Here are some talking points from the Bruins' 4-1 win over the Golden Knights. . .
GOLD STAR: It was kind of a lucky bounce, but give credit to Jeremy Lauzon for getting up ice, being ready and then hammering a puck into the open net for his first career NHL goal. Sure it took Malcolm Subban falling down after the puck took a wild carom off the end boards, but it also took Lauzon to be fully aware of what was happening leading up to his score. It was also Lauzon’s best game in Boston amid a couple of call-ups this season as he finished with the goal, a plus-1 rating and five shot attempts along with two blocked shots in 13:55 of ice time. Lauzon’s latest performance might have only been possible because of a Brandon Carlo injury, but he’s starting to show that he might just have a future in the NHL as well.
BLACK EYE: Malcolm Subban wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t very good either in giving up four goals on 37 shots to the Bruins while losing to the team that drafted him. The Golden Knights goalie really botched the game-winner when he came way out of the net to play a puck, and then fell down after a Sean Kuraly zone entry took a wild carom off the end boards. The puck bounced right to rookie D-man Jeremy Lauzon, who was ready to react and fired a puck into the open net for the second, game-winning goal of the season. The 24-year-old Subban is winless in four games this season with a goals against average approaching 3.00 and a save percentage well under .900, and is looking a lot more like not-ready-for-NHL-prime time that he always appeared to be in the B’s organization.
TURNING POINT: For the Bruins it was about getting on the board early and really taking control of the game in the first period. The B’s got scoring from somebody outside their top line and the No. 1 power play unit, and it arrived in the form of a Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork give-and-go that Heinen finished off right in front of the net for his second goal in three games. That score allowed the Bruins to get the upper hand over the Golden Knights, and then they were able to play the front-runner game with a couple more goals in the second period. But with the Bruins playing their third game in four days it was important to get off to a strong start, and that’s exactly what they did against a beatable Vegas group.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jaroslav Halak made some pretty strong statements over the weekend after a blowout loss to the Vancouver Canucks where he was yanked after giving up five goals. He stopped 77-of-79 shots in wins over the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights in back-to-back starts while Tuukka Rask is on a leave of absence, and was brilliant in both games at a time where the B’s really needed him to be while being backed up by Daniel Vladar. Halak may not any longer lead the NHL in goals against average or save percentage, but he’s been stellar in the early going while giving way above and beyond expectations performance this season. Sunday night’s effort against a Vegas team that got some pretty good redirection attempts against him was another gem for Halak.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 – the number of goals in the last three games for Danton Heinen after scoring again on Sunday to open things up for the Bruins offense. It was long past time for Heinen to join the offensive parade while scoring his first two goals this season.
Boston Bruins
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our top line is good. Our second line’s coming around. The power play generally produces, but at the end of the day you need balanced scoring to do it every night. We’re starting to see that the last three games I think we’ve been much better in that area.” –Bruce Cassidy, welcoming the diversity in scoring that the Bruins have begun getting over the last few games.
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