BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have lost 4 of their past 5 games, and there’s perhaps reason to believe they’re not necessarily the team to beat in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
Sure, they have a 7 point lead over the second-place Carolina Hurricanes, and lead the Atlantic Division by 11 points over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But since January 1st, they’re third in the East, behind the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. And it’s the former that could be emerging as the team to beat. More on them below.
Despite the recent slowdown, the Bruins are 11-4-1 since Jan. 1, a stretch of games in which they’ve been without Jake DeBrusk for all but the Winter Classic, in which he scored a pair.
Their defense remains formidable, the goaltending is solid, and they’ve allowed a league low 1.94 goals per game in 2023.
The offense, however, has dried up a bit, and especially on the power play. For the season, Boston’s power play ranks 6th with a success rate of 24.6%. Since Jan. 1, though, it ranks 23rd at 15.6%.
This is where DeBrusk’s return to the top line and second power-play unit will likely help get things back on track. DeBrusk, by the way, practiced Monday, but is expected to return Thursday in Nashville and not Tuesday in Dallas.
Overall, the Bruins are still well in the lead in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy and boast the best goal differential by a wide margin. They won’t be without competition when it comes to the Stanley Cup, though, and the Rangers in particular are riding hot right now.
The Rangers are 12-2-2 since the beginning of 2023, and a perfect 2-0-0 after getting a jump on the NHL’s trade deadline and acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues.
And those weren’t insignificant wins either, coming against Carolina and the Seattle Kraken.
The Rangers now boast a pretty formidable top 9 up front to go with a Norris Trophy winner in Adam Fox and last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, Igor Shesterkin.
There’s also the matter of getting out of the Atlantic Division, where the winner of Toronto and Tampa Bay will be a tough out in a potential second round matchup.
For their part, the Bruins know they’re getting every team’s best night in and night out, and will be looking to find their groove for when the games matter most - and perhaps with some new faces on the roster prior to the NHL’s March 3rd trade deadline.