B's Look to Take Down Caps

The Boston Bruins (7-2-0) have been one of the most significant stories of the early 2010-11 season thus far, greatly due to the outstanding play of goaltender Tim Thomas. At 7-0, Thomas has mastered one of the most historical starts the league has ever seen. He's the one everyone's talking about. But in reality, it has been just as solid a team effort as the effort of any one individual.

Contributions from newcomers Nathan Horton (5 goals, 5 assists) and Tyler Seguin (3 goals, 2 assists) have made this team into one of the most complete teams in the league. The past two seasons, they have been stellar defensively -- we all know that. They have two outstanding goaltenders who, in my opinion, could both compete for Vezina Trophies if they were the lone guy. But their problem has always been burying the puck. That's the difference this year. Through their first 9 games, the B's are #2 in the NHL in goals per game. They're getting balanced scoring from all of their lines. In every way, this team looks dangerous. The Caps know that as well as anyone.


Boston took down Washington in back-to-back games earlier this season, shutting down Alex Ovechkin and winning the contests by a combined score of 7-2. That was the moment that Bruins fans really felt the excitement brewing, and things haven't looked back from there. As they look to continue their push toward the top of the East, the black and gold will be faced with the tough task tonight of derailing Ovechkin three times in the span of a month.

I don't know who will start in goal tonight, but the Bruins have continued to ride the hot streak that Tim Thomas has given them. Let's not forget, though, just how good Tuukka Rask is. He got the season opener in Prague and he got a showdown with the New York Rangers, who always give the B's trouble. He hasn't played too poorly in either game, and he hasn't gotten a chance to get into a groove just yet. It's a great problem to have, but we shouldn't forget that Rask is still a phenomenal goaltender who can step in for Thomas at any time. From that standpoint, the B's are probably in the best position of any NHL team.

We'll find out a lot about this team tonight. They're entering a busy stretch of the schedule, and they will start playing some tough competition in short periods of time. Can they endure the gauntlets and assert their dominance? Beating Ovechkin and the Caps three times in just a few weeks is about as dominant as you can be at this juncture of the season. The action starts at 7:00 on NESN.