“They’re an NHL class,” said Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft.
The goalkeeping duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman is the foundation. In his second season with Boston, Ulmark leads the league in points per game (1.97), save percentage (.935) and wins, while Swayman ranks third in points conceded (2.28). .
“It starts with the goalie,” AJ Mleczko, an Olympic gold medal-winning US forward and ESPN and MSG Networks analyst, commented from the ice level at a recent Bruins Oilers game. Every successful team needs a goalkeeper tandem, but Urmark, no one expected him to be as good as he is this season.”
The Bruins pulled back course in Winnipeg on Thursday with a 3-0 win over the Jets on the strength of Swayman’s shutout, but the rest of the league, especially in the competitive Eastern Conference, saw Boston deliver its best performance. I hope to perform. It relies heavily on players in their mid to late 30s. Their top two centers (positions that need the most skating) are Bergeron, 37, and his 36-year-old Craig. The only remaining player from 2011 is the highly talented and sly forward Brad His Marchand, who turns 35 in May. championship team.
“We have a lot of people who have a lot of experience in tough situations who don’t get depressed and don’t change at all,” Marchand said. “I know there’s a lot of young talent in the league, and that’s a big thing. But when you look at teams that win, they usually have a lot of older players.”
In early summer, Bergeron and Craig were undecided about returning to Boston. Kraić returned home to the Czech Republic to play one season, but Bergeron called Kraić and convinced him that they should reunite in the only NHL team that either of them had played for.
“I was really excited. It helps when someone like that wants you,” Craig said after practice last week. I don’t want to get caught up in this, but I’m happy to be back and I’m having a good season.”
