1. Secondary Scoring
Somebody other than the Bergeron line has to produce, and now that Bergeron is out for at least the next two and half weeks, the B’s will be forced to create some sort of secondary scoring. Since Bergeron was injured on December 16, the Bruins have a 3–1–1 record. This is impressive for a team who lost their number one center, and most of their success has come because of certain players stepping up; such as Jacob Forsbacka Karlsson, David Krejci, and Jake DeBrusk. It seems the Bruins found some scoring throughout the lineup lately, but past seasons have proven that there is no guarantee this keeps up.
2. Inexperience
Many have argued that the Bruins were too young going into the playoffs last season. The average age of the B’s last year was 26.9 years old, while going into this season the average age was 28 years old. However, now that the 41-year-old, Zdeno Chara, is out for an extended period of time, the B’s have brought up two rookie defensemen from Providence in Jeremy Lauzon (21 years old) and Connor Clifton (23 years old), making their team significantly younger. Although it is good that the Bruins are incorporating their young players into the lineup, last season’s short playoff run should have shown the B’s that they need more experience to make a playoff run.
3. Uncertainty at Goalkeeper
Since Tuukka Rask came back from his leave of absence, both Rask and Jaroslav Halak have been firing on all cylinders. However, when it comes to the playoffs, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy will have a tough decision as to who should be the starter. Halak has appeared in 30 playoff games, holds a 13–15 record and a 0.924 save percentage. Aside from the losing record, the save percentage is pretty good. Rask has appeared in 65 playoff games, holds a 35–30 record and also has a 0.924 save percentage. All in all, this is pretty good, however last post season Rask’s save percentage was all the way down to 0.903, which is lousy. It will be a tough decision once it comes, but I have got to believe that Cassidy will ride the hot hand as long as he can.
4. Stiff Competition
Despite being in 9th place in the entire league, Boston currently sits in 4th place in their division and holds a wild card spot in the playoffs. Two out of the three teams ahead of Boston in their division are juggernauts in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. I do not anticipate the B’s finishing with more points than either of these two teams. However, the Buffalo Sabres have become the biggest surprise team, as they currently sit in first place in the division and the entire league, after finishing dead last last season. The Bruins will have their hands full trying to get through those teams in the playoffs.
5. Injuries
The injury plagued Bruins currently have six players on the injury report, including Patrice Bergeron and captain, Zdeno Chara. Before we can even talk about the playoffs for the B’s, they must get through some injury adversity. If the injuries finally catch up to Boston and they start losing, Boston might not even see the playoffs this season. If the B’s can make the playoffs, then certain players need to make sure they stay on the ice, such as Torey Krug, who got injured in last year’s playoffs, and Brandon Carlo, who has yet to play in a playoff game due to late season injuries.
It is still early in the season, and the Bruins have a long way to go before they can even think about the playoffs. However, I do not believe that the Bruins will be able to win any kind of silverware with their current roster. So, could a trade be in store for the Bruins this season? or will they just hope someone steps up? I guess we will have to wait and see.