Boston Bruins Primed For A Playoff Run At Season Midpoint

The Boston Bruins are halfway through the NHL season, standing 24-10-8 for a total of 56 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division.  If the playoffs were to begin now, at the midway point of the season, the Bruins would face the Toronto Maple Leafs with Boston having home ice advantage for the 1st round.

One of the biggest reasons for the successful season is the team's offense.  Boston can score, averaging 3.19 goals per game, 6th in the NHL.  The Bruins skate the puck into the offensive zone creating scoring opportunities - shots on goal scoring or generating rebound opportunities.  The Bruins are also making teams pay on the man-advantage, scoring on 20.7% of their power play chances.

Boston is proving to be a decent defensive hockey team.  They don’t allow teams to spend much time in the defensive zone.   Boston gives up an impressive 2.52 goals per game, 3rd best in the NHL.

And, when Boston takes penalties, teams are having a tough time setting up their power play.  The Bruins poke-check the puck or check players off the puck.  Once that happens, the Bruins fire the puck to the other end of the ice to take time off the power play kill.  They are also blocking shots so the puck doesn’t get to their goaltender.  Their power play kill ratio is at 82.8%.

In hockey, a team wants to ride a hot goaltender throughout the season.  The Bruins have two goaltenders they trust in Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin.  Rask is 15-8-4 with a goals-against average of 2.26.  His save percentage is .919.  For Khudobin, his record is 9-2-4 with a goals-against average of 2.40 and a save percentage of .924.  It doesn’t matter which goaltender is between the pipes.  Boston can trust both of them to make the saves and cover up the puck.

Boston's offense and its defense are the reasons for the Bruins winning season.  The Bruins look primed for a playoff run.  Then again it is only the middle of the year.  The Bruins still have lots of work to do, but they're having a hot start.  Hopefully it will end in a long postseason run.

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