3 reasons why Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders
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.
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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.
3 reasons why the Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
2. Ability to generate offense from the blueline and defensive depth
With the loss of defenseman Torey Krug the Bruins were relying on Matt Grzelcyk to take the next step and basically replace Krug at both 5-on-5 and on the powerplay. While Grizz has played well and has been a main play driver from Boston’s blueline when healthy, he has struggled to remain on the ice due to injuries.
Grzelcyk has only played in 25 games this season, recording three goals and 10 assists for 13 points. Without him in the lineup, the Black and Gold have to heavily rely on Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo to drive the puck up ice.
However, Carlo has also been injured quite a bit recently. He was knocked out of action for around a month after receiving a high check from Washington’s Tom Wilson and is now out again with a different upper-body injury.
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This left McAvoy as the only defenseman in the lineup that could truly be relied on to successfully move the puck up ice. However, having just one guy from the blueline that could do this is just not enough, no matter how great McAvoy is.
Sweeney realized the B’s needed another defenseman that could be relied on to move the puck. Insert Mike Reilly to the second defensive pairing.
Before being acquired by Boston, Reilly had 19 assists in 40 games with the Sens. Since joining the Black and Gold, Reilly has continued to rack up assists (two in four games) while also playing solid defense on the second pairing and manning the point on the first powerplay unit.
Reilly has been exactly what the B’s needed at the blueline with his ability to generate offense as a defenseman. He gives Boston much needed defensive depth, experience, and options.
When Grzelcyk, Carlo, and Kevan Miller return, the B’s will have a very strong blueline — both from an offense-generating standpoint and defensive standpoint.
A fully healthy Bruins’ defense could look like:
Grzelcyk – McAvoy
Reilly – Carlo
Lauzon/Zboril – Miller
Extras: Tinordi, Kampfer, Clifton
The group gives the B’s not only a top four that can shut down the opposition but also skate and drive the play up the ice with ease. This also allows the B’s to be able to effectively manage the amount that Miller plays during a game and during the rest of the season in general.
Additionally, this allows Boston to switch Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril in and out of the lineup depending on who is playing well, matchups, and who needs a break. This can also be done with Miller, Steve Kampfer, and Connor Clifton.
So while the B’s had an inability to create defense from their defensemen before the deadline, they now have a great ability to do so when fully healthy. Additionally, they once had a lack of depth at their blueline, now they have an abundance of capable D-men.
3 reasons why the Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
1. Ability to roll out four effective forward lines
Going into the trade deadline, the Bruins were one of the worst teams when it came to 5-on-5 offense. A major reason for this issue was the team’s inability to put four effective lines on the ice.
Outside the first line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak, the B’s didn’t have any line that could drive and create offense at 5-on-5.
In an attempt to fix this, Cassidy tried to switch Craig Smith and Pasta, putting Smith on the first line and Pasta on the second. However, this didn’t work. While this got Smith going, Pastrnak struggled. It was clear that the Black and Gold needed another play-driver more than an actual goal-scorer.
While Pasta is an elite goal-scorer, he isn’t known for the his ability to drive the play. He’s more of a passenger guy that knows how to get open and is in the right spot at the right time. Marchand and Bergeron are the ones that drive the play on that line, hence why Smith was able to get hot while playing with them.
This is why new addition Taylor Hall is so vital to the team’s success. While he has the ability to score, he also has the ability to drive the play with his skating and playmaking ability. This is what this team has been lacking outside the first line.
Boston Bruins
The addition of Hall has relieved an enormous amount of pressure off the shoulders of Marchy, Bergy, and Pasta while also giving David Krejci a winger who can score and drive the play.
Since adding Hall, Krejci has scored three goals (two last game), to bring his season goal total up from two to five, and has recored two assists. So he has five points in four games with Hall. Smith has also remained hot since Hall has come over, scoring two goals and three assists for five points in four games.
Hall isn’t the only reason why Boston can now role out four effective lines, however. Curtis Lazar has had a much bigger impact to this team than expected.
Lazar was placed at fourth line center, with Sean Kuraly moving over to left wing. With these moves, the B’s fourth line is playing its best hockey since the beginning of the season. Kuraly and Wagner both look rejuvenated and Lazar has been playing with energy and tenacity.
This move also gives the Black and Gold depth for the bottom six. If Kuraly starts to play poorly or is injured, he can be replaced with Trent Frederic. If this happens to Wagner, he can be replaced with Karson Kuhlman who was playing well before the deadline. If Ondrej Kase is able to return this season, he may also be an option to play in the bottom six.
A fully healthy Bruins’ forward corps could look like this:
Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
Hall – Krejci – Smith
Ritchie – Coyle – DeBrusk
Kuraly – Lazar – Kase
Extras: Frederic, Kuhlman, Wagner
This is truly a much improve and deeper group than before the deadline. You now have two lines that can be relied on to score, with a large third line that can play physical and has potential to score and create offense.
If the fourth line can keep playing as well as they are now, they are also a threat to wear down and score on the opposition.
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What was once a lethargic group outside the top line, is now a deep group that seems to be able to score on command thanks to the additions of Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar. Lack of scoring depth was a big reason why the B’s were unable to make a deep playoff run last season, this new seems fixed and to be a strength.