2009-2010 Bruins Highlights

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September 27, 2010

Thoughts from Saturday Night's Game

First off, what a great feeling to be able to see a Bruins game on NESN.  The wait is now over.  Jack Edwards and Andy Brinkley are now back and hockey season is right around the corner.  Watching the game on an HDTV was a huge upgrade over the streaming feeds I have struggled with for the previous two preseason games. 

With camp winding down and now 3 games under their belts we are now starting to get a better feel for the new players in camp and the Bruins roster.  Although Saturday night ended in a loss, there were a lot of positives to take from the game.  First off, Steven Kampfer has looked tremendous, especially in this last game against Florida.  He spent time alongside Chara both as a pair and on the power play.  He has shown good puck moving skills in the offensive zone, a decent shot from the point and he has been aggressive on the attack.  He has also shown some good speed and now can be considered right in the mix for that last D pair/7th defense men.  Florida was playing a lot of their projected starters so it wasn't like he was matched up against scrubs.  I really like the way Bartowski looked during the rookie games, but Kampfer is slightly ahead of him in my opinion.  If both Kampfer and Bartwoski don't make the NHL roster, they will join Alexandrov in Providence this year giving the baby B's a solid group of young defense men to watch develop.  Speaking of Alexandrov, he really struggled on the ice Saturday and can definitely use next year in the AHL to develop some skills.  He made a few bad decisions that ended up in turnovers.  He really does have excellent skating ability.  Give him a year to adjust to the North American game and over come the language barrier and he should round into a solid defensive prospect.

How good has Spooner looked!  He has shown some great chemistry with Sauve (who is no longer on the NHL roster) with breakouts into the offensive zone.  He is playing way beyond his age so far and has been rewarded by Julien for his standout efforts with extra ice time and a chance in the shootout.  He is quickly becoming a fan favorite with bellowing chants of SPOOOONER!  While most of the talk in camp was about the young guns Seguin, Caron and Colbourne, Spooner has been the standout for me in regards to performance vs expectation.  If you remember, Boston traded their first round pick for Horton and only had an early second round pick which they used to draft Spooner who wasn't projected to go until much later.  If he makes the NHL team or even comes back next year he is looking like a steal.

If you didn't have a hockey pulse on Sunday you certainly were brought to life with the Milan Lucic pounding of Tristan Grant.  Looch had a rough year last season with injuries and understandably was not the same scrapper he had built his reputation on.  Clearly, this bout announces his return.  Granted, Looch's role is going to be much more important and expanded than the occasional scrap but it was a great sign to see him stand up for Horton.  I think you are going to see a lot more of that this season from Boston in regards to protecting their stars.  Krecji, Bergeron, Savard, Horton and Seguin should all be guarded by the likes of Lujcic, Stuart and Thornton regularly.  Obviously fighting is not the most important aspect of the game, but for a team that needs to establish both its chemistry and physical presence within the game a decisive win like the one on Saturday night will go a long way to do both.

Speaking of brawlers, I have been pleasantly surprised by the play of Brian McGrattan.  He was a surprise addition to the preseason roster but has done well in the preseason action.  He isn't going to be asked to score goals or put up any sort of offensive numbers.  But he has been a presence in front of the net and checking on the ice.  For an enforcer, he has also shown good skating skills.  I don't think he will be spending regular time in Boston but maybe he will be on the roster while both Sturm and Savard are on long term injured reserve.  If not, I think the Bruins will hang onto him in Providence, which will certainly mean the Dunkin Donut Center will be host to some brutal fights this season.  To me, I think this move has Neely written all over it as with the other moves involving Reich, McIver and even Horton.  Thorton is most likely going to be the one tough guy in Boston regularly, but McGrattan will certainly be called upon against certain foes.  The Atlantic Division seriously added some heavyweights this season, and with having to play each of those teams 4 times it may take a toll on the smaller Thorton.  Here are the enforcers in the Atlantic Division:

Islanders: Zenon Konopka
Rangers: Derek Boogaard, Brandon Prust, Aaron Voros
Flyers: Jody Shelley, The Rat, Ian Laperriere
Pittsburgh: Eric Godard, Aaron Asham

And we still will have Colton Orr to deal with within the division.  Matching up against some of these teams will be exhausting for the likes of Thorton and Lucic so McGrattan will most likely be called upon to be an insurance policy or and extra on ice policemen during games where it is going to be rough and likely to be fighting.  He certainly can handle himself and should become a favorite of those who frequent the garden this winter. 

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