The Boston Bruins are having a historic year, on pace to have one of the best seasons in the league’s history. This team is on pace to have the most wins in NHL history with about 65, and they are undeniably the scariest team in hockey right now.
During the offseason, many were skeptical of the firing of Bruce Cassidy, including me. I was so much of a doubter that I wrote an article titled “Firing Bruce Cassidy Makes the Bruins Worse” in July. I was wrong, along with many Boston and hockey fans alike.
This team has fought incredible adversity and proved themselves as a powerhouse on ice. They are remarkable in every aspect of the game, and I will be uncovering the most important pieces to their success.
Offense Wins Games
The second most notable piece of the Bruins’ success is their stellar offense. The team can score, and proficiently at that. They have the second-most goals of any team in the league with 175, 3 goals behind the Oilers who have competed in 2 more games than them.
The leader of the offense is none other than David Pastrnak, the 26 year old phenom at right wing. On the best offense in the league with so many talented players, he still manages to rank 4th in points with 65 and 2nd in goals with 36. He is having his best season ever, on pace for 115 points. This would best out his previous record of 95 by an unbelievable points.
Defense Wins Championships
Where the offense is great, the defense is even greater. They have the most proficient goal-stopping numbers in the sport, which can be heavily contributed to goalie Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark spent last season on and off the ice, playing how you would expect looking at his previous years’ stats. He averaged 2.45 goals allowed per game and had a 26-10 record in goalie wins/losses.
This year has been incredibly different for Ullmark. He has put up career numbers, only allowing 1.82 goals per game. He leads the league in that category, and has 25 wins only halfway through the season.
His save percentage is also incredible, at a rate of 93.8%. This is the only time he has saved over 91.7% of shots other than a season where he only played in 5 games. He has become a beloved character in Boston, and contributed to their incredible statistics.
What’s Next?
This Bruins team is downright dominant, with a record of 37-5. They are ahead of the next best team in hockey by 6 wins, and are one of only two teams in the sport to have less than 10 losses.
This success seems to be maintainable, as every game seems to be more and more dominant. We could very well see the best season in NHL history from this team, and they are by far the championship favorites.
