Big surprise, no surprise: Bruins still the standard for Maple Leafs to beat

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BOSTON — It wasn’t supposed to begin this way.

The Boston Bruins were finally supposed to take a step back from their comfy perch atop the Atlantic Division leaderboard. They were supposed to give points back to the pack, spread the wealth.

How could they not?

They lost Patrice Bergeron — their No. 1 centreman, Hall of Fame–bound captain, all-time Selke champ, and dressing room conscience — to retirement.

David Krejci, a sturdy No. 2 pivot, followed suit.

Surely, in a league that emphasizes strength and skill up the middle of the ice, rolling out a centre quartet of (checks notes) teenager Matthew Poitras, 31-year-old Charlie Coyle, unqualified-by-Seattle Morgan Geekie, and undrafted journeyman Patrick Brown can’t cut it, right? Right?!

Well, not only have the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners picked right up where they left off, regular seasonally speaking, but the Bruins’ jump to 8-0-1 gives them the most regular-season victories over any 100-game span in NHL history (79).

New faces, new year, same ol’ juggernaut.

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“We’re trying to build something completely new. We have a much different group, a lot of new guys, and we’re trying to build something completely different than last year,” new captain Brad Marchand insisted after the group’s latest W, a gritty, four-defenceman overtime effort against rival Florida.

“There’s a culture here that we have. Guys come in and buy in right away. You’ve got to give the management a ton of credit. When they bring guys in, they make sure they’re guys who will buy into the culture.”

That culture — set by Zdeno Chara and passed down through Bergeron to Marchand to the next wave led by Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak — prioritizes players who won’t cause drama in the dressing room and who vow to adhere to a diligent work ethic. No slacking allowed.

“It’s a non-negotiable,” Marchand states.

Consider: Valued top-six forward Jake DeBrusk showed up late for a team meeting and was promptly scratched the following game. Accountability.

If that will-before-skill ethos strikes a nerve with some members of Leafs Nation, well, it’s probably because they tuned in to Toronto’s frighteningly lifeless Halloween loss at home to the L.A. Kings.

“They’re off to a similar start to last year. It’s a good challenge for us,” Auston Matthews told reporters in Toronto before hopping on a flight to Beantown.

“I don’t think we’ve played nearly our best hockey so far.”

Agreed.

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The thing is, Toronto fans felt much more bullish about their GM’s spendy off-season than Bruins fans did theirs, after watching a good winger like Taylor Hall get dumped to Chicago for salary-cap reasons.

This was to be the winter the Maple Leafs finally outduelled aging powers like Boston and Tampa for the Atlantic crown and an easier first-round wild-card opponent.

Yet here we are, nine games deep, and the inconsistent Leafs (5-3-1) are already 13 goals, six points, and three teams back of Boston.

“Their defence is intact. Their goaltending has been the best in the league. So right away that gives you a chance to win every single night,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Great culture and great leadership. They haven’t missed a beat for those reasons. In some ways it’s surprising, but I don’t think we should be surprised.”

An important caveat: The Bruins’ October schedule was incredibly kind. Only two of Boston’s nine games have come against 2023 playoff teams, while the Leafs have already had five matches against such opponents.

Still, you can only eat what’s on the plate, and the Bruins have thus far devoured their competition.

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Only the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights have more points or a better goal differential than the Bruins’ plus-15, and that’s because Vegas has played an extra game.

Boston sits tops in the Eastern Conference with a silly .944 points percentage and first overall in goals against per game (1.56). It also tops all 32 clubs with the most effective penalty kill (97.3 per cent) and is operating with the NHL’s best save percentage (.947).

The reigning William Jennings Trophy winners — Vezina champ Linus Ullmark and big hugger Jeremy Swayman — are happy to share the net. And although the numbers may suggest they are sharing it in the same game, they are not.

“Our goaltending is why we’re 8-0-1,” coach Jim Montgomery says.

Attitude has something to do with it, too.

Whereas the Maple Leafs entered their first rematch against their eliminators, the Panthers, downplaying revenge and focusing only on the present, Boston carried a chip on its collective shoulder into its first Florida face-off.

“It’s not one of 82. No. They ended our season. They went all the way to the finals. Our summers were miserable until the finals were over, and it’s because they beat us,” game-winning goal scorer Pavel Zacha said. “So… yeah, this means more.”

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Now, before we give the Bruins too much respect here, the Maple Leafs have every reason to get up for Thursday’s trip to TD Garden — where they typically do bring their A-game. There is pressure to respond fiercely from Tuesday’s flat effort, for which they got booed off the ice following the second period.

Further, Montgomery is scrambling for defencemen this week.

Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) has been sidelined multiple weeks due to an upper-body injury suffered against the Panthers on Monday.

And McAvoy has been suspended four games for his reckless headshot on Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

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If Thursday dishes Boston its first major bout with injury adversity, it also marks a significant start for 1C rookie Poitras, who will dress in a 10th game and burn a year off his entry-level deal.

The reason is simple.

“His play. He earned it. I think we’re comfortable with him,” Montgomery says. “For the time being, he’s going to be a Bruin, and he’s helping us win hockey games.”

Every time the coaching staff wondered if they were giving the 19-year-old too much, be it ice time or matchups, Poitras responded with his feet, his smarts, and his stick.

“Oh, he belongs, huh?” Montgomery says. “He just belongs.”

Yep, so far, he belongs, much like the Bruins in the penthouse of the East.

“They’re a great team. They’ve had a great start. It’s a tough building to play in. But it’s kinda awesome,” Morgan Rielly said.

“This time of year, you want those challenges. You want those close games. You want to be competitive. You want to play against the best players, best teams. So, we got a chance to do that on Thursday.”

One-Timers: Jake McCabe (groin) did not travel with the club to Boston and is unlikely to play Saturday versus Buffalo…. Conor Timmins (lower body) is skating again but is not close to a return…. With Grzelcyk placed on long-term injured reserve, Jakub Lauko to IR, and McAvoy suspended, the Bruins recalled a trio of AHL defencemen: Mason Lohrei, Ian Mitchell, and Parker Wotherspoon…. Auston Matthews landed an endorsement deal with Prime. “I’ve always tried to pick and choose and be comfortable with the product, the company,” Matthews told reporters. “It was nice to have something like this come along, and it seems like a cool opportunity, so I’m excited about it.”

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