Bruins Staying Hungry For Points During Streak, But Gobbling Up More Will Be Crucial

Over the past 16 games, the Boston Bruins have had a lot on their plate. That said, it’s hard to be overwhelmed with having too much on your plate when all you do is eat. The B’s have earned at least a point in the standings in each of those games, now boasting a 12-0-4 record throughout that span. Boston has even gone an impressive 8-0-1 without leading goal-scorer David Pastrnak, who injured his left thumb after being tripped up by Jack Daniels on the night of February 10th.

The injury to “Pasta” was supposed to be a detriment to the red-hot Black and Gold, but has instead served as an opportunity for others to step up in the 31-goal-scorer’s absence.

Jake DeBrusk simply hasn’t put his fork down, devouring opposing goaltenders by tallying seven goals and six assists for 13 points in nine games. Led by DeBrusk, the secondary scoring has been there, some new editions have balanced out the lineup, and the team is clicking as a hard-working group while playing a tenacious game physically.

The Bruins have forced the rest of the NHL to take notice. It has been nearly impossible to beat them during this stretch, and no team was able to do so in regulation throughout the month of February. Boston kicked things off by shutting out the Capitals for their first win against Washington since March of 2014, and ended the month by manhandling the best team in the NHL in the Tampa Bay Lightning. In between were wins against capable foes such as the New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, and Vegas Golden Knights with some extra-time losses mixed in, while stopping in California to dismantle each of the Golden state’s franchises.

Back at home for a bit until March 10th, the Bruins have a chance to stay hungry and pile up even more points while furthering themselves from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the standings. They got off to a good start with a 1-0 win against the New Jersey Devils in a quiet contest, and have three favorable match-ups in store against Carolina, Florida, and Ottawa before they hit the road to play the Penguins in the Steel City.

There is absolutely no reason for this point streak to languish against one of those opponents, so head coach Bruce Cassidy and his team should get greedy and see their streak hit the 20 game mark.

The Bruins need to continue to make their strong play count in the standings with Pastrnak gone, and it doesn’t appear they’ll have any problem doing so. They may have lacked some of the jump in their game that they’ve had of late against New Jersey, but they played a solid defensive game and capitalized on the power play.

Home ice could be the deciding factor in a seven-game series against Toronto, which is why the Bruins needed this sixteen-game point streak, or a run like it. It is truly remarkable the position the Bruins find themselves in after enduring a ridiculous amount of injuries to key players earlier in the year, while having to field what seemed like an AHL defensive group at times.

Simply put, it shows how good Boston is, while perhaps illuminating Toronto’s inability to gain separation in the standings with a team that was supposed to be superior to the Bruins this season.

Should the B’s continue to chew up and swallow everything in their path leading up to the playoffs and enter the first round playing like this, they will be a very, very difficult team to beat no matter how much is on their plate.