The Boston Bruins have faced their first two long weeks of the 2014-15 season. In the past 15 days, they had seven different games, three wins, four losses, and a signing of a new player.
The start of the season has not been exactly what the Bruins team and fans were hoping for. Fans were hoping the team would come out with a vengeance and prove their ability, especially after the upsetting loss to Montreal in the second round of the Eastern Conference during the Stanley Cup. Instead, things are progressing slowly.
In the first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Bruins outshot the Flyers 33 to 20 and prevailed with a 1-0 win. Since then, the Bruins seemed to have trouble finding their rhythm. Their losses against Detroit, Washington, and Colorado were not only hard to watch, but made fans wonder what is happening to the Bruins team they once knew.
The Bruins were not playing terribly, the other teams were just playing better. The opponents seem to know where each player likes the puck and how to take advantage of the other teams mistakes while the Bruins seem to still be figuring that out.
The Bruins have to reevaluate this because of the new players, but this is not a good excuse for the returning veterans. It is their time to take a stand and show the rookies how to dominate these other teams. The tough and destructive players were not playing to the best of their ability and had everyone asking when a turnaround would happen.
The Bruins signed a new player a week into the season. On Oct. 14, the Bruins signed Simon Gagne to a one year, $600,000 contract. Gagne is not an ordinary player as he has played 13 seasons for the NHL and has a total of 288 goals, 309 assists, 597 points, and a career plus-129 rating in 799 games.
He has most recently played with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012-13 seasons and made his last three trips to the playoffs with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, where they won the Stanley Cup, Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011, and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010.
Gagne decided to take a year off and when he decided he wanted to come back, he talked to Patrice Bergeron. He was hoping to get a tryout, but instead he was offered a contract.
The night after the Gagne signing, the Bruins had another game against Detroit. Would they be able to beat them this time? This question was answered in a shootout where the Bruins won 3-2.
The Bruins game against Detroit was their best game of the season so far. Yes, there has not been that many games, but they seem to be figuring out what works best for them. And with the signing of a returning player and the team beginning to mesh well with one another, the Bruins are going to be as indestructible as ever.
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