Talking Points: Selke Third Line Sets Table For Bergeron, Boston Bruins

After a 1-1-1 start, the Boston Bruins have now won four straight games.

Patrice Bergeron scored two goals and Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly each chipped in with a goal apiece as the Bruins completed a two-game sweep of the suddenly fragile Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-1 win.

Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Anders Bjork, Matt Grzelcyk, and Charlie McAvoy all had an assist each.

Between the pipes, Jaro Halak allowed just a Cody Ceci goal 15:03 into the first and was perfect after that finishing the game with 16 saves.

Here’s your BHN Talking Points:

GOLD STAR: The makeshift third line of Anders Bjork – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner was Selke good in this game. Ironically their tenacious and suffocating play led to a goal for four-time Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron, who put the Boston Bruins up 3-1 at 8:13 of the second period. Their shift before Bergeron hopped over the boards set the table for Bergeron’s fourth goal of the season. Both Kuraly and Wagner lit the lamp for the Bruins and Bjork played easily his best game of the season. He got an assist on the Kuraly goal at 18:53 of the first period and finished a plus 2 with 1 shot and one hit in 15:21 TOI. 

BLACK EYE: Sidney Crosby is leaving town looking like a raccoon because he got two straight shiners from BHN this week. Crosby played frustrated from the start and midway through the game was taking two-handers at Boston Bruins players. Crosby finished with no points and three shots and was a minus -2 in 19:21 TOI. The rest of the team was pretty much lethargic after this. …

TURNING POINT: The Bergeron goal at 8:13 seemed to really deflate the Penguins because as mentioned above, it was a complete team effort with one line setting up the next. The Penguins couldn’t seem to find that teamwork or chemistry at all. 

HONORABLE MENTION: Some may call me crazy that Patrice Bergeron, with two goals, did not get the Gold Star and just the honorable mention! I get it and honestly, it really was a tie between him and the third line for the Gold Star but seriously, I think Bergeron himself would agree that that third line tonight set the table for this win and really planted the seeds in the collective mind of a clearly fragile Penguins squad right now. That being said, Bergeron was as always, as close to perfect as you get!

BY THE NUMBERS: 12:31 The TOI for Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk before he got injured again and had to leave the game. The team listed it as a lower-body injury but head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed it was not the one that forced him to miss the game Tuesday and has been nagging him since possibly Jan. 18 against the New York Islanders. Grzelcyk did chip in with an assist on Bergeron’s first goal. His status could be in doubt for the Bruins’ first game against Zdeno Chara and the Washington Capitals on Saturday. 

QUOTE TO NOTE: “They’re all popular guys in this dressing room and the guys really do appreciate it when they get it going. Especially a guy like ‘Marchy’ (Brad Marchand) because he started like that so he really appreciates it.” — Head Coach Bruce Cassidy on the play of the Bjork-Kuraly-Wagner line.