After sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings last year, the Bruins were in a much different position coming to the close of this season, and didn’t clinch a playoff spot until the last weekend of the season. An unhealthy dose of injuries and the departure of Phil Kessel put a serious dent in Boston’s offense, yet they’ve still managed to scrap their way into the postseason, where we all know, anything can happen.
Offense: F It’s quite remarkable that the Bruins actually made it to the playoffs, when you consider that they have the league’s worst offense, and were without some of their best offensive players all season. Marc Savard missed half the year with injuries, and will be lucky to make it back for the playoffs after the devastating hit to the head he received from Matt Cooke. Milan Lucic missed most of the first half of the year as well. Veteran Miroslav Satan has proven to be a valuable pickup in the latter half of the year, while Canadian Olympian Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have done more than their fair share to keep this club alive.
Defense: A+
When your team scores the fewest goals in the league, you better have a rock-solid defense, and the Bruins have just that. Led by Zdeno Chara, who has 44 points and a very impressive +19 rating, the Boston blueline may be the most complete, from top to bottom, in the entire NHL. Young Johnny Boychuk has been great since making the transition from the AHL to the NHL, as has Matt Hunwick. The addition of Dennis Seidenberg at the deadline adds even more veteran experience to the defensive corps.
Goaltending: A+ While Tim Thomas was supposed to be the team’s starter heading into this season, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner hasn’t been quite the same as he was last year. Instead, Tuuka Rask has been lights out, winning 22 games in 45 starts, and posting a league leading 1.97 GAA and .931 save percentage. The young Finn should be the Bruins’ starter in the playoffs, but Thomas will be waiting in the wings should the need arise.
Special Teams: C+ The Bruins’ special teams numbers don’t differ much from their even strength numbers. They score on only 16.7% of their powerplays, which is surprising considering Zdeno Chara is considered one of the top powerplay defensemen in the league. On the flipside, they kill off more than 86% of their own penalties, ranking them behind only Buffalo in that category. If their defense holds up in the playoffs, Boston could have what it takes to knock off the Sabres in the first round.