The Boston Bruins continue to hold onto a playoff spot. It continues to be a tight battle though, as one point currently separates Boston in the first Wild Card spot and the New York Islanders, who are on the outside looking in. With 11 regular season games remaining in the 2025-26 season, each one matters and carries extra weight in this final stretch.
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Arguably the best player for the Bruins since the NHL resumed play after the Winter Olympic is Pavel Zacha. He has 15 points in the last 14 games, including eight goals. In a stretch where some of the top players have not been performing quite as strongly as fans have become accustomed to seeing, Zacha has more than stepped up to do his part to keep the team in playoff spot during this tough final stretch of the season.
Zacha’s Performance Post Olympics
Zacha has been on one of the best hot streaks of his career since the Bruins resumed play on Feb. 26 following the season’s pause for the Winter Olympics. As mentioned above, he has 15 points in the last 14 games, including his second career hat trick in an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 8. The 28-year-old forward is currently tied with Cole Caufield for the third most goals scored in the month of March across the entire NHL.
This hot streak comes on the heels of an upper body injury suffered on Jan. 29 that kept him sidelined for Czechia at the Olympics. This was obviously a huge disappointment that he was unable to participate in the tournament, but it seems to be fueling his current success. Boston should be very, very grateful that his injury did not lead to him missing more NHL games.
Zacha has hit a new career high for goals in a season, currently sitting at 23 in 68 games in 2025-26. He has a total of 52 points, and is currently on pace to hit the 60-point mark for the first time in his career. This would be a huge accomplishment for the 2015 first-round pick who many were ready to write off as a bust following some disappointing seasons with the New Jersey Devils when he first came into the league.
Part of Zacha’s success during this stretch comes from the great chemistry he’s found with linemates Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson. They’ve been three of the most consistent forwards during this stretch while many others have struggled. Mittelstadt is sitting at eight points in 14 games (though I’m sure Marco Sturm would love to see more goals out of him) and Arvidsson has 13 points in 14 games.
What the Bruins Need
The playoff race in the East right now is extremely tight and competitive. Every point matters. Zacha has been instrumental in getting them to overtime in multiple games in the past month, but now the Bruins need to get better at finishing and closing out games.
While Zacha, Arvidsson, and Mittelstadt have been doing the heavy lifting during this stretch, the Bruins need more out of the rest of the lineup. Morgan Geekie has slowed down from his terrific start to the season and is currently in the midst of a 10 game streak without a goal, though he did put together three assists in their recent important win against the Detroit Red Wings on Mar. 21. Tanner Jeannot, their biggest offseason acquisition, only has one point in the last 14 games and has been moved down to the fourth line.
Sturm should keep the line of Zacha, Arvidsson, and Mittelstadt together to continue to take advantage of their strong chemistry, but the other lines should be fair game as they attempt to get more going outside of the second line. There’s already been some adjustments, moving up Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten to play with David Pastrnak on the top line, and bringing in new addition Lukas Reichel to the lineup. But the team shouldn’t be afraid to make more if necessary. Any slump or losing streak at this point in the season could put the playoffs out of reach.
Zacha is more than doing his part for the Bruins right now to keep them in the playoff picture. Now the team just needs more guys to follow his example and step up their games.
Final Stretch of 2025-26 Regular Season
With 71 games under their belt, the Bruins are currently sitting at a 39-24-8 record with 86 points. They trail the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens in the Atlantic Division. Those four teams, the Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators are all within 10 points of each other in the standings. One winning or losing streak could cause a major shift in the standings as the season heads into the final games of the season.
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2025-26 has certainly been a tremendous step forward for the Bruins, but it would be nice to see them make a return to the playoffs. Guys have been stepping up throughout the season as they have continuously dealt with injuries. Now they just need more to follow Zacha’s lead and bring out their best play on the ice in these final games.
