The Bruins, led by Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic, have performed better than expected thus far in the season.

How much of a regression the Bruins experienced in 2023–2024?

No, Jim Montgomery’s team isn’t going to top the 65-12-5 pace set last year.

Nevertheless, Boston has a 31-9-9 record and is tied for first place in the NHL rankings with Vancouver (71 points) going into the All-Star Break.

Naturally, the regular suspects, including Jeremy Swayman, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Linus Ullmark, and David Pastrnak, have all contributed to making Boston a stronger candidate for another winter.

However, the 2023–24 Bruins season has been characterized by a number of skaters from the supporting cast putting in extra time and seasoned players flourishing in increased playing time.

Here are a few of the biggest surprises of the season thus far:

Charlie Coyle
Nobody questioned Coyle’s ability to shut off opponents when owning the puck from his typical third-line vantage point.

But a center of excellence? With his prior career-high scoring totals of 16 goals and 45 points while wearing a Bruins sweater, there was a lot of doubt about the Weymouth native’s capacity to succeed at the top of the lineup.

To put it mildly, the conversation has largely ceased.

In 49 games this season, Coyle has already tallied 42 points and 18 goals. With 30 goals and 70 overall points, he is expected to smash his previous career highs. His 2.83 5v5 points per 60 minutes is tied for fifth in the

Perhaps Coyle and Pavel Zacha as a 1-2 punch down the middle won’t provide the same flair and two-way dominance as Boston’s forward corps under Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. However, it’s difficult to dispute the outcomes.

In their final season with Boston last year, Bergeron and Krejci combined for an incredible 114 points. Zacha and Coyle are on track to score 120 points together this year.

Trent Frederick
Frederic had a breakout season last season. His physicality, underappreciated defensive ability, and 5v5 scoring punch (17 goals) are always appreciated in a bottom-six role.

He’s demonstrating this year that those accomplishments weren’t an anomaly.

With 49 games played this season, the 25-year-old forward has already scored 29 points, two shy of his career high. With 15 assistants, he has already broken his own record, ignited the lamp 14 times, and delivered welts to opponents just as promised.

Once thought of as a fourth-line nuisance, Frederic has developed into a reliable play-driver in Boston’s middle-six unit after starting as a strong third-line player.

Although Frederic is now on track to score 49 points and score 23 goals this season, his ability to inspire others around him may be his greatest quality. In Frederic’s 616 minutes of 5v5 reps this season, the Bruins are outscoring opponents, 35-21, despite the fact that just 45.5% of his faceoffs during 5v5 play are set in the attacking zone.

Van Riemsdyk James
Van Riemsdyk, one of Don Sweeney’s numerous cheap acquisitions this summer that has paid off multiple times, is expected to score 13 goals and 52 points in 2023–24, marking the 34-year-old veteran’s highest total since the 2017–18 campaign.

Van Riemsdyk, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract in July, is currently the third-best cost per point ($31,250) of all regular NHL contracts this season, behind only Colorado’s Jonathan Drouin ($29,464) and Carolina’s Stefan Noesen ($28,240).

The Bruins bet on the veteran forward’s comeback campaign as a man-advantage netfront specialist, even though he only managed two power-play goals (and 29 overall points) with the Flyers in the previous campaign.

Van Riemsdyk, though, has contributed more to Boston’s power play than just being a large body in the crease. This season, he has tallied 12 primary assists in 5v5 play, and he and Mathew Barzal of the Islanders are tied for the NHL lead with 1.44 primary assists per 60 minutes. I doubt that anyone anticipated that.

Heinen Danton
Heinen has been a steal for Boston, much like van Riemsdyk, especially when you consider that his one-year contract only amounts to a $775,000 cap cost.

Heinen is only two points behind Toronto’s Tyler Bertuzzi after 41 games this season with nine goals and eighteen points. Among normal NHL contracts, his production costs $43,055 per point, ranking 12th.

Heinen, who was cut this summer during free agency, had to compete for a position on the Boston roster while participating under a professional tryout (PTO) contract. Heinen was in limbo in October even after earning his keep; nine games into the season, Boston signed him to a contract.

Parker Wotherspoon
By no means is Wotherspoon’s game ostentatious.

The 26-year-old makes easy plays with the puck, isn’t afraid to start fights after the whistle, and clogs Grade-A ice with strong shoves and hard blocked shots.

Stated differently, he is precisely what the Bruins have been lacking on their D corps.

Unnoticed during his free agency signing, Wotherspoon has evolved from a possible Providence everyday option to a strong third-pairing option for Boston in the closing minutes.

Montgomery has frequently praised Wotherspoon, a left-shot defensive end who can play on his weak side, for his aggressiveness and ability to maintain composure during demanding D-zone shifts.

Wotherspoon is a valuable insurance policy in the event that Derek Forbort’s chronic lower-body injuries worsen. However, it may be argued that Wotherspoon is competing with established players like Matt Grzelcyk or Kevin Shattenkirk for a starting position.

