Bruins taking NHL by storm with ideal blend of youth and experience
The Boston Bruins are a cornerstone franchise in the NHL.
The Original Six club never seems to be truly out of Cup contention, qualifying for the playoffs 11 out of the last 15 seasons despite personnel changes in the front office, behind the bench, and obviously on the ice.
This year's edition of the Bruins is once again on pace to be playing postseason puck. It's the perfect balance of young and experienced players sprinkled throughout Boston's lineup that should have fans in Beantown already circling dates on the calendar for April, May, and perhaps, June.
The excellent mix of young and veteran players is easiest to see by taking a glimpse at Boston's forward line combinations used in its most recent contest against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
(Line combinations courtesy: Daily Faceoff)
Every single line has the Bruins' biggest strength on full display: depth.
Boston's ability to roll out four lines allows head coach Bruce Cassidy the luxury of not having to overplay his top-six forward group, a unit that includes players Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron - three key players aged 29 or older.
However, Cassidy augments his aging players by blending guys like David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen into his lineup. Three forwards that are all under the age of 23.
The even mix of age and youth is arguably best exemplified on the back end, where veteran D-man Zdeno Chara and rookie rearguard Charlie McAvoy form the Bruins' top defensive pairing. Big Z and McAvoy are separated in age by exactly 20 years, but that isn't stopping them from forging a chemistry that sees the pair earn over 22 minutes a night, each.
Of course, a well-balanced attack only means something if it translates into tangible success. And luckily for Cassidy and Co., his eclectic mix of players is doing exactly that as the Bruins have been nothing short of sensational over the last two months.
Since Nov. 16, Boston has registered an impressive 19-3-4 record while outscoring opponents at almost a two-to-one clip, earning 58 points to date.
Wednesday's win marked the 10th time in the 94-year history of the franchise that the @NHLBruins have recorded a point streak of at least 14 games. Eight of those instances have occurred in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44). #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/rC9PA70Nyl
- NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 18, 2018
In addition to success in the standings, the Bruins are excelling statistically, and a lot of that stems from their solid power play and penalty kill.
Boston owns the ninth-best PP (21 percent) and PK (83.1 percent) in the league. But, what is perhaps the most impressive stat of them all are the 109 goals the Bruins have allowed this season - good for second least in the NHL.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask has also benefited from the balanced attack in front of him, as the veteran netminder is having one of the best seasons of his 11-year career. Across 29 games this campaign, the 30-year-old goaltender has registered a 16-8-4 record to go along with two shutouts and a sparkling 2.21 goals-against average.
Simply put, Boston is firing on all cylinders, and a lot of it has to do with a deep lineup.
Entering Thursday night's action, the Bruins find themselves sitting pretty with a seven-point cushion on the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. And with a roster so well balanced with youth and experience, Boston could very well continue its assault on the rest of the league well into spring.
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