Bruins Enter Holiday Break On High Note

BOSTON – Welcome to the NHL’s holiday break.

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For the players, it’s the most wonderful time of the season when they can rest, recover and indulge for three days before the league returns to action Friday. The Boston Bruins finished with an important, confidence-building 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals Monday at TD Garden. After a ho-hum two periods by both teams, the Bruins responded in the third period as Elias Lindholm provided the game-winning goal at 13:41, Charlie Coyle added an insurance goal at 15:58, while Brad Marchand put in an empty-netter en route to a victory against one of the strongest teams in the league.

“There was some adversity we faced, and it says a lot about the team tonight, their effort and their determination,” said Bruins coach Joe Sacco. “It was a low-event game until the third period, not a lot going on . . . and the third period got a lot more eventful, so a credit to our guys the way they dug in.”

The win comes at a good time for the Bruins.

“Feels good,” Coyle said. “When you go into a little break like this you’re going to enjoy the holidays because you get to reset no matter what, but to go in with a winning feeling, and feeling pretty good about your game and where it’s trending is a nice feeling. The conversations when you see your whole family at Christmas dinner, or brunch, is all good stuff rather than ‘what are you guys doing? You guys need to pick it up.’ Getting good results the last little bit feels good going into (break) and it excites you to get back after it.”

There have been too many questions than answers this season. No doubt the Bruins have been better since the coaching change Nov. 21 with a 11-4-1 in 16 games under Joe Sacco.

“It’s trending in the right direction,” Sacco said. “There’s been a commitment from our players. There’s been a buy-in. There’s a process we go through every game and they’re checking most of the boxes. It’s not perfect every night, and we know that. There are games when you’re not at your best, but we’ve shown lately when we’re not at our best we still find ways to win. I like the mindset of the group.”

Boston’s always solid team culture and chemistry has been a bit off balance this season. Even Bruins legend and past captain Patrice Bergeron recently admitted it takes a little bit of time for a team with so many new pieces to come together and find its identity.

“As a team, we’re starting to see it more and more,” said Coyle. “It’s good to see, especially new guys because sometimes it’s a hard situation moving to a new place, they’ve all got families and it’s a big change. I’m sure they’re feeling more comfortable as it goes on . . . our team game is starting to turn and you’re seeing it more consistently.”

Swayman has been better of late and no doubt more consistent than he was to start the season. He’s 6-1-1 in his last eight starts, and even though he faced only 11 shots against the Capitals, he made the most of those saves. Afterwards, he admitted he’s also looking forward to this break.

“We want to stay in the moment and understand these next three days are really important for our bodies to recover after a pretty rigorous schedule,” he said.

Even though the Bruins are feeling good about their game at the moment, there are areas that general manager Don Sweeney needs to address in the second half.

Overall, the Bruins need to be faster team to play against. They’re not as strong down the middle as they’ve been in the past, which is one reason the team was always a perennial Stanley cup contender. Believe it or not, Boston misses Jake DeBrusk streaky offensive output, along with his chemistry, both on and off the ice, with his former teammates. At some point soon it’ll be time to give Matthew Poitras another look in Boston. The 20-year-old forward has been lighting it up for the Providence Bruins. He’s been on an offensive tear as he continues to hone his skills in the AHL.

Improved special teams needs to be a main focus during the second half of the season. The team’s second unit has been solid the last few weeks, but that needs to continue.

No doubt Sweeney & Co. will attempt to do all it can prior to the March 7 trade deadline to make the Bruins a playoff contender. Sweeney has made important moves in the past – some worked while others did not – but he’s not shy to pull the trigger.

It’ll also be a sprint until the NHL pauses its season again for the 4 Nations Face Off Feb. 10-21. Of course, the league’s best players will be amped up for the best-on-best tournament, including the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy (USA), Brad Marchand (Canada), Lindholm (Sweden) and Swayman (USA).

For now, the Bruins, and the rest of the NHL, will enjoy a much-needed breather due to the CBA-mandated holiday break.

“There’s a good feeling in the room right now because the way we’re playing, but it’s good to go into the break the way we did tonight, getting on the right side of that feeling,” said Sacco.