Boston Bruins fans should be especially thankful this Thanksgiving
Football fans aren’t the only ones who look forward to Thanksgiving Day. Believe it or not, Thanksgiving marks an important day on the hockey schedule as well. Why exactly?
History tells us that Thanksgiving is when we pretty much find out which NHL teams will qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.
At first glance, this might seem incredibly stupid since most teams have around 60 games left on their schedules. But, the data show that teams usually have playoff spots locked down by now.
In 2018, Sportsnet had a story that looked at the previous five seasons. In those seasons, 62 out of 80 teams that were in the playoffs on Thanksgiving finished in the playoffs at the end of the year. That’s 77.5%!
This held up for the most part in 2019 as well, so we can expect the same this year. Get ready to wake up on Thanksgiving and find out which teams will compete in the postseason.
Bruins lead the Atlantic and look set for the playoffs
Fortunately for all of us, the Boston Bruins are firmly in the playoff picture right now. That’s one thing for which the coach Bruce Cassidy and management can be thankful.
The Bruins currently sit in first place in the Atlantic Division, a spot they held pretty much all season. The way things look now, unless there are some major injuries, this probably won’t change.
Boston started the season on an absolute tear, and they maintained this high-level virtually all year long. The Bruins did hit a bit of a rough patch in November, but that was mild all things consider.
So far, the Bruins have not gone more than two straight games without a point. Even when they lose, they usually pick up at least a point to climb in the standings.
It’s safe to say that the Bruins are one of the top teams in the league, and we should expect them to be among the final group standing.
Boston can certainly thank it’s league-leading offense for that.
Pastrnak and Marchand lead the way on offense
Boston’s offensive numbers are simply staggering this season. For a team that historically doesn’t score a ton, this year represents quite a shift.
Through the first 24 games of the season, the Bruins lead the league with 91 goals. That’s almost four goals per game!
The power play is where the Bruins do much of their damage. They currently score on one out of every three power play opportunities. As such, they have 24 power play goals already.
Why is the Bruins offense so good? We have to start with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.
Pastrnak and Marchand were both impressive last season, we all expected them to be great again this year. Nobody, however, expected this level of greatness.
Fresh off a hat trick in Montreal (the first Bruin to do that since 1987), Pastrnak leads the league with 23 goals. We can pretty much count on a Pastrnak goal every game!
He also has 13 assists to give him 39 points. Out of those 39 points, 16 came on the power play.
Not to be outdone, Marchand has three more total points than Pastrnak. Marchand’s 42 points puts him third in the league.
Pastrnak and Marchand team up with Patrice Bergeron to give Boston the best line in hockey. Bergeron’s out right now with an injury, but once everyone’s healthy, this trio looks set to lead Boston all year.
The Bruins also get solid contributions from David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, and Danton Heinen.
Boston doesn’t have many holes up front, but if GM Don Sweeney can acquire a top-six right wing, the Bruins will have the best forward group in the league.
Boston boasts a strong defense
The hallmark of a great team is usually its defense. While the offense gets a ton of the credit, the Bruins defense is more than capable.
Boston only conceded 61 goals in its 24 games this season. That’s the third-best mark in the NHL.
Much of this is the product of goaltending (which we’ll get to later), but a lot has to do with Boston’s defense.
The Bruins currently feature six NHL defensemen on the roster; seven if we include Steven Kampfer and his 204 games of NHL experience.
When everybody’s healthy, that number jumps to nine. Boston will have some tough decisions with guys like Connor Clifton, but those are good problems to have.
If you look at the Bruins defense right now, there aren’t too many weaknesses. Zdeno Chara continues to defy time, and still can shut down top forwards on a nightly basis.
Torey Krug remains one of the best offensive-defenseman in the league, as he has 18 points in 19 games. The Bruins hope to sign him to an extension soon.
The only negative with the defense right is Charlie McAvoy‘s offense. McAvoy still doesn’t have a goal this season, but that’s not really a big deal yet.
Don’t forget about young players like Urho Vaakanainen, who saw some NHL action earlier this month. He looks like a big part of the future in Boston.
The Bruins have a deep and well-rounded group of defensemen, all of whom get to play in front of elite goaltenders.
Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak form a dynamite duo
As a hockey player, there’s really nothing you’d rather have than an elite goalie. Well, except for two elite goalies.
The Bruins have the fortune of two elite goalies on the roster: Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.
Elite is a strong word, but it definitely fits for both guys. That’s a big reason why the Bruins remain a top contender.
Rask is one of the early favorites for the Vezina Trophy based on his performance so far. His 11 wins and two shutouts lead the league, something that’s impressive given he splits time with Halak.
Rask has a .928 SV% and a 2.18 GAA, both of which are better than the league averages. Save for a couple bad starts in November, Rask has been close to flawless for Boston.
Even with those impressive numbers, Halak isn’t too far behind. He has five wins and only one regulation loss in nine starts this season. Tuesday against Montreal, Halak stopped 36 of 37 shots in the blowout win.
Halak’s save percentage is .930, and he sports a 2.30 GAA. There’s no better backup in the league right now.
With Rask and Halak on the roster, the Bruins can pretty much count on strong goaltending every night. And since the two goalies split starts, the Bruins can count on goaltending all season long.
Since he won’t to make 55 to 60 starts, Rask should be fresh and ready to go at the end of the season and into the playoffs. This is what we experienced last year, so this year shouldn’t be different.
And if something happens with Rask, the Bruins have a reliable backup who can still lead them on a long run.
Next. Pastrnak looks like Super Mario. dark
There’s a lot for which Bruins fan can be thankful this season. Boston came within one win of a Cup last season, but this year they have the talent and depth to finish the job.
Too bad we have to wait seven months to find out what happens!