How the Bruins’ Turnaround Secured Their Playoff Spot
The Boston Bruins completed an unexpected turnaround and clinched a playoff spot on Saturday. The milestone came under first-year coach Marco Sturm.
From low point to resurgence
Last season ended poorly, with the roster significantly altered. Expectations fell, but internal belief never wavered, players said.
Sturm’s arrival helped steady the club. The Bruins’ turnaround became obvious as the calendar moved into the playoff race.
Balanced attack powers the club
Boston fields one of the NHL’s most balanced offenses. Eight players have reached at least 15 goals this season.
That total ties the Bruins with Carolina, Minnesota and Edmonton for second-most in the league. Morgan Geekie leads Boston with 38 goals.
Second line chemistry
Pavel Zacha centers a high-impact second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson. Mittelstadt moved to the wing after struggles at center.
Since the Olympic break, that trio has outscored opponents 21-11 at five-on-five. They have also generated a 109-81 advantage in off-rush chances.
Pastrnak’s shift toward playmaking
David Pastrnak is near a fourth 100-point season. He has a career-high 70 assists so far.
Pastrnak targets high-danger areas when passing. Nearly 28 percent of his 1,657 offensive-zone pass attempts find the slot.
That slot-pass rate ranks third among 334 players with at least 500 offensive-zone passes. Fifty of his 70 assists came from those slot passes.
Pastrnak still poses a scoring threat. He logged 132 one-timer attempts and 225 scoring chances this year.
Goaltending turnaround
Jeremy Swayman set an elite goal in training camp and delivered strong results. He posted 42.1 goals saved above expected this season.
That figure ranks third overall and tops goaltenders who will play in the postseason. Swayman saved more goals than expected in 41 of 53 starts.
His quality-start rate sits at 77.4 percent, a major jump from last season’s 59.6 percent. Only Andrei Vasilevskiy had a slightly higher rate.
Road to the first round
Boston faces a likely matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. As of Tuesday morning, the Bruins hold a 65.6 percent chance of drawing Buffalo.
They have a 34.4 percent chance of facing the Carolina Hurricanes instead. A win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday would lock in the Sabres matchup.
Can the Bruins pull off an upset?
Boston enters the playoffs in a rare underdog role. Their balanced scoring, revitalized goaltending and second-line chemistry give them multiple paths to victory.
Filmogaz.com will follow the Bruins’ progress as they attempt to translate this turnaround into playoff success.
