The Bruins have been a dominant team in the NHL from the first puck drop back in October and continue to be a force with a record of 60-12-5 and 125 points.
As favorites to win the Stanley Cup and current Presidents’ Trophy winners, Boston has utilized the final stretch of the regular season to get healthy by allowing veterans Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy to get some rest from nagging injuries, along with not rushing Taylor Hall or Nick Foligno back into the lineup before they are ready.
When Hall does return to the lineup, the Bruins’ third line should be Charlie Coyle centering Tyler Bertuzzi and Hall. That’s a pretty formidable line, and NHL experts Dave Reid and Mike Rupp think it will be one of, if not the best, third lines in the league.
“Taylor Hall can carry a line and not only carry a line, he can carry a first line,” Reid told Jamison Coyle on the NHL Network show “NHL Tonight.” ” … All of a sudden, Taylor Hall can go in there, and with the puck, he can score from distance. He’s not afraid to go to the ugly areas. He can run a power play. I mean, he’s done it all.”
Reid noted that Hall won the Hart Trophy when he was with the New Jersey Devils, and he’s hungry to win a Stanley Cup. Rupp agreed, stating the third line is key to any team’s success in their hunt for a championship.
“Show me every team’s third line. Blackout the rest of their lineup,” Rupp said. “I’ll tell you which team I think is going to be a cup contender, and certainly, they’re gonna fall in there for a player like this. … He could be this difference maker on line three for the Boston Bruins.”
So, do Reidd and Rupp think the Bruins can win the Stanley Cup this year?
“This team’s gonna be the favorite for everybody,” Rupp said. “So, can they win the cup without him? Probably. Can they win with him? Yeah, absolutely. He makes them that much more dangerous.”
As the Bruins get ready for their Cup run, head coach Jim Montgomery is hopeful Hall will get a couple of games under his belt before the start of the postseason, but is happy with the depth of the team.
