Stanley Cup Playoffs: Bruins Chasing History

Boston Bidding for Title of Best Team Ever

The Boston Bruins couldn’t have done much more during the regular season as they set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points. Naturally, they are getting lots of love from those making NHL picks with the Stanley Cup playoffs about to start.

It is fair to point out that the Bruins had two more games than the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens team that held the previous record with 132 points. The Canadiens followed up that season with 129 points. Montreal won the Stanley Cup in each of those seasons, ironically topping the Bruins in the finals both times. That group could certainly be in the conversation as the best team ever.

The Bruins need to look no further than the 2007 New England Patriots team that was undefeated heading into the Super Bowl. A win would have them in conversation as the best team in NFL history. Despite winning its 16 regular-season games by an average of nearly 20 points, a loss to the underdog New York Giants in the Super Bowl ended that best team ever chatter.

The Bruins are in a similar situation. If Boston doesn’t win the Stanley Cup, it will not be in the debate for the best team in NHL history. It could be argued that it is bigger NHL news if the Bruins don’t win the Stanley than if they do.

According to the NHL predictions the Bruins (+325) are easily the top choice when it comes to the odds to win the Stanley Cup.

Winning Going Away

Boston finished with 22 more points than any other team in the NHL and that alone makes it a season for the ages.

The Bruins led the NHL in wins both at home and on the road. Boston didn’t lose consecutive games until the fourth month of the season. The Bruins had the best goal differential and the best penalty-killing numbers.

The Bruins had a 10-game winning streak and four other streaks of at least six games.

Boston was the only team to give up fewer than 200 goals this season and only suffered four regulation losses at home during the regular season.

When looking at the NHL odds, the Bruins could end up with top three vote-getters in the Vezina Trophy (Linus Ullmark), Hart Memorial Trophy (David Pastrnak), Norris Trophy (Hampus Lindholm) and Jack Adams Trophy (Jim Montgomery).

Defensemen Lindholm, Matt Grzelczyk and Brandon Carlo finished first, second and third in the NHL in plus/minus rating. Whatever number that comes up, the Bruins looked like the class of the league.

Defying the Odds

When the season began, the Bruins didn’t have the services of top defenseman Charlie McAvoy and first-line winger Brad Marchand.

With a coaching change resulting in Jim Montgomery taking over, there were some questions about what the Bruins would accomplish during the 2022-23 season.

Toronto and Tampa Bay were the teams in the Atlantic Division getting talked up quite a bit in the preseason while Florida had the most points in the NHL during the 2021-22 season. When the season started, this was not a team that was being projected to run away with the best record in the NHL according to the Las Vegas NHL odds.

With David Pastrnak scoring 61 goals to join Phil Esposito as the only Bruins player with at least 60 goals in a season, the Bruins kept winning, winning and winning.

The Bruins went 23-6-5 in one-goal games, but also proved capable of putting teams away as one of the most productive teams in the third period.

1-2 Punch

Little was made when the Bruins signed Linus Ullmark after three solid but hardly spectacular

seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Or when Jeremy Swayman was the 12th goalie selected in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

All Ullmark did was lead the NHL with 40 wins, a save percentage of .938 and an 1.89 goals-against average. Now the sportsbook lists him as the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy.

Swayman went 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Even with defensemen missing time, Ullmark and Swayman formed the top goaltending tandem in the NHL. There were games when both of them stole points and the opposition deserved to win. Now Ullmark will try to join a select group of goalies who led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title.

�� Linus Ullmark on the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs: “I think we’re all excited for it…this is what we play for all season long and finally you get to it. It’s been a great season, a fun season. We just want to keep it going.” pic.twitter.com/ogtcFZZeCL

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 16, 2023

Making the Right Calls

The Bruins haven’t been shy about trading away draft picks to better their chances of making a run at the Stanley Cup. It helped them acquire Lindholm, Charlie Coyle and Taylor Hall in recent years.

This year it was no different with winger Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitri Orlov being acquired from the Washington Capitals and winger Tyler Bertuzzi coming over from the Detroit Red Wings.

During the offseason, center Erik Haula was traded to New Jersey for Pavel Zacha. Zacha hadn’t scored more than 17 goals or had more than 36 points in his six full seasons with the Devils. He had career highs of 21 goals and 57 points.

Spreading the Wealth

When Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand played with Pastrnak, there might not have been a better line in the NHL. The “Perfection Line” might not have been perfect, but they were close. The problem was a lack of scoring depth and that proved costly in the postseason.

Montgomery had Jake DeBrusk play with Bergeron and Marchand. Pastrnak thrived alongside fellow Czech Republic natives Zacha and Krejci. That left Charlie Coyle to play with Hall and Trent Frederic on one of the best third lines in the game.

It would be hard to find a team with a better group of forwards to put on the top three lines. Now with Bertuzzi and Hathaway on board and Nick Foligno looking good to go in the playoffs, the depth can extend to the fourth line as well.