Bruins are back

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Sara Swabowicz

The Bruins playing the Winnipeg Jets last season

Sara Swabowicz, Co-Editor in Chief

The Bruins are off to an action-packed start this season. After opening on October 3, 2013 with a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2013 Eastern Conference Champions started their season with a bang.

Although the team lost many players over the summer including Tyler Seguin, Andrew Ference and Nathan Horton, the team is holding up just fine without them. Even though the infamous HuLK line consisting of Horton, Lucic, and David Krejci has crumbled due to the loss of Horton, the line has quickly reshaped itself to be just as threatening with the addition of former Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins player, Jarome Iginla. So far this season, this new first line has tallied a total of three goals and seven assists in the first five games of the season.

Over the summer, Loui Eriksson was also signed on to the Bruins roster. Eriksson has shown promising talent thus far this season, tallying two goals and contributing to many other vital plays on the ice. Reilly Smith is another new addition to the Bruins roster, that has also shown potential on the ice. Smith has gotten three assists at this early point in the season.

Returning players such as Krejci, Lucic, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara have also demonstrated tremendous talent just as they have in prior seasons. By having such a strong core team, the Bruins have been consistently playing at a high level that will carry them on through the playoffs assuming the 2014 Sochi Olympics or various injuries don’t get in the way. Additionally, goalie Tuukka Rask has done an outstanding job in goal, and he is currently ranked as the sixth best goalie in the NHL with a save percentage of .951.

So far this season, the team stands at 3-2, which currently has the team ranked at fifth in the Eastern Conference out of sixteen teams. To date, the Bruins have played the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Detroit Red Wings. They have won against the Lightning (3-1), Red Wings (4-1), and Blue Jackets (3-1). Loses including a 2-0 defeat to the Avalanche and a nail-biting 3-2 loss to the Red Wings.

Tune in to NESN, this Thursday, October 17 at 7:30pm to watch the Bruins take on the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center.