Matt Poitras
Yes, Poitras’s debut NHL season has been marred by a number of obstacles.

He has endured some protracted scoring slumps, taken a beating from the intense physicality of professional hockey, and had his ice time slashed at some crucial moments in games.

Not shocking for a 19-year-old attempting to establish himself in the world’s top league. The fact that Poitras can still get off the mat repeatedly has surprised me.

Although Boston’s top brass has been impressed with the 2022 second-round pick’s calmness with the puck and developing two-way game after he exceeded all expectations in preseason, the Bruins will welcome any output from him (five goals, ten assists this season).

Although Poitras may be more of a complimentary player for Boston this season, he still appears to be a key middle-six option going forward for this team.

Congratulations on your first child, Brandon Carlo and his wife!

The Boston Bruins defenseman has had a busy summer. In July, he signed a six-year contract deal, and he also welcomed his first kid into the world.

 

During the annual golf event held by the Bruins Foundation on Wednesday, Carlo gave reporters an update on his newfound perspective as a father.

Through a team video, Carlo stated, “Crazy, the sleep hasn’t been going great, but other than that it’s been fantastic.” What a wonderful gift it is to be a first-time father. It’s amazing how full my heart feels right now, and I think that’s a beautiful thing for the season ahead; it just kind of makes you look at life and thankfulness from a different angle. Thus, I believe it will truly give me a sense of stability and support in both my life and my hockey career.

Carlo proposed to his fiancée, Mayson Corbet, last September. Now, their family has gotten one person bigger, with a daughter they named Wren.

“So, Mayson, my partner in crime, she kind of had a list in her phone of names that she’s had for a long time, anticipating that — we’ve always known that we wanted to be parents,” Carlo explained, grinning from ear to ear. “And this one kind of came about in a way like that, she just heard it through some sort of form of social media or word of mouth, I don’t even remember. And for the past couple months we got that name and we’ve been calling her it just kind of stuck and we loved it. In the hospital, come to find out, it’s a type of bird. A little bird, so I thought that was pretty cute. It’s a great name and we love it.”

to ascertain that it’s a species of bird. It was a small bird, which I found to be quite adorable. We think the name is fantastic.

We’d like to extend our congratulations to Carlos and welcome him to the world of Bruins fans.

This summer, Carlo wasn’t the only Bruins player to go through a significant life event. Just one week after Connor Clifton tied the knot, Chris Wagner tied the knot on Cape Cod. Charlie Coyle chose to pop the question to his fiancée in Nantucket in August, taking inspiration from Taylor Hall’s June proposal.

That’s a big number of weddings and infants.

How to Watch Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins: TV Channel, Start Time, and Free Live Stream.

 

The Philadelphia Flyers (25-18-6) take on the Boston Bruins (30-9-9) at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday in the NHL schedule, which begins at 12:30 PM ET on NESN. In the Eastern Conference, the Bruins lead with 69 points, while the Flyers are in seventh place with 56 points.

How to View Boston versus Philadelphia
January 27, 2024, on Saturday, is game day.
Time of game: 12:30 p.m.
TV: NESN (perhaps subject to regional restrictions)
Wells Fargo Center is the arena.
Fubo Live Stream: Launch your complimentary trial now!
Boston and Philadelphia Stats
The Bruins allow 2.6 goals per game (125 in 48), while the Flyers score 2.9 goals per game (141 in 49 games).
In terms of goals scored per game, the Bruins rank sixth in the NHL with 3.4, while the Flyers rank tenth with 2.9 goals allowed.

Philadelphia is 16th in the league with a +1 goal differential for the year.
Boston has the third-best goal difference in the NHL this season at +40.
The Flyers have scored 21 power-play goals (convincing on 13.55% of opportunities), while the Bruins have given up 31 goals while shorthanded (killing off 82.49% of penalties).
The Bruins rank fourth in the league in power play percentage with 39 goals, while the Flyers rank second in penalty-kill percentage with 22 goals given up while shorthanded.

Philadelphia Impact Players
With 43 points, Travis Konecny leads Philadelphia in scoring. This season, he has 21 assists and 22 goals.
Joel Farabee has scored 17 goals, provided 23 assists, and amassed 40 points (0.8 per game).
Owen Tippett has 18 goals and 12 assists for a season total of 30 points.
Carter Hart has made 658 saves while giving up 68 goals (2.80 goals against average).

Flyers injuries include Owen Tippett’s lower body injury, Ryan Ellis’ lower body injury, and Carter Hart’s personal injury (Out).

Impact Players of Boston
In 48 games for Boston, David Pastrnak has tallied 31 goals and 38 assists for a total of 69 points.
With 24 goals and 23 assists this season, Brad Marchand has amassed 47 points.
With 17 goals and 23 assists, Charlie Coyle is one of Boston’s most important offensive players.
With a save percentage of.924, Jeremy Swayman is fifth in the league. In contrast, he has made 720 saves and given up 59 goals (2.3 goals against average).

