Bruins Playoff hopes…
With 51 games of the regular season schedule already played, maybe now would be a good time to look back a bit and savor some of the plusses the Bruins have managed to earn. Currently in position for the first Wild Card spot, it is probably not a spot that many expected from this roster, which has been on somewhat of a roller-coaster ride all season long. Win one, lose two, get crushed by the opponent’s scoring one night, then come back and shutout the opposing team the following night. But such has been the fortunes for Boston in 2024-25. The upside of all of this is that despite a poor start, and a coaching change, they have managed to hang on to a playoff position. They have been able to stay healthy for the most part, but the injury that has probably hurt them the most was the loss of defenseman Hampus Lindholm for 35 games. Both Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy were playing well together on the blue line, but the loss of Lindholm for so many game, and recently having McAvoy for several games joining the Bruins’ M.A.S.H. unit with an upper body injury has been tough. With McAvoy and Lindholm both out of the lineup, Brandon Carlo and Nikita Zadorov have worked well together to fill the top blue line pairing. The good news is McAvoy and Lindholm had a full practice with the team on Monday, but probably won’t be playing against the Buffalo Sabres tonight (Tuesday), but could be welcomed back to the bench as soon as Thursday to face the Winnipeg Jets. McAvoy and his wife Kiley welcomed their first round pick – Rhys Michael, to the McAvoy team on Sunday.
On offense, the Bruins have often shown signs of not being able to put the puck in the opponents net, making the jobs of goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Joonis Korpisalo more difficult. Swayman has recently brought his record to an even .500, posting his 18th win to equalize his 18 losses – all while bringing his goals-against-average down to 2.95, with a .898 save percentage. Korpisalo is settling in comfortably in his backup role, all while maintaining a solid record of 9-4, with a 2.70 goals-against-average, and a save percentage of .899. A slight correction to David Pastrnak’s game has him back on target, upping his numbers 24 goals and 35 assists for a team leading 59 points. Add into that Morgan Geekie who has nicely taken his game to the next level, as in the last six games he has scored five goals, many times the ultimately important – first goal of the game! The resurgence in Geekie’s goal scoring has jump-started the offense, and it appears to have put many people back into their comfort groove. Pastrnak regained his goal scoring touch, not only scoring goals, but also showing lots of creativity in playing with, and setting up goals for Pavel Zacha and Geekie. A spark in scoring will bring up the sparse team numbers currently, with Pastrnak’s 59 points leading the way, followed by Brad Marchand’s 38, Zacha’s 29, and Geekie’s 26 points. Under interim head coach Joe Sacco, the Bruins are17-11-3; since he replaced former head coach Jim Montgomery’s 8-9-3 start.
This deep into the season is the time for team’s to stake a position in their conference’s standing. At press time (Monday), the Bruins were clinging to the first wild card, currently tied with the Ottawa Senators’ for the eighth and final spot. Those numbers like the stock exchange, could change daily, as right behind Boston’s 56 points are four Eastern conference teams, (Columbus Blue Jackets 55, Montreal Canadiens 53, New York Rangers 52, Detroit Red Wings 51). Showing clearly the importance of every single win or loss can move a team quickly up or down, and in or out of the playoff standings.
Following tonight’s (Tuesday 7:00pm) game against the Eastern Conferences last place team, the Buffalo Sabres, the Bruins will head home to begin a three game homestand. The visitors will include, on Thursday 7:00pm, the red-hot Winnipeg Jets, currently holding the top spot in the Western Conference, and winners of three straight contests; on Saturday, the New York Rangers will provide the opposition in a 3:30 matinee; and next Tuesday 7:00pm, the Minnesota Wild will try to extend their three-game win streak. Finally, there are some positives to enjoy while moaning about the negatives!