The Boston Bruins are beyond eager to get this 2014-15 NHL season underway. It really is almost time for the real thing. However, they had one last hurdle to clear before that can happen.
The B's closed out their preseason schedule this week with a back-to-backer on Friday and Saturday night. The New York Islanders were up first, followed by the Detroit Red Wings to close things out.
David Pastrnak, Reilly Smith, and Torey Krug all made their preseason debuts, indicating that B's head coach Claude Julien has a pretty solid idea of what the opening-night roster will look like. Speaking of which, Ryan Spooner was among the notable cuts made by the team this week. This was surprising, considering that the Bruins were vocal about getting younger and more skilled on the bottom two lines. Interesting move here.
Also, in a heartbreaking deal, the Bruins traded Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders for draft picks. This was a move motivated by money to generate more cap space, but this was an emotional decision made by management. His time in Boston will NEVER be taken lightly. He was a great Bruin.
Either way, the Bruins and Isles played an extremely physical game on Friday night. Something like that usually plays into the hands of the Bruins, and it did. The B's went on to shellac the Islanders by a score of 6-1 in this game. Notably, Malcolm Subban looked great in net and was arguably the best player out on the ice. Could he be making a case for the backup goalie spot?
In Saturday's game, Patrice Bergeron recorded a hat trick. However, it was not enough as the Wings skated to a 4-3 shootout victory in the last preseason game. We will soon see how the final roster will play out.
Wednesday night marks the start of the regular season. The Bruins will be home against the Philadelphia Flyers. Let the campaign begin. Best of luck, Boston.
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