Boston Bruins fans have every right to be skeptical about this team, despite being first in the Atlantic Division and just one point behind the league leader. Over the past two seasons, the Bruins have given up high-danger scoring chances at an alarming rate, and for the second straight season, Jeremy Swayman is near the top in goals saved above expected.
Some fans may say that Swayman is part of the team and that, as long as he is in form, the Bruins will be okay. That may be true in the regular season, but we saw how quickly that can be proven wrong in last season's seven-game playoff series, when Buffalo dominated the defensive zone and outlasted Boston in six games.
Last season's team had a pleasantly surprising 100-point season, but everyone saw the cracks that eventually popped up in the postseason. However, it might be too early to say this team is any different, and they've already shown why the claims that they could be outside the playoff picture this season were preposterous.
One of the main things to look at in the standings to tell if a team is for real or not is goal differential. The Bruins finished +22 last season, the second-worst mark among Eastern Conference playoff teams. By contrast, the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes had the third-best goal differential in the league at +56, and it showed in the postseason.
Bruins leading the league in a key statistic
Experts warned Bruins fans about their goal differential last season, as it hovered around even for much of the middle of the season. They finished with an acceptable mark, but they needed to improve it this season, and they have. As of this writing, they currently lead the league at +20.
That is five goals better than the Edmonton Oilers, who have a superstar averaging over three points per game and another superstar linemate averaging over two. It is also six goals better than the Carolina Hurricanes, who have picked up right where they left off last year. The Oilers and Hurricanes are two teams that people are starting to pencil in as a potential Stanley Cup Final matchup.
There hasn't been as much love for the Bruins, but it might be time to start giving them some. One big difference between Boston and the two teams behind them in goal differential is that they have a goaltender who might be in the prime of his career and a young core that will only get better over the course of the season. This may not be the best version of the Bruins we see this season.
Boston entered last postseason as a deserving participant, but no one mistook them for Stanley Cup contenders. This year, if this form continues, I'm not so sure that you can rule them out.
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