Bruins
Orlov now has four points in his first seven seasons with the Bruins.
Dmitry Orlov has quickly established himself as an important cog on Boston’s blue line. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Dmitry Orlov seems to be getting along well with his new team in Boston.
The veteran defenseman scored two goals on four Boston shots and was the Bruins’ lone offensive vector in the first period of Tuesday’s road game against the Flames.
In just seven hockey games with the Bruins, Orlov scored two goals and had four points.
The 31-year-old defender’s first goal in the black and gold shirt was beautiful.
After receiving a pass from Hampus Lindholm, Orlov skated through the neutral zone and past the Flames’ side of the ice. As Noah Hanifin moved and made a puck in the slot, Orlov skated down the Class A ice and broke the puck from Dan Vladar to give Boston a 1-0 lead at 4:47.
B’s best win didn’t end with his attack against Vladar. Less than 10 minutes later, Orlov was in the right place at the right time in a face-off in the O zone.
After Patrice Bergeron’s layup, the puck bounced off Jake DeBrusk and flew into no man’s land.
But Orlov was in a good position to uncork the shot from outside the slot. Before Dillon Dube could come through with a sacrifice kill, Orlov’s shot beat Vladar cleanly to double Boston’s lead.
It’s been an impressive start to Orlov’s tenure in Boston, with the puck-moving D-man showing off his skills Monday, taking the lion’s share of one-on-one minutes with Connor McDavid.
In addition to packing some of the Oilers’ big guns in Boston’s 3-2 win over Edmonton, Orlov also recorded a pair of assists on even passing lanes on the frozen sheet.
“I thought he was really good — he was great in the first half,” Jim Montgomery said of Orlov’s performance Monday. “He made some plays that were like, ‘Wow’ in the D-zone and offensive zone.”
Orlov is the first Bruins defenseman to score two goals in one game this season. With about half the game still to go, he still has plenty of time to become the first Group B D-man to score a hat trick since Zdeno Chara on January 17, 2011.
Orlov’s two goals came at a crucial time for his new team. After all, Orlov’s two shots (and goals) accounted for nearly half of his total chances against Vladar in the first period.
Although Boston held a one-goal lead midway through the second period, the Flames were outshot 31-7. If it hadn’t been for Linus Ullmark or Orlov, things could have gone off the rails in no time at Saddledome.
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