Kuraly learning on the fly
Bruins forward focuses on details
Before the season, the Bruins were hopeful Sean Kuraly would take a big leap. In the first 25 games of the season, the 25-year-old produced just a single goal and three assists. In the preseason, they were hoping he might seize the third line center spot after he notched 14 points in 75 games a season ago. He was hurt in preseason, but ended up in that slot when no one else earned it. Since then, Kuraly has been alternated between linemates — as all the forwards have — and found himself as a healthy scratch in Toronto. It served as a wakeup call of getting back to playing the way he knows he can. “I think it’s just about doing everything a little bit better,” he said. “Knowing that if I play my game and make some mistakes, there’s going to be more good than bad and making sure I really get back to the root of what I do well.” After playing his collegiate career at Miami (Ohio), Kuraly earned his first shot at regular playing time last season. Heading into this year, the assumption was he would take a leap. Like many of the other young Bruins, he hasn’t gotten going in his sophomore season in the NHL. While it’s disappointing to not be producing, he knows there’s other things he can do. “I’d lie if I said you don’t think about it, you do,” said Kuraly. “You see your team winning or losing and all you want to do is help, and the most clear way to help is score. It’s my goal before games to score, but at the same time I know there’s other things I do well, and usually when I do those things that I take care of with other responsibilities, it usually comes.” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy isn’t looking for Kuraly to become a doubledigit scorer, but more focused on the details of his game that some of the other young players are yet to develop. “He’s had his good moments, he’s had moments where he needs to be better as well,” said Cassidy. “It’s a work in progress. He’s still relatively new to the league. We’d like to see him be rock solid defensively, that’s first and foremost, because that was kind of his role last year, that’s how he got those extra minutes and the offense came with it.” After Kuraly was scratched in Toronto, he played 15:58 against the Islanders, his most time on ice since the third game of the season against Ottawa. His seven faceoff wins and five hits tied his season highs as he had a presence more than in any other game this season. Some of that might be attributed to finally having consistent linemates for a stretch for the first time this season with David Backes and Chris Wagner. “It’s a challenge, but we’ve had some consistency with Backes and Wagner,” he said. “That’s nice to have and know where guys are going to be. I’ve been with Backes for a while, and he’s a really vocal guy and talks throughout the game. We talk about plays after each play happens, learning a lot from him.” The Bruins roster is littered with players who were expected to make a leap in their second full seasons, and almost all of them have fallen short a third of the way through the season. Kuraly has found the details area of his game to get consistent ice time, but he’s still finding his way as well. “I’m learning, I think you relearn it all every year,” said Kuraly. “The second you think you’ve learned it all, the game seems to tell you you haven’t. It’s never going to be a spot where you’ve learned it all, but I’m learning that if I play my game I can be successful.”
Sabres streaking
When the Bruins were looking at teams that might pose a challenge in the Atlantic Division this season, the Buffalo Sabres were likely not high on that list. Behind a 10-game win streak, the Sabres have catapulted to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Ahead of Toronto and Tampa Bay — and the Bruins — Buffalo is in the conversation for a top seed in the division after Thanksgiving, known as the mark in the season you want to be in a secure playoff position. Nine of the Sabres’ 10 wins were decided by a one-goal margin, and seven of them came in overtime to earn Buffalo 20 points from November 8-27.
Young gun
Patrick Laine had himself quite a week. The Jets forward eclipsed the 100-goal mark and became the league’s highest-scoring player since he made his debut in the 2016-17 season. He’s the fourth-youngest player in league history to reach 100 tallies. Laine’s journey to the century mark was aided by a five-goal performance against the Blues earlier in the week, when he became the 11th player in NHL history to have 18 goals in a calendar month thanks to that performance.