The time has come for the Boston Bruins to build on their historic regular season and win the franchise’s second Stanley Cup title this century.
For a while now, Bruins fans have been eagerly awaiting the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins were the best team all season, setting league records for most wins (65) and most points (135). They have a deep, super-talented and well-coached roster with few weaknesses. They also have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Bruins vs. Panthers first-round playoff preview, odds and predictions
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks or concerns surrounding this group. Each of the 16 playoff teams has some potential issues that could arise, and the B’s are no different.
Here are five important questions for the Bruins before their first-round playoff series against the Panthers.
Will Linus Ullmark’s historic regular season translate into the playoffs?
For months, fans and media in other cities around the league wondered if Ullmark’s strong start to the season was just a hot streak. They ask: “There’s no way he’s that good, right?” Well, as the season went on it quickly became clear that Ullmark wasn’t just on a hot streak – he was in the midst of one of the best goaltending seasons this season.
He won the goaltending triple crown by leading the league in wins, save percentage and goals against average. He dominated the statistical leaderboards and was the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy.
There is no reason to believe that Ullmark will suddenly perform below the level he has shown all season, unless some sort of injury becomes the cause. And, frankly, he didn’t need to play at the same pace for the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
Since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, only two Cup-winning goalies — Matt Murray in 2016-17 and Andre Vasilevskiy in 2020-21 — have a playoff save percentage of .930 or better. Last year, Darcy Kuemper posted a low average .902 save percentage in 16 games for the champion Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are a high-scoring team with good special teams, just like the Bruins this season.
There were games throughout Boston’s playoff run where the team struggled and Ullmark had to keep his head up. And the B’s should have plenty of confidence that he can rise to that kind of challenge. He’s done it all season, and perhaps the best example was his 54-save win against the Calgary Flames on February 28.
It’s true that Ullmark doesn’t have much playoff experience. His two-game stretch to start Round 1 last season was his only taste. He has never faced the high-pressure atmosphere of an elimination game or the Stanley Cup Final stage. But you know what? Only two goaltenders in the 2023 playoffs have started a Stanley Cup Final game, and they are Vasilevskiy and Marc-Andre Fleury.
There’s no guarantee that Ullmark’s historically strong regular-season performance will carry over to the playoffs, but based on how he’s handled everything this year, the Bruins and their fans should be confident he’ll bounce back now.
How long will Ullmark last if he struggles?
The Bruins gave Ullmark just two games in last season’s first-round series before putting backup Jeremy Swayman in net. He didn’t play well in those matches, but neither did the team in front of him. It’s also Ullmark’s playoff debut, and he’s coming off a historic Vezina Trophy-caliber season. Bruce Cassidy was the head coach at the time, not Jim Montgomery.
So the situation is different going into Monday’s playoffs.
Ullmark being the starter in Game 1 is not up for debate. He earned it after his incredible regular season. Ullmark should remain the starter unless his performance declines in a substantial way or he is battling an injury that negatively affects him in a major way. Even when the Bruins find themselves trailing 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, etc., the only reason to remove Ullmark from the net is if he doesn’t play well.
Goal platooning is unusual for Stanley Cup champions. In fact, 18 of the 23 championships this century have had a goalie score all 16 of his team’s postseason victories. A couple of the goalies who didn’t get all 16 wins missed the game due to injury but returned to the lineup and played in the Cup Final.
Benching your No. 1 goalie in the playoffs is a big decision, one that will destroy his confidence for the rest of the postseason. Therefore, it is a decision that should be made only out of necessity. Ullmark’s leash must be very high.
Will Brad Marchand find his scoring groove again?
Marchand’s streak of six straight seasons scoring at or above a point-per-game rate ended in 2022-23, mostly because he struggled to find the back of the net last season. a few weeks.
The first-line left wing scored just one goal in his last 18 regular season games. He finished last week strong, though, tallying four points in the last two games, including a goal against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday that snapped a long drought.
The Bruins have more scoring depth than any other team in the league. Unlike previous years, they don’t have to rely heavily on the top two lines to shoulder most of the scoring weight. They can withstand a Marchand slump and still score enough goals against a mediocre defensive team like the Panthers. But for the Bruins to win four rounds and hoist the Stanley Cup, they’ll need Marchand to make an impact offensively. B is a more dangerous team when he is aggressive in the attacking zone and looking for points.
Marchand has been one of the most reliable postseason performers for the Bruins throughout his career. He posted 75 points (32 goals, 43 assists) in his last 65 playoff games. If that’s how Marchand shows up over the next two months, the Bruins are going to be a lot tougher to beat.
What will the lineup look like in Game 1? Who is sitting?
The Bruins have incredible depth, which is a big problem to have. But it also creates some tough lineup decisions for Montgomery and his staff if Boston has a full roster (or close to it).
Nick Foligno missed the last 22 games of the regular season with a lower body injury. When he is ready to return, who is sitting? Did Montgomery take Trent Frederic? He certainly didn’t deserve to go out after setting career highs in goals (17), assists (14) and points (31). Garnet Hathaway has made a strong bottom-six impact, too, providing scoring depth and physical play since arriving from the Washington Capitals before the trade deadline. Tomas Nosek’s place in the lineup is secure because he is good on faceoffs and an excellent penalty killer, among other reasons.
Frederic might be the odd man out when Foligno is ready to return and Montgomery wants to put him in the lineup. It’s easier to trust veterans in the playoffs, and Foligno has 62 games of postseason experience compared to Frederic’s four. If Foligno struggles or his injury worsens again, Boston could turn to Frederic, Jakub Lauko or AJ Greer at the fourth-line left wing spot.
On the blue line, it will be interesting to see who sits if Derek Forbort returns in Round 1. Forbort hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in a March 16 win over Winnipeg Jets, but he’s been practicing. this week. Forbort is an excellent penalty killer, though the Bruins have gone an impressive 56-of-60 on the PK during his absence. The left side of the third pairing is likely between Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk. The Panthers are a fast, smooth skating and very skilled team. Grzelcyk’s skill set is better suited for that type of matchup than Forbort’s, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the former Boston University star in the lineup on Monday.
Can they slow down Matthew Tkachuk?
The Panthers had 12 players score 10 or more goals in the regular season, so they’re not a one-man team by any means. But there is no doubt that Tkachuk sets the tone for this team with his physicality and offensive dominance.
He led the team in assists (69), points (109) and shots (322), while finishing second in goals (40).
The Panthers wouldn’t be in this position if Tkachuk didn’t close out the regular season in dominant fashion. They clinched a wild card playoff berth by posting a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games, and Tkachuk tallied 12 points (five goals, seven assists) during that span. He also had five points (one goal, four assists) in four regular season matchups between the Bruins and Panthers.
“He’s their Brad Marchand,” Montgomery told reporters Saturday when asked about Tkachuk. “He’s their emotional leader. He’s a tremendous competitor with a high, high hockey IQ. He’s not someone you’re going to stop. You’ve got to protect him well and make sure you know him when he’s there. on the ice.”
Tkachuk’s game-winning goal against the Sabers on April 4 is a great example of how he can impact the game. He threw down a hard shot to force a turnover, went to the net and got his stick on the puck to keep it away from the goalie.
Tkachuk’s game was made for the playoffs. He is a true power forward who is not afraid to mix it up with opponents and go to dirty areas of the ice to win puck battles and score goals. Not only is he a super-talented goal scorer with a great shot, he also regularly sets up teammates with quality scoring chances with elite vision and skill. to pass.
Neutralizing Tkachuk would go a long way in helping the Bruins make this a short series.