With the season roughly 20% in the bag and the Boston Bruins winning seven of nine, we take a look at who’s staying hot, who’s heating up, and who needs a heater

The B’s have been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late. They’ve won three in a row, seven of nine, and are playing their best hockey of the season. As they have all season, Boston has been leaning on the stellar play of Tuukka Rask. Rask leads the league in GAA, wins, shutouts, and is tied for third in save percentage. With his team 10-1 while he’s between the pipes and winless without him, Rask has been arguably the league MVP up to this point. While “Tuukk”continues to impress, his teammates in front of him have picked up their play as of late.

Key players have either continued to excel or have started to find a groove. Boston’s third line has come alive, contributing to the score sheet while minimizing chances against. And though Patrice Bergeron continues to struggle shaking off injury, Jimmy Hayes continues to struggle versus invisible forces, and Colin Miller struggles to take the next step in his development, this Boston team is certainly trending in the right direction. Without further ado…

HOT

Tuukka Rask

Max Domi (16) during the second period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The guy has been sensational dating back to the World Cup. Rask has continued his MVP level of play over his last five starts, going 4-1. Even after taking into account the five goals he surrendered versus the Rangers, Rask still sports a 1.60 GAA to go along with a .936 save percentage over that span. Two shutouts over those five games push his season-long total to three; he posted just four shutouts all of last season. If Rask can continue to play even close to this level Boston could very well be the league’s most surprising team come Spring.

Trade who? Trade YOU.

Robin Lehner (40) during the third period at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

“Pasta,” was a fairly trendy preseason pick for a breakout campaign. Yours truly was firmly entrenched in that camp (I have proof). However, I didn’t foresee the 20 year old having such a profound impact so quickly. Pastrnak’s 10 goals through 14 games (and 6 through his last 8) have quieted the concerns of many regarding Boston’s firepower. His speed, creativity, and finishing ability have proven to be a perfect compliment to Bergeron and Marchand’s cycle game. Moreover, his three points on the power play over the last five games have helped jumpstart Boston’s stagnant unit. With Boston losing Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin, Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith over the past few seasons, Pasta’s emergence at RW could not have come at a more perfect time for the Boston Bruins.

Speaking of “perfect timing,” David Krejci’s return to form has jumpstarted the team. His six points (2G,4A) over the past five games lead the team at a time when Bergeron’s struggles continue. Boston is once again deep throughout its Top 6, and the ripple effect is being felt throughout the lineup.

Spooner’s success of late goes hand in hand with Krejci’s. Appearing to be settling in at LW, the Krejci-Spooner-Backes line is starting to find its way. Spooner has five points (2G,3A) over his last seven games after notching just two points over his first eight. Arguably the most encouraging part of this is how and when Spooner has produced: Three of Spooner’s aforementioned five points have come at five-on-five. Spooner has spent most of his time in Boston collecting the majority of his points from the half-wall with the man advantage. This recent point breakdown shows us that not only is he helping to turn around Boston’s dormant power play (two points), but he’s finding ways to crack the scoresheet at even strength as well (three points).

After a dreadful start to the campaign, Torey Krug appears to finally be rounding into form. Pointless through his first nine games, Krug has racked up four points (1G,3A) over his last seven contests. As important as the points have been, his play in transition and defensively have been equally important. Krug is a plus-one over that span after being a minus-five up to that point. He and Adam McQuaid have formed a serviceable (if unspectacular) second pairing behind Chara and Carlo, and have at least momentarily quelled Boston’s need to acquire defensive help.

Boston’s Third Line

Boston’s third line was an unmitigated disaster through the season’s first ten games. They’d scored zero goals. Two of the line’s three players sported a minus-seven. There were literally zero positives, and a whooooooole lot of negatives. Following David Backes‘ return to the lineup, the Nash-Hayes-Beleskey line was broken up, and the results thus far have been very encouraging.

