The Boston Bruins fell one win short of hoisting the Stanley Cup last season.
Now, they must start from scratch.
It’s a harsh reality for the Bruins, who lost to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of last season’s Stanley Cup Final, but the good news for Boston is the club’s core remains mostly intact. Another deep playoff run could be in the cards for the Black and Gold.
ESPN.com on Monday published its 2019-20 Bruins season preview, which took stock of Boston’s potential ahead of the new NHL campaign. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski made a “bold prediction” and identified a “breakout candidate” as part of the piece.
Wyshynski predicted Bruins backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak will end the season with more wins than starter Tuukka Rask.
Rask, of course, stood on his head in the playoffs, but Halak received a healthy dose of playing time during the regular season, which could be one reason why the former performed so well when the stakes were raised in the postseason. Rask started 45 games and posted a 27-13-5 record to go along with a .912 save percentage and a 2.48 goals against average in the regular season. Halak started 37 games and posted a 22-11-4 record in addition to a .922 save percentage and a 2.34 goals against average.
As far as a breakout candidate, Wyshynski pointed to Karson Kuhlman, who provided a spark in the playoffs after totaling three goals and two assists for five points in 11 regular-season contests. Here’s what Wyshynski wrote about the 24-year-old forward:
The right wing followed up his 11 games in the regular season with eight solid ones in the playoffs. Great forechecker, good shot and looking to get a spot playing next to Krejci, who’s created his share of offensive breakout players.
The puck drops on Boston’s season this Thursday when the Bruins visit the Dallas Stars.
