Boston Bruins: Special teams give Boston a big advantage over Minnesota
By jc
When the Boston Bruins take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, we’ll see two teams on different ends of the NHL spectrum.
The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division with 33 points. They look like Stanley Cup contenders again.
The Wild, on the other hand, are far from Cup contenders. They only have 20 points, which puts them seventh in the Central Division.
One aspect that really separates Boston from a team like Minnesota is special teams. This is a big reason why the Bruins look set for a big game on Saturday.
Bruins power play vs. Minnesota penalty kill
The Bruins power play, particularly that top unit, is elite. They operate at a 31% success rate, second-best in the league behind Edmonton.
David Pastrnak leads the way with 11 power play goals for the Bruins. It’s tough to find anybody on the Wild roster who can deal with him.
To make this even more difficult for the Wild, Torey Krug looks ready to return for the Bruins. Boston’s power play hasn’t been the same without Krug, so he’ll make an instant impact.
Krug already has 11 power play assists this year, and as long as he’s healthy, there’s no reason for that to change.
Even with all that said, Minnesota does come to town with a decent penalty-killing unit. The Wild killed 55 out of 66 penalties this year for an 83% success rate. This is ninth-best in the league.
Minnesota’s penalty killers need to step up against Boston. The Wild don’t have a ton of offensive output, so they’ll need to limit Boston.
Minnesota power play vs. Boston penalty kill
How will things look when Minnesota has the man advantage? Unlike the Bruins, the Wild don’t have an impressive power play unit.
Minnesota only has 13 power play goals this season, whereas Boston has 21. Pastrnak himself almost has as many power play goals as the entire Wild team!
The Wild’s below-average power play is largely the result of a middling forward group. No forward has over three power play goals, and only one player scored at least five goals at even strength.
That player is Eric Staal, who, at age 35, leads Minnesota with 16 points. Two Bruins forwards have more than double that.
Based on these numbers, it’s no surprise that Minnesota has the 19th best power play in the NHL.
The Bruins counter Minnesota with a solid penalty-killing unit. Like the Wild, the Bruins killed 83% of penalties this season.
The big difference here, however, is the Boston goes against a subpar power play. Minnesota, of course, faces one of the league’s best units.
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Specialt teams will be a big factor on Saturday, and it’s a reason why the Bruins are the overwhelming favorite to win the game on home ice.