With the NHL trade deadline in the rearview, the Boston Bruins now know who they are and seemingly have found their game.
The Bruins look to keep their latest unbeaten run (3-0-1) intact when they conclude a four-game homestand on Monday night against the St. Louis Blues.
“I think everybody’s a little more relaxed because you just never know what’s going to happen, right?” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “That’s why practice on Friday was two flow drills and two shinny games, no thinking. … (You see relaxation in their) body language. It comes back to their play, too. Because they’re relaxed mentally, their play is more relaxed.”
Montgomery has been especially happy with the way his team’s game has picked up since being dominated in a 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders on March 2.
The strong run continued into this past week, most recently in a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Linus Ullmark, whose name was floated in trade rumors, made a season-high 38 saves.
Boston also received another two-goal, three-point effort from Pavel Zacha, who has five goals and two assists over his last four games. Captain Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and another trade candidate in Jake DeBrusk all registered a goal and an assist.
“We’ve had three or four really bad games, and they’re all important,” Montgomery said. “They make us look in the mirror, they make us grow and face adversity. We’re a better team right now.”
Two deadline acquisitions — defenseman Andrew Peeke and forward Patrick Maroon — will try to impact the lineup for a Boston team that sits just one point behind Florida atop the Eastern Conference.
“We have huge confidence. I think we got some really good additions here,” Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm said. “I’ve played with Maroon before. He’s a great guy to have in the locker room and … he’ll fit right into how we play.”
After standing pat at the deadline, the Blues come to Boston having lost three straight during their current five-game road trip, including a 4-0 shutout to the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Jordan Binnington made 35 saves to keep St. Louis in the game until New York’s two-goal third period, but the Blues have struggled putting pucks in the net as of late.
The Blues have scored more than two goals just once in their past eight games, going 2-5-1 in that span. Confidence has waned a bit.
“We’re not scoring,” St. Louis captain Brayden Schenn said. “… If you’re losing, you at least want to go down swinging, and right now, we’re just not generating enough offensively.”
Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas — who lead the Blues in goals and points, respectively — have not scored a goal in five games.
The offensive troubles have also translated to the power play, which is in a 2-for-24 funk.
Both of the Blues’ man advantages against the Rangers were negated by penalties.
“We took too many penalties,” interim coach Drew Bannister said. “(The Rangers are) too skilled. Two of the penalties we negated our own power play. That team, six power plays, they’re going to capitalize and they did.”
Scoring first has been a huge help for St. Louis this season, with a 25-3-1 record when doing so.
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