Box Score: Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators, January 25, 2024

Boston Hockey Club
Boston Senators 001 Ottawa Senators 002 2 1 2 3 OTTotal BOS: 1 1 0 1 3 OTT: 0 1 1 0 2 MLO/U (Margin)Goal ATS (Margin)

BOS -1426.5o -1.5Jeremy Swayman
1.5 (0.5)~6.5u (1.5)~2 GA 35 SV OTT~+128Joonas Korpisalo
3 GA 20 SV
Summary of Scoring for Period 1: 18:36 BOSD. Pastrnak (PP) with assistance from C. Coyle and C. McAvoy
Period 2 Scoring: 8:19 BOSFrederic T.
Helped by: D. Pastrnak, P. Zacha
19:32 OTTD. Batherson and T. Stutzle provided assistance to T. Chabot (PP).
Period 3 Scoring: 16:42 OTTWith assistance from T. Chabot and J. Norris, V. Tarasenko (PP)
1:48 BOS for Overtime ScoringMarchand, B.
In support of: C. Coyle

 

 

Penalty Summary – Period 1: 6:21 BOS D. Forbort (2:00) Penalties Roughing OTT M. Kastelic (2:00) at 6:21 10:36 BOS D. Pastrnak (2:00) for roughing 12:52 BOS C. Coyle (2:00) tripping 18:33 OTT J. Bernard-Docker (2:00) tripping Penalties of Detention – Second Period 6:05 BOS D. Pastrnak (2:00) 10:12 BOS B. Marchand (2:00) hooking Grasping the Stick
Frederic at 18:09 BOS (2:00) 19:32 OTT T. Stutzle (2:00) tripping 19:32 OTT D. Batherson Roughing (2:00) Unsportsmanlike Behavior
McAvoy, BOS, 19:32 (2:00) 19:32 BOS P. Wotherspoon (2:00) Roughing Penalties for Roughing – Period 3 15:21 BOS P. Wotherspoon (2:00) Verifying twice.

First, Second, Third OT Shots on GoalOverall
Boston3 9 8 3 23
Ottawa9 13 13 2 37
Group Data
G~SOG~S% PP% PK% FWPen Pim
Boston23 23.04 100.00 66.67 27.67 9 18.
Ottawa27 55.41 33.33 0.00 28 4 8.
Setting goals
Saves for Boston, GA, SV%, PIMYou
Swayman, J.37 37 35 2.946 0 61:41
Ottawa
Goals Saved GA SV% PIMYou
J. Korpisalo23 20, 3, 0.870 0, 61:48
Player Information
Boston
Ottawa
Boston #POS PlayerGAP +/- PIMSHF, TOI, EV, PP, SH, and PPGSHG FWFLF% 11. CFrederic T.1 0 0 1 1 2 3 24 14:31 13:02 0:00 1:29 0 0 3 3 50 13 CC. Coyle.

Two (2) one (1) one (1) 26 (21:30-16:05) 0:03-5:22 0:0-8 753 18CP. Zacha 0:00 3:11 0 0 7 50 21 14:01 10:50 0:00LWJ. van Riemsdyk 0~0~0 E~0~1 18~11:02~10:59~0:03 0:00 0 0 – – – 25DB. Carlo 0:00 6:00 0 0 0 0 0 33 22:52 16:52 0:00 6:00 0 0 – – – 27DLindholm, H. 0 0 0 E 0 0 35 25:50 20:01 0:00 5:49 0 0 – – – 28DD. Forbort 0 0 0 1-2 0 24 13:57 1:00 0 0 – – – 29DWotherspoon, P. 0 0 0E 4.0 24 18.07 14.12 0:00 3:55 0 0 – – – 39 CM. Geekie.

0~0 E~0 1 20 14:43~14:41 0:00 0:02 0 0 4 4 50 43LW~D. Heinen 0~0~0E 0 1 21 12:44 7:52 0:00 4:52 0 0 2 1 67 and 48DM. Grzelcyk 00~0 E 0~1~25 17:20 17:16 0:00 0:04 0~0 – – – 51CM. Poitras 0 0 0E 0 1 13 8:07 8:07 0:00 0:00 0 0 1 4 20 62 CO. Steen 0 0 0E 0:00 0:00 0:00 0:00 0 – – – 63Marchand, L.W. 1 0 1 1 2 3 26 21:30 17:55 0:03 3:32 0 0 – – – 70CJ. Boqvist 0 0 0E 0 5 17 10:44 0:00 0:00 0 0 1 2 McAvoy 73 D C 0 1 1 1 2 0 34 23:50 19:06 0 03 4:41 0 0 – – – 74J. L. DeBrusk 0~0~0~E 0~1~24~14:57~12:02 0:00~2:55~0 0 – – –
88RWPastrnak, D. 1 1 2 1 4 25 17:50 17:43 0:03 0:04 1 0 – 100
1.GJohn Swayman 0 0 0 – 0.