Last year, the Boston Bruins came up one game shy of capturing that ultimate prize: the Stanley Cup. The heart breaking game seven loss on home ice came at the hands of the surging St. Louis Blues.
The Blues were a last place team at one point before they capped off their dream season by hoisting the Cup. It was a devastating loss to not only the players, but to the fans and of course to the city.
Staying down, and dwelling on the past would have been the easy way out, but the Bruins have other plans. It is clear that the 2019-2020 revenge tour is in full effect.
The 2019-2020 Boston Bruins, which consist of a majority-returning roster from their magical run the year prior, are evidently playing with a chip on their shoulders. As of right now, the B’s have shown power, skill and resiliency in proving why they are one of the top teams in the National Hockey League.
The Bruins are among league leaders in quite a few stats that would justify their success so far this year. As a whole, they currently sit at the top of the league on goals for, and are one of the teams that have let in the fewest amounts of goals. How are you supposed to stop a team that piles on the goals while playing immaculate defense and getting solid goaltending night in, and night out?
Taking penalties is never a good thing to do, but you certainly want to stay out of the “sin bin” as much as possible against the Boston Bruins. The power play, which is quarterbacked and ran by defenseman Torey Krug, sits at an impressive 31.6%, which is second best in the league, only trailing the Edmonton Oilers who sit at an even 32.0%.
Your special teams unit is such a vital piece to winning games, and killing penalties is just as important as cashing in on those crucial power plays as well. The lethal power play of the Bruins often overshadows their penalty killing ability as well. Statistically, they have the eighth best penalty kill unit in the league, which is currently at 84.3%.
At the end of the day, hockey is a team sport and games aren’t won individually. However, the Bruins have some individual talent that has lead the way and has helped them come out on top, in crucial times.
Guys such as David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Tuukka Rask have all been key players for the Bruins and you could make the argument that each player deserves a spot on this year’s all-star team.
After being on the losing end of a crushing game seven loss on home ice of the Stanley Cup Finals, it could have been easy for the Bruins to hang their heads and dwell on that devastating loss. The B’s are continuing to prove that they are hungrier than ever, and wanting to complete the job this time around.