Boston Bruins Only Two Points Behind Chicago Blackhawks In NHL Standings
Boston Bruins Only Two Points Behind Chicago Blackhawks In NHL Standings After Starting The Season Being Projected To Miss The Playoffs
The offseason between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 NHL seasons led many to speculate that the Boston Bruins were no longer legitimate playoff contenders. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season, and changes were made.
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The Bruins fired then-general manager Peter Chiarelli. Potential cornerstone defenseman Dougie Hamilton was traded along with fan-favorite Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin-trade returnee Reilly Smith, and even Marc Savard was moved. The Bruins did bring in some players and prospects along with future draft picks, but the immediate return was not enough to convince critics that the Bruins were going to be legitimate threats in the NHL this season.
Fast-forward to present day and the Boston Bruins are currently sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division, second in the eastern conference and fifth place in the entire National Hockey League. What’s even more impressive is the fact that they are only two points behind perennial-Stanley Cup contenders, the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Many may argue — and with good reason — that the Washington Capitals are the team to beat this year in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They currently hold 103 points in just 68 games played with a 49-14-5 record, 12 points ahead of the second place St. Louis Blues, and they have looked unstoppable all season. One thing the Capitals have yet to prove, however, is how their team can perform in the playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks, however, are a different story altogether.
Since 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups — 2010, 2013, 2015 — and have shown once again that they can compete this year. With a record of 41-22-6 and a point total of 88, the Blackhawks are right in the thick of things in the NHL playoffs. The difference between the Blackhawks and the Capitals, however, is the playoff experience the ‘Hawks have. The Bruins sitting just two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks provides some perspective on the Bruins’ team in the grand scheme of things.
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The Boston Bruins have posted a record of 5-0-2 since the trade deadline, good for a 0.857 win percentage. If the record alone isn’t impressive enough, the teams they have competed against should be. The Bruins started off their post-deadline stretch with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames. Following that, they beat the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-2. Their first loss came at the hands of the league’s best team. The Bruins lost to the Washington Capitals in a 2-1 overtime game that showed that the Bruins truly can compete with the best quite literally. The Bruins went on to win back-to-back road games against the Florida Panthers — 5-4 in overtime — and the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 1-0. The Bruins next loss also came in overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes before they bounced back two days later and beat the New York Islanders 3-1.
The Bruins were criticized at the trade deadline for their management of assets, specifically with the acquisition of Lee Stempniak as opposed to signing him prior to the NHL season. While Stempniak was offered a PTO with the Bruins, an outright contract may have been a good idea, but hindsight is 20-20, of course. What the team has shown, however, is that Don Sweeney may have made the right call judging purely on how the team is performing so far. Lee Stempniak could be retained in the offseason, and with the way John-Michael Liles has performed, the Bruins may have interest in returning him to their roster next season as well.
Next: The Boston Bruins Are Shaping Up For The Playoffs
The Boston Bruins have shown that they can compete for the Stanley Cup as of late, and with a full cupboard of prospects and draft picks — including two first round picks next season — the Boston Bruins have a chance to truly retool on the fly as they intended on doing all along. The Bruins may not win the Stanley Cup, but they will certainly fight until the end nevertheless.