Substituting the speedy and creative Austin Czarnik for Jimmy Hayes has breathed new life into the line. In the six games they’ve played together, all three have posted three points (all with 1G,2A). Nash and Beleskey each recorded their first goals (and points) on the season, and are both a plus-three. Beleskey has a noticeable jump in his step, and exhibited some tenacity in dropping the gloves with Buffalo’s Alex Grant following Grant’s cross-check on Brad Marchand. Should Boston have any designs of truly competing this year, the team’s third line needs to continue factoring into positive outcomes. Lately, they’ve done just that.

NOT

JIMMY HAYES

Derek MacKenzie (17) and Boston Bruins right wing Jimmy Hayes (11) engage in a fight during the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Honestly, I would love to be able to someday soon write good things about Jimmy Hayes. The pig-pile has escalated to epic proportions, and one can’t help but feel bad for Hayes. His pointless streak has now hit 30 games dating back to last season. He’s failed to crack ten minutes of time time in three of his last six contests. He lost a fight to Derek Mackenzie, who’s seven inches and 40 pounds smaller than Hayes. Mackenzie isn’t exactly Stan Jonathan either. With Danton Heinen lighting up the AHL and Frank Vatrano on the mend, one can’t help but wonder when Jimmy Hayes will run out of opportunities to salvage employment in his hometown.

Patrice Bergeron

Phillip Danault (24) during the second period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

I know, I can’t believe I’m writing this either. After encouraging efforts versus Tampa Bay and the Rangers, Bergie is pointless over his last five contests. This is now the second five-game scoring drought that Bergeron has endured through 13 contests. I struggled putting Bergeron on this list because of the tremendous success his linemates have maintained to this point. It’s not as though Boston’s top line has been a two man show either; once again, Bergie has done the little things on a nightly basis that lead to notches in the win column.

However, if you’d told me back in July that at this point of the season Bergeron would have four points and multiple games missed because of injury I would’ve feared the worst regarding Boston’s spot in the standings. The Boston Bruins’ longtime alternate captain is clearly still struggling to shake off an injury; hopefully he can mend on the fly ASAP.

Colin Miller

Jakob Chychrun (6) defends during the first period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Colin Miller has just one point in his last 11 contests, although that number doubles if you count his five-hole tally on Tuukka Rask versus Columbus. Most recently, “Chiller” was a healthy scratch versus Colorado, ceding his spot to Joe Morrow. Pegged by many to play Top 4 minutes this season, Miller has fallen short of those expectations. Playing with JM Liles on the team’s bottom pairing, Miller has failed to assert himself versus lesser competition. With just two points and a minus-6 through 15 games, Miller’s game has not evolved as quickly as hoped. Still, Colin Miller is just 24 years old. He’s signed to a reasonable two year contract. But with the other Miller (Kevan) back on the practice ice, time is beginning to run thin for Colin as far as this season is concerned.

More mediocre performances could very well lead to extended time in the press box once “Killer” comes back to full strength. For any and all who would consider this move blasphemous, or more proof that “Claude hates young players,” consider this: With a new four year contract that pays him $2.5 million per season, Boston needs to give Kevan Miller ice time AT LEAST for the sake of showcasing him around the league. If Colin’s play doesn’t pick up, it will be his ice time that Kevan seizes.

BONUS

Two goals and six points through 17 games aren’t terrible numbers for a defenseman. Being a minus-9 is excusable when you play for a bad team. Plus, the plus/minus statistic is overrated and blah blah blah. What IS bad, however, is appearing on the trade block less than 18 months after strong-arming your way out of the organization that drafted you. And after reportedly demanding $7 million per season right after your ELC expires. And signing a contract for pretty much exactly the same amount your old team offered you.

This is not to say that Boston is better off without Hamilton. Or that Dougie had no right to want out of Boston. And yes, Calgary is looking to shake things up following a surprisingly bad start to their season. But with Dougie right back in the rumor mill, and with Zachary Senyshyn, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, and Jeremy Lauzon all playing so well for their respective Juniors/College teams, perhaps Don Sweeney and the Bruins weren’t fleeced quite so badly in the trade. We won’t know for certain until several more years have transpired. But with the future looking so bright for Boston’s three selections obtained for the slumping Hamilton, perhaps Trader Don deserves just a touch of slack from the Boston faithful.