The Boston Bruins have been perennial playoff contenders for the better part of two decades, oftentimes establishing themselves as legitimate threats to hoist the Stanley Cup.
So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Bruce Cassidy’s club found its footing this year and again punched its ticket to the NHL’s postseason. The B’s will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
Now, how far will the Bruins advance?
It depends on who you ask, of course. The Athletic recently polled five active NHL executives — four from teams in the playoffs and one from a team outside the playoffs — to break up the 16 playoff teams into tiers from 1 to 5. The Bruins landed in Tier 3, alongside the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins.
“They’ve done so much better than I thought they were going to this year,” one executive told The Athletic of the Bruins. “My question is after those guys (Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand), how does that group come through? I love (Charlie) McAvoy, I love Hampus Lindholm but it’s going to come down to Linus Ullmark and the supporting cast after the top guys.”
The Bruins aren’t the most talented team in the Eastern Conference. They enter the Stanley Cup playoffs as the No. 1 wild-card team, finishing with 107 points in the standings, whereas the Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division with 116 points.
But Boston is relatively deep and experienced. The Canes will have to play their best hockey to hold off the Black and Gold, and another deep run for the Bruins isn’t out of the question if the battle-tested trio of Bergeron, Pastrnak and Marchand receives the necessary support under the bright lights.
