Surprising unit provides one of few positives early in season for Bruins

Oct 21, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Chris VandeVelde (76) tries to get past Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) during the second period of the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 overtime win over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

David Krejci is one of the key performers on an impressive Bruins power-play unit. Winslow Townson Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins' power play has long been a sore spot for the team. When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, they did so partly in spite of a power play which was largely fruitless throughout the playoffs.

But this season, while the team is off to a slow start, it is the power play which is shining bright for the Bruins. In fact, Boston's power play is the best in the NHL, operating at an impressive 38.1 percent through six games. Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron leads the league in power-play goals, as all four of his tallies this season have come on the man-advantage.

The team's top power-play unit of Bergeron, David Krejci, Torey Krug, Loui Eriksson and Ryan Spooner is largely responsible for all of the power-play success, but they credited the team's performance on the man-advantage to Bruins' assistant coach Joe Sacco.

"Joe [Sacco's] been great for us, letting us know what's going to be available against certain teams," Krug told the Bruins' website. "And the great thing about our power play is we have a lot of great thinkers and guys that think the game well and we're all contributing -- and sometimes one guy sees something that another guy can't see.

"So it's about just communicating and I think we all talk a lot -- Bergy's great at that obviously, being one of our leaders -- and so it's just nice to have a lot of guys that communicate well and can see a lot of things."

The Bruins probably won't keep up the 38.1 percent success rate over the season -- the Washington Capitals boasted the league's best power play last season with a 25.3 percent success rate -- but as long as the Bruins continue to be at the top of the rankings on the man-advantage, the team will likely be very pleased.

(h/t Boston Bruins)

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