I'll be honest, I'm running out of superlatives to describe the 2011-12 edition of the Boston Bruins. Last night, they beat down the New Jersey Devils 6-1 on the road, and 24 hours later played host to the Calgary Flames, a team that they barely ever see.
24-hour break? Unfamiliar team? No problem, as the B's absolutely steamrolled the Flames (18-19-5) 9-0 before a packed TD Garden.
It was Boston's ninth win in its last ten games, continuing an insane run of 22-3-1 that has stretched from 2011 now into 2012. Also, counting last night's game, the B's have rattled off 15 straight goals. In two games, on back-to-back nights.
Tuukka Rask stopped all 25 shots for yet another shutout (his 3rd in 4 games), Selke Smooth Bergeron and Nathan Horton each had two goals for the Bruins, who ran their overall record to 26-10-1.
Boston's 53 points is good for second in the Eastern Conference, only behind the New York Rangers' 54 points.
Leading the way for the Bruins on offense was Bergeron, who has scored four goals in two games and Tyler Seguin, who was a plus 3 and had a goal and two assists one night after not registering a shot against the Devils. Even Benoit Pouliot managed to notch a career-high three assists as he was bumped up to the second line due to Brad Marchand's illness (flu). It was that kind of night.
Horton and the first line continued their dominant play as of late, as tonight's beatdown saw Horton score his 11th and 12th goal of the season. Milan Lucic (14th of the year) scored on a fluky deflection off of Jokinen's skates early in the first and David Krejci (9th of the season) extended his point streak to seven games on his sweet power-play goal thanks to a crisp cross-ice pass from Rich Peverley in the first period.
Chris Kelly (13th of the year) and Daniel Paille (7th of the year) rounded out the scoring for the best team in hockey.
Rask was solid between the pipes, making 25 saves and preserving his spot atop the league leaders in goals against average and save percentage (1.49 and .949 respectively).
With the B's running up scores like the 2007 Patriots, it is becoming increasingly difficult to critique their game. Literally every aspect of it is top notch, from their depth to their defense, from goaltending to special teams. It truly is a special time to be Bruins fan.
Up next on the menu is a date with the Vancouver Canucks, you know, that team that the Bruins defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals last year? It could have been easy to overlook the Flames tonight with the Canucks on the horizon but the Bruins did what they do best and took it one game at a time. In what should be the most emotional and entertaining game of the young season, the Bruins will look to prove once again why they are the best team in the NHL on Saturday afternoon in Boston.
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