GOLD STAR: Matt Grzelcyk didn’t score any highlight reel goals or make any goal-saving plays along the goal line, but he was extremely good while filling in for the injured Torey Krug. It was David Pastrnak that scored the highlight reel goal in the first period that energized both the crowd and the Bruins bench, but it was Grzelcyk that was able to pinch down from his PP point shot and keep the play alive long enough for Pastrnak to attack the net and toe-drag Matt Benning. Grzelcyk finished with a couple assists in 18:57 of ice time, one shot on net, two hits and a takeaway, and did exactly what the Bruins are expecting out of him both even strength and on the power play while Krug’s left ankle continues to heal. It may not be like this every night for Grzelcyk with his increased ice time and responsibilities, but there’s no reason to think he can’t play this way more often.
BLACK EYE: It was a tough night for former Bruins draft pick Matt Benning, who left the Bruins organization to sign with the Edmonton Oilers after Boston’s draft rights ran out on him following his career at Northeastern. Benning was the D-man that got completely faked out by David Pastrnak on his highlight reel toe drag in the first period, and it was Benning again in the third period that got knocked over the boards and into the laps of fans after a Sean Kuraly check dislodged the plexiglass from the boards behind the Edmonton net. Benning finished with zero shots on net, one hit and a giveaway in 16:44 of ice time and really didn’t do anything except be the unwitting participant in a couple of Bruins highlights on the night.
TURNING POINT: The David Pastrnak goal changed the momentum of the game, but it was the ensuing two Bruins goals scored in a span of 36 seconds that really knocked the Oilers for a loop they didn’t recover from until the third period. Brad Marchand scored on a shot that deflected in off an Edmonton Oilers player, and then Joakim Nordstrom scored the first even-strength goal for Boston’s second line this season to give the Bruins a two-goal lead. It’s something that the Oilers never truly recovered from while the Bruins simply put the clamps down in slowing down the Oil in the neutral zone and really gumming up the works with the two-goal advantage.
HONORABLE MENTION: Give it to Jaroslav Halak, who has been incredibly consistent for the Bruins since arriving as the backup to Tuukka Rask. He stopped 25-of-26 shots including a great save on Tobias Rieder shorthanded breakaway in the third period that really started pushing the momentum toward the Oilers. Halak was also helped by a couple of plays to clear pucks when they’d managed to squeeze by the Bruins goaltender, including a Zdeno Chara play where he swept the puck off the goal line, but Halak was also a calm, active presence between the pipes. It will be interesting to see how the playing time gets divvied out between the two B’s goalies moving forward if Halak continues to play at the level he’s at right now.
BY THE NUMBERS: 14-4 – the rate that the Bruins have outscored the Sabres, Senators and Oilers in the last three games after getting shellacked 7-0 on opening night by the Capitals.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s huge. Then to see his celebration afterward is pretty funny. It definitely gets the crowd involved and gets everybody on the bench pumped up as well. It allows guys to be a little more comfortable and to hang on pucks a little bit more offensively.” –Matt Grzelcyk, on the Pastrnak highlight toe-drag that opened up the scoring for the Bruins in the first period.