Weekend Takeaways: Golden Knights, Bruins making noise early – A-Z Eventz

It’s a good query to ask of any squad that shoots out to a surprisingly robust begin, particularly on Halloween: Is this staff an actual contender or just dressed up like one?

With final night time’s scary-good extra time winner from Jack Eichel towards the Winnipeg Jets, the Vegas Golden Knights have received 4 straight and personal the second-best factors proportion within the league. The prime mark belongs to the Boston Bruins, presently using a five-game profitable streak after Friday night time’s 4-0 blanking of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Was there a pe-season case to be made these have been high quality outfits? Certainly. But each squads fired coaches final 12 months and got here into this marketing campaign lacking main items because of long-term accidents.

But right here they sit, 1-2 within the standings and providing loads of proof these scorching begins have endurance. Both the Bruins and Knights possess robust underlying numbers they usually’re ranked first and second within the league in goal-differential (Boston is one of the best at plus-18, with Vegas proper behind at plus-15).

The Bruins, particularly, have various forehead elevating issues occurring. Obviously they have been enjoying a bit of little bit of possum with the timeline of Brad Marchand’s restoration from hip surgical procedure, because the left winger has already returned from an damage we thought may need him out till nearer to December. And even when Charlie McAvoy returns from shoulder surgical procedure forward of schedule too (he did follow with the staff Monday morning), the underside line is the membership has been with out its No. 1 blue-liner all 12 months.

But have a look at what the blokes who’re there are doing. David Pastrnak is one level off the league scoring lead after his aim on Friday; Patrice Bergeron has 9 factors in 9 video games, with 9 extra to go for 1,000 on his headed-to-the-Hall profession. Meanwhile, the opposite “Will he come back or not?” man, David Krejci, can be enjoying at a point-per-game clip alongside countryman Pastrnak. Relative newcomer Hampus Lindholm has been stellar on the blue line in McAvoy’s absence, whereas the beforehand disgruntled Jake DeBrusk is out to an encouraging begin this season below new coach Jim Montgomery.

Then there’s the play of Linus Ullmark, who — after Friday’s whitewashing of Columbus — has the fifth-best five-on-five save proportion within the league amongst goalies with no less than 200 minutes within the crease.

Speaking of goalies, the blokes in Vegas — and it’s most likely value figuring out them as Logan Thompson and Adin Hill — have the highest five-on-five save proportion within the league. That has helped make new bench boss Bruce Cassidy — bear in mind him, Bruins followers? — transition easily to his new gig regardless of the very fact incumbent starter Robin Lehner is misplaced for the season resulting from hip surgical procedure.

For no matter upheaval has occurred within the crease, it does appears as if there’s a sure stage of calm in Vegas that, because of the group’s frantic “just get every star we can” method prior to now, is a welcomed change. Eichel appears to be like nice in his first full 12 months; Mark Stone is wholesome once more and enjoying like his normal stellar self, whereas some O.G. Knights — William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, Shea Theodore — have all been good to this point.

Look, each these groups have performed home-heavy schedules and haven’t precisely been going up towards the cream of the crop each night time. The two greatest groups Vegas has confronted — Colorado and Calgary — beat them. Both squads have both simply begun or are about to start prolonged roadies, so we’ll get a fuller image of the place they’re at within the subsequent week or so.

That stated, don’t guess on any main Scooby Doo-style unmasking right here; what you see might be fairly near what you get with Vegas and Boston.

Other Takeaways

• After dropping to the Bruins, issues obtained worse for Columbus on Sunday with a 7-1 drilling by the New Jersey Devils. The Jackets have now been outscored 17-4 of their previous three outings and solely two groups — Anaheim and San Jose — have worse factors percentages than Columbus’ .300 mark proper now. The mercury feels prefer it’s on the rise in Ohio.

Meanwhile, the Jesper Bratt present continues for the Devils, as he put up two extra factors towards Columbus and has been on the scoresheet in all 9 of New Jersey’s video games this season.

• The as soon as 0-2 Devils are an important instance of how you can steer out of an early-season skid and, to a lesser extent, so too are the Minnesota Wild. After falling in an 0-3-0 gap, the Wild are 4-4-1 following Sunday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Matt Boldy was the star for Minny with two objectives and, man, can this second-year man play. The fast fingers he confirmed on his first tally display why such large issues are on faucet for this 21-year-old.

• Sliding the opposite means, make it 4 straight L’s for St. Louis after beginning 3-0-0. The Blues coughed up a 3-1 result in Montreal on Saturday in what became a 7-4 loss. St. Louis has been outscored 20-7 throughout this skid and the Blues have simply 10 five-on-five objectives in seven outings this season.

• Sadly, the Arizona Coyotes have misplaced their first two video games at Mullett Arena, however this giveaway throughout Friday’s opening night time was a winner and absolute no-brainer.