Coming off a 12-game stretch to begin the 2026-27 season that saw the Boston Bruins sit on top of the loaded Atlantic Division, they saw their eight-game point streak come to an end on Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, in a 2-1 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The loss dropped the Black and Gold to 9-3-1, but it didn't stop the Black and Gold from skyrocketing up the latest NHL Power Rankings by Lyle Fitzsimmons of Bleacher Report. He moved Boston from No. 5 to No. 1, which was clearly done before Tuesday night's loss to Carolina, who came in at No. 2.
Bruins holding down the top spot in Bleacher Report's power rankings is very surprising
Now, let's be completely honest about the ranking: it literally means nothing on Oct. 28. Not a thing. It doesn't mean that Boston will make the playoffs, and it doesn't mean that they are the best team in the NHL. However, if there is one thing that I can't say about the 2026-27 Boston Bruins early in the season, it's that they are resilient.
They have found different ways to win games. Low-scoring and high-scoring affairs. Grind it out and make life miserable for their opponents. However, the Hurricanes gave them a taste of their own medicine on Tuesday night. It was a dose of reality.
Part of the reasons, ok, a lot of the reasons for the Bruins' success this season have been because of their goaltending and play of their younger players. Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro have been outstanding between the pipes, and players like James Hagens, Matthew Poitras, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Fraser Minten have been outstanding up front. On defense, Mason Lohrei and Frederic Brunet have been good as well.
"Going 7-0-1 in eight games is good, scoring four in the third period to steal a win is better for the Bruins,'' wrote Fitzsimmons.
One question about this season's Bruins team is whether or not they will be able to sustain their current play and style and be successful. Tuesday was a bump in the road against the Hurricanes, and with an 84-game schedule now being played across the NHL, there are going to be more nights like that.
We'll learn a lot about the Bruins and how they bounce back on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. Will they respond as the top team in the NHL, based on Bleacher Report's power rankings, or as one that is still trying to find themselves early in the season?
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