There are 82 games in the NHL regular season, a grueling process filled with its own unique ups and downs. Injuries and illnesses, winning and losing streaks, long road trips — it is quite an accomplishment just to make it to the end of a season.
But, of course, regular season success is not the priority for the league's top teams. What truly matters are the games that follow the 82-game slate — the Stanley Cup playoffs, which can be even more demanding than those games precededing it.
With only a month remaining in the season, now is the time for teams to reach their peak form. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins are doing just that.
The Bruins started the season with a lot of questions swirling around the team. All-star goaltender Tim Thomas, whom the Bruins had signed to a multi-million dollar deal, was coming off a lackluster season. Top center Marc Savard, felled by a blindside hit from Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke the previous season, had tried to make his return in the playoffs only to see his post-concussion symptoms worsen to the point where he could not play.
And, of course, there was the lingering psychological trauma of last year's playoffs — the Bruins made the Eastern Conference finals only to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series to the Philadelphia Flyers, the eventual Cup runners-up. The Bruins' epic meltdown marked only the fourth 3-0 collapse in modern professional sports history.
But this year's Bruins look like they have the character and toughness to go deep into the playoffs again. They're still savoring the buzz of a 6-0-0 road trip and were 7-0-1 in their last eight before a regulation loss to the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night. That streak has propelled them to the top of the Northeast Division and second place in the conference.
At 22-8-4, the Bruins own the NHL's best road record, and they also boast a high-octane offense that has scored 200 goals, the second-most in the East.
So why the turnaround?
To start, Tim Thomas is back in a big way. He again leads the NHL in both major goaltending categories, goals against average (1.97) and save percentage (an unbelievable .939). This is unquestionably a big reason the Bruins own the second-best goal differential in the league.
A few roster moves are another reason the the Bruins are primed for a playoff push. The addition of defenseman Tomas Kaberle, the former Toronto Maple Leaf, will vastly improve Boston's play in front of Thomas. Kaberle comes at the cost of winger Blake Wheeler and defenseman Mark Stuart, who were moved to Atlanta in order to get the high-priced Kaberle under the salary cap. But general manager Peter Chiarelli clearly felt it was worth it — and the Bruins got forward Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik from Atlanta for good measure.
One other guy who wasn't in the locker room last year is rookie winger Tyler Seguin, who has chipped in 11 goals this year.
So what does all this mean for the Bruins when the playoffs roll around? In some ways it's too early to say. After Tuesday night, they led the Northeast Division by a scant three points. But at a time when the Flyers are stumbling slightly, the Bruins could very well end up with the number one seed down the stretch.
The Bruins have a relatively favorable slate of games left, playing nine of 16 games at home. Only a handful of those — one each against Philadelphia and Chicago and two against the New York Rangers — are against formidable opposition.
Boston has what it takes to make a deep playoff run, and that starts in goal. A "hot" goalie can be the difference between a first-round exit and a trip to the finals, and Thomas, who will almost certainly be a Vezina Trophy candidate, is everything a playoff team could want.
Of course, there is still room for improvement in Beantown. Tuesday's game revealed a couple weaknesses in the Bruins' armor. Down early in a hostile environment (Montreal's 21,000-plus-seat Bell Centre is one of the most difficult places to play hockey) the team just couldn't seem to generate any offense when faced with an early deficit.
Furthermore, a questionable — but unquestionably scary — Chara hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty resulted in Chara's ejection. Discipline is crucial to a playoff run, and intentional or not, the Bruins will have to leave this type of behavior behind if they expect to go far.
Ultimately, thanks to some shrewd trades, brilliant goaltending, and veteran leadership, the Bruins have all the pieces of the puzzle — and they're doing it all without their top center Savard. Time will tell if they can translate this into playoff success, but they'll be a tough team to bet against come mid-April.
