The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost here and the Toronto Maple Leafs will play either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Boston Bruins.
After last night’s contest between the Bruins and the Lightning, both teams have 110 points and are gunning for first place in the Eastern Conference. There’s no telling yet who the Toronto Maple Leafs will play in the opening round.
Even though the Bruins lost 4-0 to the Lightning, Boston is still in the driver’s seat as they play one more game than Tampa. Over the course of the next three games, the Bruins will face the Florida Panthers on the road, the Ottawa Senators at home and then the Panthers at home. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins win the remaining games.
The Lightning have two more games. They’ll take on the Buffalo Sabres and the Carolina Hurricanes on the road to finish the season. Both match-ups should be wins for the Lightning, but anything can happen.
It’ll be very interesting to see how it all shakes out.
Boston Bruins
There is no doubt that the Bruins are a great squad. The Bruins are tied for third in the NHL with Toronto Maple Leafs for GF/GP with 3.31 goals. They don’t allow many goals and own a 2.54 GA/GP. In addition, they have a flawless power-play unit and a strong penalty kill. They’ll be a tough squad to beat no matter who they face.
In terms of their offense, they have quite a bit of fire power including Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Danton Heinen, David Krejci and Jake Debrusk. Per Dailyfaceoff.com, Bruce Cassidy, head coach of the Bruins typically has Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak play with each other on the top line. If the Toronto Maple Leafs end up facing the Bruins, the goal should be to shut down the top line when on the power-play. Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak have registered a ton of points on the power-play. They seem to be more impressive when up a man than when they are playing 5v5.
Bruins Offensive Depth
It’s easier said than done of course, but if they can shut down the top line than the Bruins won’t be as strong. The depth after the top line honestly isn’t there. The Bruins have a solid second line comprised of Ryan Donato, Krejci and Debrusk, but after the second line the Bruins aren’t as solid as you might think.
Yes, Heinen who was 14 goals and 30 assists is on the third line, but he’s not paired with the best linemates. He’s playing with David Backes and Brian Gionta. Backes isn’t having a great season and owns 31 points in 53 games. In addition, Backes’ shooting percentage is low and currently sits at 8.0%. It’s Backes’ worst shooting percentage since his 2012-2013 campaign, where he registered a 6.2 S% with the St. Louis Blues. On the other hand, Gionta has been ok. The Bruins are hoping that Gionta is this year’s Mark Recchi. He hasn’t really played like Recchi though. Currently, he owns 2 goals and 4 assists in 16 games.
More from Editor In Leaf
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
- Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
- Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament
Bruins Defense & Net-minding
Aside from the Bruins’ offense, their defense is phenomenal as well. To date, the Bruins only have one defense-man who owns less than a 50 CF% this season. In fact, the defense-man who owns a CF% less than 50% no longer plays in Boston.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, they’ll have to rely on a depth defense-man in the playoffs. They’ll need someone to step up after Brandon Carlo suffered a fractured left ankle.
The Bruins’ net-minding is stellar as well. The Bruins’ starting net-minder is former Maple Leafs prospect, Tuukka Rask. This season, Rask owns a 2.28 GAA and a .919 SV%. Plus, he’s even better when it comes to the playoffs. He owns a career playoff GAA of 2.12 and a .920 SV%.
The Major Flaw In Boston
There is one major flaw with the Bruins. They take a tremendous amount of penalties. According to foxsports.com, the Bruins own a 9.7 PIM/G. The Bruins will likely give their first round playoff opponent quite a few opportunities to capitalize on the power-play.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Bruins, this is an area where Auston Matthews, James van Riemsdyk and the power-play unit can shine. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a strong power-play unit and own a 24.4 PP%.
Why I Prefer Boston Over Tampa?
Both the Bruins and the Lightning are great teams, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have had challenges with the Lightning this season. Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman have caused some long nights with no sleep for Mike Babcock and the coaching staff. This season, the Lightning own a 3-1 record when facing the Maple Leafs.
While the Lightning’s penalty kill might not be as dominant as the Bruins, they own the best GF/GP in the NHL with 3.46 goals. Plus, they have the second best power-play in the league behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Next: Three Reasons Why Bozak Will Re-Sign
On the other hand, the Maple Leafs have fared well against Boston this season. This season, the Maple Leafs have beaten the Bruins three times in four games. It seems that Babcock and his coaching staff know how to play against Boston, so I’d feel more comfortable playing the Bruins come playoff time than the Lightning.
stats from NHL.com, hockey-reference.com & foxsports.com