Four games remain in the 2022-23 regular season for the Boston Bruins before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. Their first-round opponent has yet to be determined with it most likely being either the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Florida Panthers. Regardless of who makes their way to Boston to begin a best-of-seven series, it’s going to be a tough matchup for the Black and Gold.
Winning 16 games to lift the Stanley Cup is a grind and the hardest championship to win. The Bruins have won the Presidents’ Trophy and have home-ice advantage throughout their stay in the postseason. Brad Marchand knows that regular season accomplishments don’t mean much, it’s all about winning 16 playoff games rather than celebrating a Presidents’ Trophy.
“If you win the Presidents’ Trophy but you don’t win the Cup, nobody cares. That’s what we know on this team,” said Marchand.
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If Boston is going to win their first championship since 2011, these three keys will play a big part in their playoff success.
Third Line Production
All season long, the Bruins have been getting bottom-six production from a number of different players. Taylor Hall, who has been sidelined with an injury since late February, has fit in very well with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic on the third line with 16 goals and 20 assists in 58 games. Coyle is playing some of the best hockey of his career, while Frederic has a career-high with 16 goals and 14 assists.
Tyler Bertuzzi was added at the trade deadline and was a top-six player with the Detroit Red Wings, but will more than likely slot in on the third line with Coyle and Hall when returns to the lineup. Last season the Bruins’ third line of Frederic, Craig Smith, and Coyle was peaking at the end of the regular season, but they disappeared in their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. In their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 against the St. Louis Blues, Boston’s third line played a big part in their postseason run and this season, they will play a big part, and production from them will make the Black and Gold a tougher out in a seven-game series.
Bruins Roster Depth at Forward & Defense
At the trade deadline, general manager (GM) Don Sweeney added depth to the roster and it has helped them already survive the injuries to Hall and Nick Foligno. Bertuzzi, who has three goals and six assists as a Bruin, has played up and down the lineup in the top nine, while Garnet Hathaway has solidified the fourth line by playing a tough sandpaper game, while also scoring a pair of game-winning goals.
The biggest addition is on defense with Dmitry Orlov coming over in a trade with the Washington Capitals. He has been a big addition on the blue line both offensively and defensively. In 20 games, he has three goals and 12 assists, while playing well in all situations. His best pairing is with Charlie McAvoy, which slides Hampus Lindholm down to the second pair and he gives the Bruins three No. 1 defensemen.
It’s going to be tough for Montgomery to keep Jakub Lauko off the playoff roster on the fourth line if Foligno comes back. The Bruins have been able to withstand Derek Forbort’s injury and if he’s able to return, that would begin the rotation of defensemen in the lineup and will continue with a good defenseman sitting each game. Jakub Zboril has played well this season and is another option should injuries pile up.
Overall, Montgomery will have opportunities to mix and match in each game depending on the matchup and need. It’s a good situation for any coach to be in.
Bruins Get Ahead & Stay Ahead
There has been no better team this season when scoring first than the Bruins and the numbers are just mind-boggling. They are 40-1-3 when scoring first in a game, 34-1-1 when leading after the first period, and 44-1-2 when taking a lead into the third period.
The Bruins have a goal differential of plus-121 and a third-period goal differential of plus-50. Part of the reason why Boston has been so good at getting a lead and playing ahead has been the dominance of their goaltending with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Combined with one start from former Bruin Keith Kinkaid, they currently hold a .931 save percentage (SV%), tops in the NHL. When they score first and take a lead into the final period, they rarely lose.
This has been a regular season for the Bruins that will go down in the books as a remarkable one considering how it started with Marchand, McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk beginning the season recovering from offseason surgeries. Through it all, they were the best team in the league, but there is nothing to remember if they don’t have postseason success. In order for them to have postseason success, these keys will play a big part in it.