The Boston Bruins have gained traction since returning to TD Garden for their first homestand of the 2020-21 NHL season.
Bruce Cassidy’s club owns a 4-1-1 record in wake of Tuesday night’s thrilling overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, with three of those victories coming consecutively on home ice after a 1-1-1 road trip to kick off the new campaign.
ESPN released its updated power rankings Wednesday, taking into account past results and offseason additions. The Bruins experienced no movement from their Week 1 standing, still checking in at No. 8.
Here are the NHL’s top 10 teams through two weeks, according to rankings compiled from ESPN’s hockey editorial staff:
1. Vegas Golden Knights
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Montreal Canadiens
5. Washington Capitals
6. Colorado Avalanche
7. Dallas Stars
8. Boston Bruins
9. Philadelphia Flyers
10. Pittsburgh Penguins
Boston’s ranking seems a little low, but it’s worth noting analysts presumably still are leaning heavily on preseason evaluations so as not to overreact to hot starts that might or might not represent teams’ real, long-term identities.
It’s fair to assume the Bruins, a team with both solid talent and a track record of success in recent seasons, will climb the rankings before long if they maintain their current trajectory.
The B’s had some scoring issues out of the gate, particularly in 5-on-5 situations, but those seemingly have been ironed out, and Boston now is on the verge of getting back its top goal scorer, David Pastrnak.
The Bruins, with nine points in the standings through six games, entered Wednesday trailing only the Capitals (4-0-3, 11 points) in the MassMutual East Division.
