Just a week ago the Boston Bruins were struggling to stay in the last remaining Stanley Cup Playoffs spot. They couldn’t find ways to string together wins and were playing no better than .500 hockey.
General manager Don Sweeney realized this team had missing pieces and decided to pull the triggers on two trade deadline deals that, so far, have filled these holes that were wide open before these deals were made.
With the acquisitions of left wing Taylor Hall, center Curtis Lazar, and defenseman Mike Reilly, the B’s have been revitalized and are currently playing their best hockey since the beginning of the season as they’ve now won four straight games for the first time since they won five in a row from Feb. 1 to Feb. 12.
Without these new faces, specifically Hall and Reilly, the Black and Gold were a borderline playoff team, now they look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender as they seem equipped to make a deep playoff run. Here are three reasons why I think this is possible.
3 reasons why the Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
3. Goaltending depth
One of the few things that has been consistently good for the B’s this season has been their goaltending. This doesn’t just mean Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, however. All four goalies that have started for the Black and Gold this season have played extremely well.
With Rask dealing with injuries this season, prospect Dan Vladar was called up for his first real chance in the NHL. During last year’s playoffs, Vladar was called upon to relieve Halak and didn’t fair well in the high-pressure situation in which he couldn’t really prepare and warmup properly for.
However, things have been very different for Vladar this season. He started off hot, recording a .949 save percentage (SV%) and giving up just three goals over his first two starts. However, playing in front of a depleted defense, Vladar has struggled over his last three starts recording a .843 SV% and allowing 14 goals.
While Vladar has struggled as of late, mainly due to playing behind a depleted Boston defense, he has shown that he can be a somewhat reliable option behind a relatively healthy defense.
Along with Vladar, Jeremy Swayman also made his first career NHL start this season. However, unlike Vladar, Swayman hasn’t shown any weakness and has continued to thrive despite a depleted defense in front of him.
Over five NHL starts, Swayman has recorded the very impressive numbers of a .938 SV%, 1.78 goals-against average (GAA), .800 quality start percentage (QS%), and a shutout (which he just recorded Friday night against the New York Islanders.
Although it has only been five starts, Swayman has shown that he is the real deal and is the future for the B’s in net. He has consistently put up great numbers despite the defense playing in front of him.
Besides the strong play from Swayman and Vladar, the B’s have also gotten great goaltending from their trust veterans of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.
Over 17 starts, Rask has put up a .910 SV%, 2.36 GAA, and .625 QS%. Halak has put up a .910 SV%, 2.44 GAA, two shutouts, and .563 QS% over 17 appearances (16 starts).
If healthy, Rask is the clear starter for the postseason. However, if he can’t play for any reason it’s nice to know that the B’s have three other solid options that they can put in net that will give them a chance to win a hockey game.