It turns out this Boston Bruins team is pretty damn good after all. For anyone who stuck it out and watched what was a stressful Oct/Nov, you were rewarded in December. Call it a Christmas gift, a Hanukkah gift, or an early start on a New Year’s Resolution; no matter how you choose to look at it, the Bruins have arguably been the best team in hockey over the last 5 weeks. You don’t believe me? There are countless reasons why Boston has been playing at an elite level (yes, ELITE), but it starts and ends with the leaders on the team.

If it’s confusing to figure out who the leaders are, the team has already made it easy for you by placing a “C” or “A” on their jerseys. I’ll be the first to criticize the dinosaur that is Zdeno Chara, but let’s start there. The Bruins Captain hasn’t really jumped off the page in many games this year, but he’s played in all 37 of the B’s contests and continues to eat up ice time. Chara and Defense partner Charlie McAvoy each averaged 22:09 TOI in the month of December. In 14 games Chara is a +8, while chipping in 1G and 3A. In those same 14 games, McAvoy has a +11 rating to go along with 7 points (2G, 5A). I’m well aware that Charlie is not currently a captain, but considering he’s a 20-year-old rookie who is playing well beyond his years, I don’t think it will take him long to earn a letter in the near future. The top D-pair is clearly playing as such, and the trickle-down effect has been evident as well. Oh yeah, by the way, all of those awesome Charlie McAvoy December stats are leaving out TWO shootout winners and a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick along the way!

Health has contributed to some of the team’s inconsistencies, but when all four forward lines look like they should this team is a different animal. Much like the Chara/McAvoy pairing, the top-3 Centers- Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and David Backes (who all conveniently happen to wear the “A”) have been showing their consistency over the month of December as well. I am as big of a Patrice Bergeron fan as you will find, but I have been a little critical of his production this year. Well, the proof is in the pudding. Bergy is playing at almost a point-per-game pace with 6G, 6A, and a +7 rating through 14 games. The perennial Selke candidate is also getting back to form at the faceoff dot, winning 163/286 draws (57%) to close out 2017.

While I’m still going to harp on David Krejci for missing so many games, he’s been good when he’s been in the lineup. Krejci has 3G, 4A and a +2 rating in 8 games since the beginning of December. Again, that’s just shy of a point per game; I just need to see him in the lineup more. Meanwhile, one guy whose toughness and resolve I will never question is David Backes. Backes has managed to play one more game than Krejci on the season, but he’s been in the lineup for good since coming back from colon surgery. In 14 games he has 7G and 7A, and is a +5. His heart and work ethic have especially gone a long way in leading this young locker room. Complimentary rookies Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen have both flourished in Backes’ recent resurgence, and the impact he has had on stabilizing the bottom-6 forwards is elevating the fourth-line play as well. Backes is a complete hockey player, and the Bruins are a more complete hockey team with him on the ice.

The biggest factor, however, in Boston’s recent success has been the play of Tuukka Rask. After picking up 22 of a possible 28 points in December, the Bruins now find themselves sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with multiple games at hand against most of the competition. Tuukka owns a 9-0-1 record over that span, accounting for 19 of the 22 points the team has earned. He has been absolutely lights out, posting a 1.20 GAA (with 2 shutouts) to go along with his .958 SV%. Bruins fans can’t complain about the offense either, as the team has 39 goals (almost 4 per game) in his 10 starts. Tuukka is making Thanksgiving seem like ancient history. Remember that, when he had twice as many losses as he had wins; when his backup had twice as many wins as he did?? If Boston can continue to get the Tuukka Rask from December rather than the one from Oct/Nov, it will be in excellent shape heading into the playoffs. Oh, and for any of you keeping tabs on Tuukka’s “pitch count”, he’s played in 65% of the B’s 37 games this season, putting him on pace for about 53-54 starts.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Jegs-