The Bruins have been en fuego as of late, winning five of their last six games, in which they also rode a five-game winning streak until their Tuesday loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Even with the loss to the Ducks, though, the B’s can still take a couple of morale victories from their gut-wrenching defeat against Anaheim.
During Boston’s five game winning streak, they got some much-needed offense at even strength after being outscored 16–6 in the five previous games leading up to their winning streak. In those five games, they lost four of them, two of which were in overtime and a shootout. Afterwards, they began outscoring their opponents 21–6 when their streak was all said and done, and if you count their last minute loss to Anaheim, they’ve still impressively outscored their opponents 24–9 in the last six games. 
Two of these games included a Presidents’ Day matinee matchup with the, ironically enough, potential Presidents’ trophy winner Colorado Avalanche, and a late-night matchup with the Los Angeles Kings this past Monday. Boston was able to avenge themselves for their blown overtime loss four weeks ago by netting an avalanche of goals, defeating Colorado 5–1 in what became the Avalanche’s 10th non-overtime loss of the season. Jake Debrusk scored a goal in his second consecutive game, a feat he accomplished for the first time since April of last year; this accomplishment was only the beginning of what was going to become a dominant career week for Debrusk. This win was absolutely crucial for the Bruins, as the momentum of their win against the league’s best team propelled them into their most pivotal point of the season: the west coast road trip. 
With an overtime win against the newly established Seattle Kraken—in which Debrusk scored two goals, including the game winner—the Bruins got off to a terrific start on their road trip after giving up a shorthanded goal only three minutes into it. Debrusk—who has been a subject of controversy due to his displeasure with Boston that roots from a lack of playing time—has flourished in his brief stint on the first line, alongside Boston legends and dynamic duo Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. He and the Bruins picked up where they left off with a huge win over the San Jose Sharks last Saturday, winning 3–1 in a game where the B’s allowed only 16 shots.
After an off day, the Bruins traveled to the city of Angels Monday night to face the Los Angeles Kings; a night where they crowned themselves the new kings of LA in a 7–0 rout of a game that seemed like it was over from the get-go. Debrusk’s first career hat trick headlined the score sheet, as his seven goals in what was then five games significantly boosted the team’s ability to score in even strength situations, something the team has been lacking all season given their reliance on the power play. After the game, Debrusk’s agent came out and emphasized Jake’s desire to be traded by the trade deadline on March 21. So if anything, this brilliant showcase of skills he’s been displaying could not only help this team in what could be the final stretch of games he plays as a Bruin, but also in the long run if general manager Don Sweeney is able to pick up players that can substantially help build this team for years to come.
Though, even with the possibility of trading Debrusk, it looks like there will still be bright days ahead for the team donning black and gold. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman has been close to unstoppable over the past month since his return to the team after the retirement of Bruins legend Tuukka Rask. Swayman was awarded rookie of the month honors for February after going 5–1–1 and saving 96 percent of the shots he faced, all while only allowing on average 1.13 goals per game. The one overtime loss came in a shootout against a great New York Rangers team who statistically has one of the league’s current best goalies, Igor Shesterkin. Swayman’s success can essentially be summed up with an amazing glove against the Sharks on Saturday and his exceptional play on the road, where he stopped 95 percent of shots, along with three shutouts and an average of 1.42 goals allowed per game. Swayman can definitely help Boston’s chances of making a run in the playoffs. 
The great play does not stop at Swayman and Debrusk though, as the overall team chemistry head coach Bruce Cassidy has implemented in his four forward lines has proven to be really effective. Bruins goal scoring leader and NHL superstar David Pastrnak has found quite the rhythm with both Taylor Hall opposite him at right wing, and Erik Haula centering the pair of the talented offensive oriented players. The emergence of Haula as a reliable player in the top six helps fill the gap that David Krejci fit into last season, especially with his game flourishing with two top wingers in the league. His two goals against the Kings Monday night proved that, too. If anything, Halls’ 13 points in his last 12 games, along with Pastrnak’s current six game point streak that consists of five goals and nine points, further pushes the narrative of the B’s top six being all the more effective as the season has progressed. Not to mention, the upgrade of Trent Frederic to the third line has proven dividends for the team, as he has played some of the best hockey of his short career, with Charlie Coyle and reigning seventh man award winner, Craig Smith, alongside him. 
With the Bruins’ recent loss to Anaheim, though, we saw sloppy play and many penalties that proved to be critical for Boston, as the Ducks’ two goals in just over a minute during the closing stages of the first period put Boston in a two goal hole. Charlie McAvoy’s penalty with 45 seconds to go in the third didn’t help either, as the Ducks scored a game winner with 22 seconds left at the hands of Boston University alum Trevor Zegras. A morale victory from this game, though, is that the B’s fourth line is starting to produce efficiently. B’s winger Nick Foligno had a “Gordie Howe hat trick” against Anaheim in what has been an injury-plagued season, scoring the first goal for the B’s to go along with an assist on a Brandon Carlo goal. He also fought Ducks’ winger Sam Carrick in the first period to complete the hat trick named after the larger than life Red Wings great. Winger Jesper Froden was called up last Saturday against the Sharks for his second stint with the Bruins too. He has been doing a good job with Tomas Nosek and Foligno as his linemates, nearly scoring what would’ve been his first goal had it not been for a miraculous Jonathan Quick save when the Bruins played the Kings. Had it not been for the fourth line, we would have seen a worse outcome against Anaheim, but luckily, we saw that the Bruins bottom six can step up when the top six forwards have an off night. We’ll see if the Bruins lose any momentum in the coming weeks, but now that they have had their stressful west coast trip out of the way, it seems like they can come back into form and build off their previous dominant winning streak.