Will Bruins Defenseman Dougie Hamilton Keep Up His All-Around Hot Streak?

Dougie Hamilton has escalating challenges ahead of him as the Boston Bruins stride into the thick of November. Or, to put it a little more bluntly, he has some learning experiences on tap.

Or, to ditch the euphemisms, some rough outings lie ahead for the third-year NHL defenseman.

Make no mistake, the presumptive future anchor of Boston’s blue-line brigade has passed plenty of tests early in Zdeno Chara’s protracted injury stint. He has performed in each zone while tackling bigger minutes and bigger matchups than anyone likely planned.

Following Thursday’s 5-2 victory over Edmonton, fellow first-unit defenseman Dennis Seidenberg spoke to Hamilton’s promising start. But he also injected a cautionary clause.

As quoted by csnne.com beat writer Joe Haggerty, Seidenberg said:

"

He’s logged a lot of ice. He’s responded. He’s scoring goals. He’s playing really well offensively and playing solid defensively. It’s been a lot of fun playing with him, and I think we’re doing a decent job. There’s still a lot to improve on, but he’s doing fine and I think he’s enjoying himself.

"

The “a lot to improve on” aspect of those remarks is nothing to overlook. Unless Hamilton can swiftly smooth out those areas, there are bound to be times when audiences see them in upcoming games.

The Bruins have not faced much of the league’s top echelon for the last six games. That will change as early as this Thursday, when they engage their time-honored rivals in Montreal.

Other highlights in the near future include a visit from the St. Louis Blues a week from Tuesday, another clash with the Canadiens at home Nov. 22 and an encounter with the Penguins two nights later.

Not all, but one or two of those four contests will cool Hamilton's hot hand. There is only so much the 21-year-old's newfound energy and self-assurance can do for him against a steady stream of first-class competition.

There is no question that Hamilton's past shifts alongside Chara left an impression that he has since put to practical use as the towering leader's stand-in. That is what has made him an effective two-way presence through the first two weeks of the current arrangement.

But the longer that arrangement goes, the closer Hamilton gets to a speed bump.

When he partnered with Chara, Hamilton supplemented the multi-zone prowess on the top unit. As long as he is working with Seidenberg, who is a stay-at-home specialist, he is practically the blue line's lone pilot on offense.

Those circumstances will not be letting up soon. The latest update on Chara’s status all but confirms that the captain will not be available for any of those engagements.

Out of action since sustaining a knee injury Oct. 23, Chara will need at least four to six weeks to heal. In his press address past Tuesday, he stated that “There is not a timeline."

Even if he could suit up by the Nov. 22 meeting with Montreal, which would mean hitting the minimum prognosis, his game would not be intact. This leaves Hamilton to keep teaming up with Seidenberg to neutralize the top opposing strikers for at least the balance of this month.

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Top-tier duty against the Habs will not be an entirely new experience for Hamilton. He did team up with Chara during last year’s second-round playoff series and played as many as 23 minutes in a Dec. 5, 2013 matchup.

However, as already hinted, pairing with Seidenberg for those games will entail elevated expectations.

Add the fact that both Montreal games this month happen to be the second half of Boston’s next two back-to-back sets. The Bruins will visit Toronto this Wednesday and precede next Saturday’s home date with a Friday excursion to Columbus.

Hamilton may have enough physical and mental stamina to thrive in those situations. But simply put, he needs to prove it, and facing a fresher-legged adversary in an ever-emotional engagement is the topmost test of that stamina.

In between, next Tuesday presents another one of the better forces from the Western Conference.

For what it’s worth, Hamilton’s sweatiest outing yet was an Oct. 28 loss to Minnesota. He played a career-high 28 minutes and 32 seconds, but finished the night with a minus-one rating in the 4-3 decision.

Three weeks to the day of that game, the 9-3-1 Blues can pose a measuring pole as to Hamilton’s progress. For that game, he may assume the task of helping to curb one of the NHL’s hottest young strikers.

In the last week alone, 22-year-old Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko has issued multiple testaments to his maneuverability and conviction with the puck. Barring drastic changes in either party’s fortunes, his shifts against the likes of Hamilton should make for a must-see battle of bulky, burgeoning aptitude.

Hamilton may also join Seidenberg against more seasoned and sizeable Blues along the lines of David Backes and/or Alexander Steen. It will simply be a question of which line he opposes on the majority of his shifts.

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Regardless, Hamilton will variously need to outhustle and outmuscle a battle-tested strike force to protect his own zone and carry out an effective transition game.

There is less question as to whom he will have to deal with when the Penguins drop in.

As with the Blues, and virtually every opponent, Boston’s top unit will likely play every shift against Pittsburgh’s starting troika and add a few minutes against the second line. Therefore, if and when it’s not Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz, it will be Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis.

This is to say nothing of the concoctions Hamilton is bound to help the Bruins confront on the penalty kill. Unless he is the one in the box, which is a stark potentiality for a young blueliner facing Art Ross-caliber veterans.

Again, the matchups between the units will not be wholly foreign to Hamilton. He has shown, albeit in spurts, that he can buckle down against Pittsburgh’s otherworldly talent.

Consider this in-game post from the Bruins’ official Twitter feed during an Oct. 30, 2013 game: “Dougie Hamilton with an active stick, cancels out Evgeni Malkin breaking up left side. Rask makes saves in close, Seids helps clear.”

But by Nov. 24 of this season, Hamilton’s test becomes a question of elongating that efficiency to a top-tier caliber for a full 60-minute grind. The Habs, Blues and Pens alike will all pose an upgraded challenge over a still sorting-out Oilers team that was missing Taylor Hall due to an injury.

With those bigwigs, Hamilton should expect to spend more time in his own zone. The talent and tenacity of the upcoming adversaries will complicate his transition game more than most of the recent opponents.

That, in turn, will decelerate his scoring rate for a time. That will be the case even if he can consistently stifle the opposition on the scoreboard.

This is not to belittle Hamilton’s one-goal, two-assist extravaganza this past Thursday. Ditto his identical offensive output in the Bruins’ first Chara-less game, a 4-1 triumph in Toronto on Oct. 25.

To date, he has done his part in his day job to ensure winning causes in games Boston should logically win. He has complemented that by sniffing out and stuffing seams at the other end.

In turn, he has emitted glimpses of his long-term outlook. There will come a year when he flexes that all-around prowess more often than not for a full 82-game itinerary.

But he is not there yet, and at least one of the four upcoming titanic tangles will yield evidence of his incomplete rise. Hamilton ought to turn in a few more irreproachable nights in the near future, but he is also due for a reality check before Thanksgiving.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics for this report were found via NHL.com.