The 2022-23 NHL season has been a historic one for the Bruins, but they have one flaw they’ll need to tighten up to reach their ultimate goal.
Boston is on pace to break the record for most regular-season wins, which was set by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and tied by the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning, with 63. It can tie the points record at 132 that was set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.
Linus Ullmark, Patrice Bergeron and Jim Montgomery could walk away with hardware with the Vezina Trophy, Selke Trophy and Jack Adams, respectively. And the Black and Gold can clinch the Atlantic Division as soon as Thursday.
However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski highlighted the “biggest headache” for every playoff contender, and he shed light on an issue Montgomery has been open about during the final stretch of the regular season.
“But they’re not flawless,” Wyshynski wrote of the Bruins on Thursday. “They might have the NHL’s best penalty kill — 86% in 70 games — but their power play is more middling (22.5%), ranking 12th in the NHL. In February, their power play was at just 13% efficiency. In March, it’s up slightly to 16%.
“Power plays don’t often tip a series either way, but it’s one of the few areas where the Bruins aren’t crushing it — and that’s despite David Pastrnak already having more power-play goals (16) than he had last season (15). They’re still the Hope Diamond. This is just a finger smudge.”
Wyshynski compared the B’s to the Hope Diamond as it is a team with very few flaws, but the power play certainly is something Montgomery continues to tinker with to find the best combinations. The pre-trade deadline additions of Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi have helped him find more possible answers to Boston’s problem.
If Taylor Hall returns from his injury, that is another option for Montgomery to try to figure out how to fit in. And Brad Marchand felt he could be playing at a higher level than he already has at, so that is another factor to consider when it comes to Boston’s power play woes.
As Wyshynski wrote, the Bruins have very few flaws, but they know they’ll have to match the opposing team’s best in order to win and complete their historic season with a Stanley Cup.
