Chris Kelly is going to need a few months, if not several, to substantively justify the Boston Bruins’ decision to retain his services. With that being said, his first two weeks in the 2014-15 NHL season have served to lay out the expectations.
With an assist on the goal that put Saturday’s 4-0 whitewash of Buffalo out of reach, Kelly has a three-game production streak. His four helpers over the team’s three-game, all-Atlantic Division road trip give him five points through seven ventures on the year.
Naturally, that is not a sustainable 82-game pace for a third-liner. Nevertheless, Kelly is gradually erasing his long-held liability label by forming one of Boston’s bright spots, opposite linemates Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg, early in 2014-15.
That troika need not change anything. The Bruins simply need more consistency from the rest of their strike force, particularly the top six, to avoid burdening their third unit over the long run.
Only a leaky defensive performance and an emotional meltdown in Montreal barred Boston from sweeping its trip. The third line percolated half of the ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Al Daniel
Boston Bruins Forward Chris Kelly Making Strides Toward Redemption
October 19th, 2014 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
Advertisement