Boston Bruins: Tampa are keeping the Bruins honest and it’s great news

While the Boston Bruins are on top of the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning are close behind them and keeping them on their toes.

The Boston Bruins are on top of the standings but not by much. The Tampa Bay Lightning are just three points behind the Bruins and are looking to take over the first place slot.

Last season, the Lighting won the Presidents Trophy, but as we all know had an early first-round exit in the playoffs being swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

With the early exit in the 2019 playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking for vengeance in the NHL standings. They aren’t behind by much and are letting the Boston Bruins know they’re right there to try and take their place.

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But the Boston Bruins are just as vengeful, after the Game 7 loss against the St. Louis Blues last year. In the playoffs they’re looking to get right back in the Stanley Cup Finals and prove themselves as a team.

So what does this mean for the the veteran guys like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask; and what about the rest of the Bruins?

Well, with Tampa being so close behind and the Bruins wanting to keep their first place spot, they are keeping their play sharp. The Bruins are needing to win games and if they take a loss it would need to be in overtime or shootout to maintain their current position.

Especially with being ahead by a few points, it’s crucial for the Bruins to win if they want a larger advantage in the race to win the Presidents Trophy this season.

Although it isn’t vital for the Bruins to win the President Trophy, with the way they’ve been playing as of late to stay on top of the league standings, they can almost guarantee themselves a spot in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Being kept honest is vital for this team; last year, the season was all but over by February and it showed at times in the play-off run. Compare that to the Blues, who had to work beyond hard to even get a shot and it’s a big difference.

You’d rather take a Boston Bruins team to the play-offs, that has worked all the way until the final game of the regular season than one that has been dialling it in since February, for sure.