With 15 games remaining, the 2019-20 Boston Bruins season has proven to be strikingly similar to the 2018-19 season. The Bruins have been a dominant team for the majority of the season and are poised to make run for the Stanley Cup.
Boston Bruins Season Similarities
At this point in the season, the Bruins are better compared to last year’s team. However, the trajectory of each season has been comparable.
The Bruins currently have a 43-13-12 record (96 points) and sit at first place in the division. On this date last season, the Bruins were 39-17-9 (87 points) and sat at second place in the division.
How They Got Here
While this year’s Bruins are performing better than last season thus far, the path of each season has been nearly identical.
The 2019-20 Bruins started the season well in October in November by going 18-3-5 but performance dipped shortly after. In December and January, the Bruins went 12-7-7 for a season record of 30-10-12.
The 2018-19 Bruins also started the season well by going 14-7-4 in November and January but they too saw their performance falter afterwards. In December and January of last season, the Bruins went 13-10-3 for a season record of 27-17-7.
In both seasons, February has proven to be the Bruins’ best month. This year, the Bruins went 11-3-0 in February, totalling 22 points. Last year the Bruins went 11-0-2 in February, totalling 24 points.
Much like last season, David Pastrnak leads the team in goals and the first line of the Bruins is the engine to the offence. Young players like Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo are becoming top defencemen and goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak have been arguably the best tandem in the league.
At The Trade Deadline
Don Sweeney made two key trades around the 2019 and 2020 trade deadlines. Both moves were similar. In 2019, Sweeney acquired a big body forward in Charlie Coyle and a finesse scorer in Marcus Johansson.
In 2020, Sweeney did the same by acquiring the big-bodied Nick Ritchie and finesse scorer Ondrej Kase. In both seasons, Sweeney has attempted to bolster the roster for a deep playoff run.
The Bruins record at the 2020 trade deadline was 39-12-12 (first in Atlantic Division). Similar to their 36-17-9 (second in Atlantic Division) record at the 2019 trade deadline.
Divisional Divide
The strength of the Atlantic Division also plays a role in Boston’s success. The Bruins have maintained a large lead in the division for the majority of the season due to their strong play and weaker play from division opponents.
Last season, nobody could catch the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished the season with 20 more points than the Bruins. Boston finished the 2018-19 season with 107 points and in second place. It looks like 107 points could be enough to win the division this year. The Bruins are on pace to finish above that.
Last season, the Bruins had a 16-10-2 record against divisional opponents. This season, they are currently 13-5-3 against the division.
At this point, last season, the separation between the second and third spot in the division was three points. This year, the difference is nine points. With no team from the Atlantic Division currently in a wild card spot, the division is very top-heavy and the Bruins are at the top.
Moving Forward
The Bruins will be looking to secure home-ice for the playoffs as they currently have the best record in the NHL. Boston certainly looks like the best team in the league thus far.
For the most part, the Bruins look even better than they did last season. They’ll likely add somewhere around 15-20 more points before this season ends. Expect them to finish with about ten more points than they did last year.
However, the path the Bruins have taken this season is very familiar. This season and last season, the Bruins started strong then faltered slightly in December in January. Coming out of the All-Star break, February proved to be their best month while acquiring two players at the trade deadline. The top performers from last year are still the top performers this year.
Much like last season, the Boston Bruins season has been a strong one and they’re primed to make another deep playoff run. The only thing left to do for Boston is to make sure this season doesn’t end the same as last season.
Main Photo:
