Bruins clinch playoff spot, but odds say much more is ahead
The Boston Bruins became the first team in the NHL to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this week. This wasn’t a big surprise as Boston (51-11-5) has the best record in the league and is a near lock (-10000) to win the President’s Trophy.
“I mean I think we knew around Thanksgiving we were making the playoffs,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery joked. “Shrug and move on.”
Right now Montgomery is faced with a few questions about roster management. Boston is still on pace to set the NHL record for wins in a season and points in a season, but those records aren’t as important as winning the Stanley Cup.
And it seems like Montgomery is going to err on the side of caution when it comes to resting players down this final stretch of the season. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm had a sore foot after blocking a shot in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, and Montgomery took him out of the lineup in the following game for precautionary reasons.
And don’t be surprised if other players, especially some of the veterans, miss a game or two over the next month with bruises and ailments they would otherwise not think twice about playing through. It’s one of the perks of having the best record in the league.
With that being said, Boston doesn’t want to get into a rut this time of year, and losing three of four over the past week was a concern to Montgomery.
“The players’ honest feedback, which I really value, was that ‘we never been in this situation where we have 20 games left and we’ve clinched a playoff spot,” Montgomery said. “It’s human nature a little bit to take your foot off the gas pedal and that’s what’s happened to us. We don’t want bad habits and details to creep into our game to where we lose confidence.”
The Bruins got back on the winning track Thursday with a 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves in the shutout and said it was important for the Bruins to get back to their standard of play after a couple of losses.
“It’s definitely not acceptable for a group like this with the leadership we have and the depth that we have line for line,” Swayman said. “We expect a lot out of ourselves each night. It’s really special to get this bounce-back win and get a response for our coaches.”
Even with the small setbacks the Bruins’ odds to win the Stanley Cup improved to +380 from +400 last week. The Colorado Avalanche remains the second favorite at +650, with the Carolina Hurricanes (+750), Toronto Maple Leafs (+900) and New Jersey Devils (+1200) rounding out the top five.
On the individual front, Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark is still a high betting favorite (-1200) to win the Vezina Trophy over his closest competitor, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, who is at +1100. Montgomery is -700 to win the Jack Adams Trophy for NHL Coach of the Year. His closest competition is Devils coach Lindy Ruff, who is at +1000.
