The Boston Bruins, for the most part, were an absolute force for much of the NHL regular season.
Boston tied for the second-most points in the league with 107, finishing behind just the Tampa Bay Lightning — a team that put up historic numbers and tied the league record with 62 wins.
So it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that ESPN had a difficult time finding a fault in the Bruins’ game as they complied a “fatal flaw” for each playoff team.
But, nonetheless, they persisted, and here’s what ESPN writer Ben Arledge came up with:
“Fatal number: 2.65 even-strength goals per 60 minutes
It was actually pretty difficult to find a numbers-based issue with this team, at least relative to the rest of the playoff pack. But the Bruins do struggle a little in scoring when all things are even, with 18.2 percent of their goals coming on the power play. David Pastrnak had 17 on the man advantage, compared to 21 at even strength. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if the power plays run dry, Boston will have to find a way to score more frequently at evens.”
Bruins fans might know a thing or two about the power play going cold in the playoffs. As you may remember, Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011 with virtually no help from the power play, which was 0-for-21 in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens.
But this Bruins team has been a power play wagon, converting on 25.9 percent of their opportunities. They ranked 19th in the league in even strength goals. That said, it’s tough for any team to win the Cup without their power play putting up numbers.
