20 games into this young season, it's time for our first ever report card! I plan on doing these every 20 games, with the last report card being at the end of the regular season (duh). Remember, these are my dumb thoughts, so feel free to debate, shoot down or agree with something written.

GRADES

Offense:
With Marc Savard out for a good chunk of the first 20 games (actually only played in 8), the offense has struggled. There have been flashes of brilliance (October 3 win over the Hurricanes (7 goals) comes to mind) and there has also been utter embarrassment (shutout by the Rangers, Red Wings and Panthers). On the whole, the offense has been under-performing most expectations. Sure, Marc Savard is a big deal in the offense, but he isn't playing on every line. Guys like Marco Sturm (20GP 4G 5A 9P), Micheal Ryder (20GP 4G 3A 7P) and David Krejci (18GP 2G 6A 8P) haven't been living up to snuff. On the other hand, the Bruins have gotten great support from Patrice Bergeron, (20GP 6G 7A 13P) a guy many counted out before the season even began.

The Bruins currently rank 28th in goals per game with 2.25 with the only Nashville and Carolina behind them.

GRADE: C-

Defense:
The defense will be this team's biggest strength. The defense has had their share of good games and bad games as well, but overall has played fairly well over this stretch of 20 games. On the offensive end, Zdeno Chara and Derek Morris have held their own each tallying 11 points, though Chara probably won't come close to last year's total of 19 goals (currently has 1). Another credit to the defense/goaltending is that the Bruins currently rank 5th in the NHL with 2.45 goals against per game. The only teams better than them in this category are Devils (2.10), Sabres (2.18), Sharks (2.27) and Blackhawks (2.32).

With the good, comes the bad. Dennis Wideman has been a liability this year. In two different games this year, Wideman has fell down skating backwards, one time taking out Mark Stuart which left Glenn Metropolit alone on a breakaway. Wideman has also had communication problems with his goaltenders, which resulted in the game winning overtime goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s been down right terrible.

GRADE: C+

Goaltending:
This is probably the bright spot for this team. Both Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have had solid seasons so far, though you can make an argument that Tim Thomas has regressed from his Vezina winning form. On the year, Thomas is 5-6-3 with 3 shutouts, a GAA of 2.33 and a save percentage of .918. Rookie Tuukka Rask also has a similar stat line with a record of 3-2-1, a GAA of 2.44 and a save percentage .911. Most hockey fans will point out that a win/loss record for a goalie doesn’t mean much and I agree with them. Look at the save percentage and goals against average to accurately judge how a goalie is performing. Last year, Thomas ended the 2008-2009 season with the best GAA amongst goalie with a 2.10 and save percentage with .933. He is not THAT far off from those numbers, but when you think of the performance he had against Pittsburgh in “the Melon”, it’s hard to think that he’ll come back to what we saw.

Tuukka Rask, who will be here for another 2 more seasons and my next jersey purchase, is a rookie who many believe is the heir apparent to the goalie throne. Rask came to Boston from Toronto (thanks!) for Andrew Raycroft and has played pretty well in the limited action he’s seen so far. Look for his workload to increase towards the end of the season as Tim Thomas may see some time with Team USA in the Winter Olympics.

GRADE: B

Penalty Kill:
The Bruins began the season with an abysmal penalty kill, but have since turned it around into something respectable. Yesterday I wrote that the Bruins were 5th in the league with their penalty kill, but after last night’s game with the New York Islanders, they have jumped up to 4th overall, with a success rate of 84.7% when down a man. Guys like Steve Begin and Dan Paille have been the reason why the penalty kill has been so successful and will continue to be the reason. Begins tough, gritty play is a great compliment to Paille’s speed. I don’t see many glaring holes in the penalty kill lately.

GRADE: A-

Power Play:
Holy abysmal mess, Batman! After last night’s game against the Islanders, the Bruins are now 29th in the NHL on the power play with an exciting 12.9%. The 12.9% is an improvement, actually, because a week or two ago, the Bs sat below 10% when up a man. Some will look towards Marc Savard being out as a reason why the power play isn’t doing well (He does lead the team in power play goals with 2), but guys like Michael Ryder, Marco Sturm, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron have been non-existent. This is where Boston will miss Phil Kessel, since he was able to provide a boost on the power play.

GRADE: F

3 STUDS OF THE SEASON (so far)

Patrice Bergeron.
Would anyone actually question this? Bergy has been one of the best players on this team since the beginning of the season. Currently, Bergeron leads the team in points (13), goals (6) and is tied for 3rd in assists with Steve Begin (7). Patrice has also been the most consistent two-way forward on the ice and is nicely recovering from his two depleted, concussion filled seasons.

Shawn Thornton.
Throw your statistics out the window for a minute. Shawn Thornton will never be a premier goal scorer, but he will always give you a 100% effort and the best work ethic on the ice. Thornton is a 4th line grinder who will smash you into the boards, punch your nose off your face and bring much needed energy. Need proof? Last night the Bruins were playing poorly until Thornton threw the gloves down and their play picked up (though it still continued to suck). Thornton has done exactly what people thought, and the team, he would do.

Tuukka Rask.
After last night’s performance, you’re probably shaking your head at this one, but I feel Rask has contributed positively to this team, both in the short term and possibly in the long term. Rask has played well this season (sans the Islanders game last night) and should continue to see a steady workload. There is no doubt in my mind that at the end of the season, Rask will prove that he is the better goaltender.

2 GOATS OF THE SEASON (so far)

Dennis Wideman.
Holy shit Dennis Wideman, you may be the worst skater in the world. Against the Montreal Canadiens, Wideman seemingly tripped over a crack in the ice while skating backwards, wiped out Mark Stuart and left Glenn Metropolit with a breakaway, which he scored on. In the game against Florida (I believe, I could be wrong), Wideman against fell skating backwards, and thus out of position. Jesus F’ing Christ man…LEARN TO SKATE BACKWARDS!

Skating isn’t this guy’s only problem though. Saturday night against the Penguins, Wideman and Thomas mis-communicated, which allowed to the Penguins stuffing home the game winning goal in a completely open net. All Wideman’s fault? No, but you can’t look past it. He’s a big bag of #6 suck.

Marco Sturm.
Everyone was fine with Phil Kessel leaving because Marco Sturm was coming back. Well, it seems like we are still waiting for him to come back as Sturm has been rendered damn near useless on the season. Sturm has 4 goals and 5 assists in 20 games and isn’t playing like a top 6 forward. In fact, he’s barely playing like a top 12 forward. Sturm has looked awful, out of place and is non-existent on the power play. I’m not saying the Bruins need Phil Kessel, but if everyone keeps waiting for Marco Sturm to arrive then you better invest in some good sneakers.