As of the Christmas break, the Boston Bruins are 19-10-5 and are riding a four game winning streak, winning seven of their last nine games.
Their recent hot streak has pushed them into third place in the Atlantic Division by a seven point margin.
This team has a lot to be excited about heading into 2018 and it starts with their stellar goaltending.
Back in late November, the Bruins were riding the resurgence of goalie Anton Khudobin who recently recorded a shutout against the Buffalo Sabres, but now Boston seems to have gotten the old Tuukka Rask back.
Rask struggled early in the season but in his last nine games, he has also allowed one or fewer goals six times. He now holds a .918 save percentage.
The Bruins defensive success goes beyond the goaltenders, however, as their blue line has quietly turned into a top ten unit.
Zdeno Chara is having another solid season, Torey Krug is helping score goals, and Charlie McAvoy is enjoying a sensational rookie season.
Going under the radar has been the stellar play of Brandon Carlo. He may not be as active offensively, but he’s enjoying a second consecutive season of stellar defensive play.
On the other side of the ice, the Bruins first line has been an unrelenting scoring machine.
The trio of Marchand, Pastrnak, and Bergeron have simply overwhelmed teams and have been enough to lean on for offensive production.
The three have combined for a staggering 89 points, including 40 goals.
The only issue for the Bruins, however, is that this might not be sustainable, especially in a playoff environment. The Bruins are finally getting healthy, but they still need more production out of their second through fourth lines.
Rookies Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk have shined at times, but haven’t been very consistent.
The Bruins have proven to the NHL that they are a major threat to the talent they have, especially on defense, but they’re going to need secondary players to start scoring sooner or later.
The first line may be a powerhouse, but it won’t be enough to carry the team for the whole season.
