The Boston Bruins sit fourth in the Atlantic Division and are six points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for third at the NHL All-Star break.
If the season ended today, the Bruins would be in the playoffs fighting for a chance at the Stanley Cup. The East is proving once again to be a tough division with the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, and Boston has been playing better hockey since the new year began.
No team is perfect, and the Bruins certainly have some things to work out when they return to game action. Here are three questions the Bruins face after the All-Stat break.
WHAT DOES THE GOALIE SITUATION LOOK LIKE?
The Bruins' goalie situation has been a storyline since before the 2021-22 season even started, but it's gotten even more interesting of late.
Tuukka Rask, who re-signed with the team in January after a months-long hip rehab, is dealing with a lower-body injury that forced Boston to recall Jeremy Swayman from Providence to back up Linus Ullmark. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said Rask received treatment on their latest road trip and they'd have a better idea of where he was at after the break.
We won't have answers about Rask's status until next week, but if he's good to go, one might guess Swayman returns to Providence and Rask continues to get starts. It's worth noting the veteran did not get any rehab starts, and Cassidy wanted to get Rask in net often in order to get him up to speed. However, if Rask needs more time, it's a safe bet that Swayman will continue to shine between the pipes when called upon.
HOW WILL THE BRUINS APPROACH THE TRADE DEADLINE?
Boston could benefit from another defenseman and/or forward and does have some pieces to make a solid trade work. Plus, Jake DeBrusk requested a trade from the Bruins earlier this year, so it will be interesting to see if he remains in Black and Gold after the deadline.
However, the Bruins don't have a ton of depth and general manager Don Sweeney won't want to trade away all of their prospects, but the window for the B's core is closing, and it's unclear if Patrice Bergeron will continue to play hockey after his contract expires at the end of this season. So if the Bruins are in win-now mode and want to make a splash, this will be the year to do it.
They likely will need to decide what is a bigger area of need because it will be a tough task to acquire both a solid forward and defenseman.
DOES BRUCE CASSIDY STICK WITH TOP SIX?
Cassidy broke up the solid top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Bergeron in hopes to generate some offense up and down the lineup. Pastrnak moved down to the second line to play with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith moved up to the first. Erik Haula also began to center the second line while Charlie Coyle moved back to his natural third-line center position.
It seemed to work, to say the least. Pastrnak began to find his scoring groove after a bit of a drought to start the season. Smith started looking like he did last year and Haula looked solid at the 2C position. Haula is in COVID-19 protocol, but figures to return next week. Things seemed to be working quite nicely for the top six, so it would be wise for Cassidy to stick with what is bringing the Bruins success.
