent as last year when it comes to performing in said role, but his play as of late has been a step in the right direction, especially during a win over Winnipeg earlier this month (seven shots on goal, seven high-danger scoring chances in 10:58 of ice time.)
Par Lindholm — 28 games played / 3 goals / 4 points / 11:01 ATOI
Grade: C+
Given his role as a depth forward and penalty killer, it’s hard to find much fault with what Lindholm has brought the Bruins this season, especially with just an $850,000 cap hit. Even though just 44.83% of his faceoffs have come in the offensive zone, opposing teams haven’t capitalized all that much when Lindholm has been on the ice — as his 5v5 goals against per 60 minute rate of 0.94 leads the club.
Brett Ritchie — 27 games played / 2 goals / 6 points / 10:24 ATOI
Grade: D-
Ritchie’s tenure in Boston got off to a strong start when his first shot on goal of the season sailed past Ben Bishop in the B’s season opener. But things went downhill from there as Ritchie struggled to carve out a defined role with the club before eventually getting waived last week. His tenure as Krejci’s right winger was rather brutal. Even though Ritchie spent 44:07 of 5v5 ice time with Krejci (with 56% of his faceoffs in the offensive zone), Boston only scored two goals during that stretch.
David Backes — 16 games played / 1 goal / 3 points / 8:33 ATOI
Grade: D-
It’s an all-around unfortunate situation when it comes to Backes and the Bruins. Backes is a stand-up guy, very well respected in Boston’s locker room and is often the first one ready to jump into the fray when things go south on the ice. But, given both the erosion of his on-ice skills and the toll brought on from a number of concussions, Backes can only do so much up at the NHL level these days, especially for the Bruins. Backes will be given the full bye week to decide on the next step in his career — whether it be in Providence, with another team or as a retired pro hockey player is TBD.
Karson Kuhlman — 9 games played / 0 goals / 2 points / 12:33 ATOI
Grade: Incomplete
Expectations were high for Kuhlman, who served as the final piece in what was a rotating list of right wingers on Krejci’s line last season. While he wasn’t expected to generate a 7.00 5v5 goals per 60 minute rate as he did last year with Krejci and DeBrusk, his speed and ability to generate high-danger looks are a big reason why his expected goals rate is currently at 1.34 — as opposed to the goose egg he currently has. After an encouraging showing on Thursday against Pittsburgh (two assists), look for Kuhlman to start settling into a groove in Boston's bottom-six unit.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Carlo — 49 games played / 4 goals / 14 points / 20:40 ATOI
Grade: A-
After earning plenty of praise as one of Boston’s most dependable skaters during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Carlo has only continued to elevate his game this year. While his offensive contributions have been a nice addition (his career-high in scoring is 16 points in 2016-17), Carlo is still at his best when serving in a shutdown role on the blue line. Whether it be on the PK (team-high 3:04 shorthanded TOI per game) or 5v5 play (1.17 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes), Carlo is solidifying himself as a force in Boston's D corps.
Zdeno Chara — 47 games played / 5 goals / 8 points / 21:05 ATOI
Grade: B+
Yes, he may not be the perennial Norris Trophy candidate he was years ago, but even at age 42, Chara is still a damn good defenseman in the NHL. Chara continues to be as advertised as Boston’s go-to shutdown option on the blue line while anchoring a penalty kill that ranks third in the NHL with an 83.3% success rate. Chara has also looked awfully comfortable operating in the O-zone this year, with the B’s captain on pace to break 20 points for the 12th time in 14 seasons with the Bruins. A defensive pairing of Chara and Carlo continues to be awfully tempting — given that Boston has only surrendered two goals in their 191 minutes of 5v5 TOI together this year.
Charlie McAvoy — 46 games played / 0 goals / 17 points / 23:12 ATOI
Grade: B+
Yes, he doesn’t shoot nearly enough (3.33 individual 5v5 shots per 60 minutes). Yes, he still doesn’t have a goal on the season. And yet, even with some of the warts in his game, McAvoy has actually been a very reliable driver of 5v5 offense for the Bruins — leading all B’s defenseman and ranking 48th among all NHL blueliners in individual 5v5 points per 60 minutes at 1.04. Given this his expected goals rate is currently 3.4, McAvoy is due for some tallies to come in bunches down the stretch.
Add in his strong defensive game and ability to eat up heavy minutes — and McAvoy has continued to establish himself as a legitimate top-pairing force in Boston’s D corps. When he’s on, he can take over a game.
Matt Grzelcyk — 47 games played / 2 goals / 14 points / 18:18 ATOI
Grade: B+
He may not project as a defensive stalwart due to his smaller frame, but Grzelcyk’s hockey IQ, active stick and quick feet have made him a valuable asset on Boston’s blue line. Along with his ability to carry the puck out of Boston’s zone, Grzelcyk’s shifts on the ice have often seen opposing quality chances dry up — with the Charlestown native’s 5v5 expected goals per 60 minutes rate of 1.82 leading all B’s starters on defense.
He may not be Krug, but Grzelcyk has also been more than capable when given the keys to Boston’s top power-play unit — with a PP crew of Grzelcyk, Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak generating a goals for per 60 minute rate of 12.95 together in 23:10 of power play ice time.
For comparison, a power-play crew of Krug, Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak has a GF/60 rate of 12.59 in 114:22 of ice time.
Torey Krug — 41 games played / 5 goals / 31 points / 20:39 ATOI
Grade: B
Krug’s pending UFA status and ongoing contract negotiations haven’t done much to hamper his on-ice production, as the puck-moving defenseman has once again been as advertised on the ice in 2019-20. Given that 72.33% of his faceoffs have come in the O-zone, the Bruins likely would want a bit more production during 5v5 play, as his 0.86 5v5 points per 60 minutes ranks 94th among defenseman (min. 300 minutes played). But his impact on Boston’s top-ranked power play is tough to ignore.
Connor Clifton — 30 games played / 2 goals / 2 points / 14:29 ATOI
Grade: C
After an impressive debut in 2018-19, Clifton’s first full season with Boston has been a bit of a mixed bag. While he was crucial at the start of the year filling in on the third D pairing when John Moore was recovering, Clifton’s game has lacked some consistency this season, especially when it comes to showcasing the brand of “Cliffy Hockey” that brought a spark to Boston’s blue line last year. If anything, Clifton has played a bit too conservative this season, even if he shows flashes of highlight-reel potential when gliding through the neutral zone or laying out an opposing skater.
Steven Kampfer — 10 games played / 0 goals / 2 points / 12:33 ATOI
Grade: B+
Given what his role is, Kampfer has been a valuable piece of Boston’s roster as the club’s go-to extra defenseman. It’s not a glamorous job for a veteran (who even had to spend some time down in Providence earlier this year), but when needed, Kampfer can eat up minutes and even provide a bit of an offensive spark.
John Moore — 18 games played / 2 goals / 3 points / 16:41 ATOI
Grade: C
After missing the first two months of the year while recovering from major shoulder surgery this summer, Moore has been so-so — with the veteran still looking to shake off a bit of rust. Still, Moore has been solid in a third-pairing role while also eating plenty of minutes on the PK.
"I don’t think it’s at where he’d be comfortable saying he’s in the zone yet,” Bruce Cassidy said of Moore’s game last week. “I think we’re working hard on stick to pucks situations, defending. I think he can still be harder at some of those battles. He’s testing his shoulder in those areas. … At the end of the day, we keep working with him and try to stay on his forehand as much as possible. He’s coming along, John. He’s willing, he’s working, always wants to do video, watches all his shifts. Takes everything to heart, so we’ll keep grinding away with him and make sure that he’s as comfortable as can be and then it’s up to him to push himself to a higher level.”
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask — 28 games played / 2.27 GAA / .925 save percentage
Grade: A
Hard to find much fault in net for Boston this year, especially when it comes to Rask, who is putting together one of his finest seasons as the B’s top netminder. While even the strongest Rask campaigns have often featured an extended cold spell, such hasn’t happened this year for Rask, who has continued to benefit from serving as part of an effective goalie tandem with Jaroslav Halak. In particular, Rask has excelled at turning aside quality chances, with his save percentage on high-danger shots calculating out to .858 — fourth overall in the league among regular starters (min. 1,000 minutes played). Bruins will have their fingers crossed that Rask’s latest concussion won’t have him out for long.
Jaroslav Halak — 22 games played / 2.42 GAA / .921 save percentage
Grade: A-
Halak might be in a rut as of late (.906 save percentage in last 11 games), but as a whole, the veteran netminder has continued to serve as a more-than-capable backup for Rask — giving Boston the luxury of limiting Rask’s workload after a short summer. Getting Halak back into a groove will be crucial if Boston wants to really string together some extended point streaks. Perhaps this upcoming stretch with Rask on the shelf will be an opportunity that Halak seizes.
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Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick, Sean Tierney and Hockey Viz.
