With less than 10 games to go before reaching the end of the regular season and currently sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins have clinched a spot in the playoffs for the eighth season in a row (they have not missed it since the 2015-16 season). The real question for the team for most of the season was not whether they would make the postseason, but rather if they’d be able to make it out of the first round. They lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022 and then famously flamed out last season to the Florida Panthers in seven games.
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The Bruins’ level of success this season has once again come as a bit of a surprise given the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Despite that, many guys have been able to step up to help fill in the void and keep the team near the top of the Eastern Conference throughout the entirety of 2023-24.
But none of that will really matter if they lose in the first round once again after being a top team entering the postseason. The big guns (David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and the goaltenders) will be expected to be elite contributors. But when playoffs come, it is often the middle-six guys or lower-pairing defensemen that can push a team over the hump.
Outside of the Bruins’ elite, top-end talent, several guys could turn it on in the postseason and be difference-makers for the team in the playoffs.
Jake DeBrusk
What a season it has been for Jake DeBrusk. The fact that he is still wearing the black and gold is a bit of a surprise given the number of rumors surrounding him at the trade deadline and his stalled extension talks. If there truly is no hope of an extension this offseason, then the playoffs will be his final time as a Bruin and the final chance he’ll have to make his case for his next contract wherever it will be.
DeBrusk has not played as well this season as he has shown in the past, but he has turned it around since the end of February, contributing to a great month he’s had this March. He currently sits at 18 goals and 39 points on the season. He should be able to hit the 20-goal mark and 40-point threshold in the final few games, which is quite a positive given some of the low points he’s had this season.
The Bruins can only benefit from DeBrusk being able to carry this momentum into the playoffs. They are a better team when he is playing to his true capabilities. He has had the hardest adjustment to life post-Bergeron and Krejci, but finally seems to be developing some chemistry with the centers, and just in time for the most important stretch of the 2023-24 season.
DeBrusk has been impressive in the postseason in the past. He has 22 goals and 36 points in 73 career playoff games. Last season, he had four goals and six points in their seven-game series against the Panthers.
Matt Grzelcyk
Matt Grzelcyk fell out of the playoff rotation last season in a move from head coach Jim Montgomery that certainly led to a fair amount of head-scratching. The playoffs have not always been kind to him and last season was certainly not his best, but it didn’t feel like enough to warrant keeping him out of five of seven games against the Panthers.
Like DeBrusk, it has not been the best season for Grzelcyk in 2023-24. He’s dealt with injury issues and is on pace to finish with the lowest points in a season of his career. He currently sits at two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 57 games. He has not been bad this season, but is looking more like a guy who could benefit from a change of scenery as he is in the final year of his contract.
As mentioned, the playoffs have not always been kind to him. He is largely a positive player when it comes to plus/minus (he’s currently sitting at a career total plus-135) but in the playoffs he is always a minus and is a minus-19 overall. Plus/minus is not the end all be all of stats, but it is an indicator of the fact that he does not tend to play as well in the playoffs as he does in the regular season.
If he is able to buck his normal trends and put together a solid playoff performance, it would go a long way for the Bruins, particularly given their struggles on the blue line this season. This is a team with a bad habit of blowing leads late, and if they can manage to be just a bit more responsible in their own zone throughout the lineup, that could be a difference-maker. For Grzelcyk, he should be extra motivated this postseason going into contract talks. He will only be benefitted by leaving this season with a good on-ice performance.
Johnny Beecher
Johnny Beecher made the Bruins roster for the first time out of training camp this season, but was eventually sent down to play with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL). Since returning to Boston on March 14, he has had a goal and an assist in six games, bringing his 2023-24 season totals up to six goals and nine points in 45 games. Playing primarily on the fourth line and averaging only 10 and a half minutes of ice time a night, his stats aren’t bad. Most importantly, he’s been impressive in the face-off circle with a 54.8% win percentage.
The trip down to Providence was a good one for him, allowing Beecher a chance to get more minutes and opportunities, and he has been impressive since his return. He’s been playing with energy and fighting for one of those bottom-six spots. He is certainly someone who should be in the rotation when playoffs officially start.
While he most likely won’t be one of the top scorers in the postseason, if he can carry this momentum from the past few games and even build on it, he could play an important role in getting the bottom-six involved. A lot of teams have top talent, but the playoffs are determined by what team gets the most effort from up and down the lineup. Think about how pivotal that third line was for the Tampa Bay Lightning during their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.
The Bruins have been lucky to have a lot of success out of guys in the middle and bottom six like Morgan Geekie, Trent Frederic, and James van Riemsdyk throughout the season. In the playoffs, the team could really get some great play out of Beecher in the face-off circle and a couple of points on the stats sheet.
Bruins Heading to the 2024 Playoffs
It goes without saying that the guys who have been the top talent the whole season need to show up in the playoffs. All eyes will be on David Pastrnak, who could be a Hart Trophy finalist again this season, and the goaltenders, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, who once again had a great regular season and will hopefully be able to continue it in the playoffs.
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In general, the Bruins will be under the microscope this postseason as they go in once again as a top team. They luckily should be able to avoid a first round matchup with the Panthers again, but most likely, they will have to face them at some point on the road to the Stanley Cup Final.
There have been changes to the roster from last season to this one, but for the core group of guys, redemption is certainly on the line as they seek to avoid making it three seasons in a row that they get bounced in the first round. Only a few more weeks to go to see what they will be able to do.