How are the Bruins shaping up as we approach the playoffs?
The playoff race looked a lot simpler just a few weeks ago. With the top four teams in each division creating a real gap between themselves and the rest of the pack, it’s the wild card places that are most interesting.
There are a few unlikely contenders showing their worth as we approach the final stages of the regular season. But, it's the Bruins resurgence in recent weeks that’s the most interesting talking point in the National Hockey League right now.
The Bruins tipped off their season as you’d expect, but hit a real slump in form between February and April, recording just 10 wins in 25 games. Injuries and a lack of unity on the ice left the team looking depleted and without direction.
Boston has to compete with a strong New York Rangers side for the final playoff spot in the East Division. Fortunately for them, they are starting to look more like the team we saw during the opening weeks of the 2021 season.
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The roster Is strong enough to compete
It’s easy to forget the quality Boston possesses. Tuukka Rask remains one of the top shot-stoppers in the league, blocking 30 of 33 shots in the 6-3 win against Championship rivals the Washington Capitals.
The Bruins will look to Patrice Bergeron, club legend Brad Marchand, and David Krejci in the postseason. But the rise of a second scoring line is what will worry the other contenders, as Taylor Hall and Craig Smith have started to put up numbers.
Hall has scored 2 goals in his first four games for Boston, with Smith putting up 19 points in his last 16 games. These are the kind of numbers the Bruins so desperately need.
Marchand and Pastrnak are veterans of the game and will be able to guide the younger, less experienced heads through the playoff stages.
While it may still seem far-fetched to assume the Bruins are going to be able to compete with the firepower of the Lightning or the solidity of the Knights, if they can keep this form up anything is possible.
Bruce Cassidy will be keen to utilize the second scoring line as much as possible, with the playoffs beginning in less than 3 weeks it’s time to get his team firing on all cylinders. But, first of all, they must make the playoff positions.
The four teams in the East are separated by just six points and the Bruins have 3 games in hand on the Capitals with one more head-to-head matchup yet to come. With a fairly easy road of fixtures to go, one would expect Boston to get over the line. A head-to-head with the Rangers and a regular-season finale against Washington are sure to be fireworks.
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