In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Bruins picked up a historic win against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (April 8). Meanwhile, Boston has received a big boost, as Taylor Hall is back with the NHL squad. Oskar Steen, on the other hand, has been sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) because of Hall’s return to action.
Bruins Tie NHL Wins Record
With their hard-fought 2-1 win over the Devils, the Bruins tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning for the most wins ever in an NHL season with 62. With this win, the Bruins are officially in the history books, and they will be aiming to pass Detroit and Tampa Bay’s spectacular seasons by securing their 63rd win of the year before the campaign is over.
The Bruins have three games remaining this season, and they are each against non-playoff teams. On Sunday (April 9), they will be going up against the Philadelphia Flyers. From there, they play the Washington Capitals (April 11) and Montreal Canadiens (April 13) to finish out the campaign. Let’s see if Boston wins at least one of these games from here. On paper, it seems likely.
Hall Returns to Action
Hall appeared in his first game since Feb. 25 against the Devils on Saturday. Overall, it was a decent game for the 31-year-old winger, as he had four shots on goal and looked more comfortable as the game went on. When a player misses more than a month of action, they naturally need to shake off some rust, but Hall looked perfectly in place on the Bruins’ third line. Now he will be aiming to build off of this momentum against the Flyers and onward.
There is no question that the Bruins are even better when they have Hall in their lineup. He is a legitimate top-six forward who has played well with third-line minutes. Now that the Calgary native is back for the playoffs, Boston’s incredible depth is only greater.
To free up the needed cap space to activate Hall, Nick Foligno and Derek Forbort were moved to long-term injured reserve (LTIR). This is nothing to worry about, however, as both players are expected to return at some point during the postseason.
Steen Sent Down to the AHL
The Bruins also needed to send someone down from their active roster to activate Hall, so Steen is back in the AHL. This is not particularly surprising when noting that Steen has spent the majority of this season with the Providence Bruins. In 63 games this year with Providence, he has 14 goals and 31 points.
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Although Steen’s no longer with Boston, he played well during his short-term call-up. The 25-year-old winger notably picked up a goal against the St. Louis Blues and filled in nicely in their bottom six. As a result, if injuries occur at all during the postseason, don’t be surprised if he is one of the Bruins’ top call-up candidates.
David Pastrnak Inching Closer to 60 Goals
Bruin fans should watch David Pastrnak very closely during these last three games of the season. The 26-year-old’s dominant season has the chance to become even better, as he only needs three more goals to hit the 60-goal plateau. It certainly seems possible that he could reach it, as he has eight goals over his last seven games.
Regardless of whether or not Pastrnak reaches 60 goals this season, it has been a truly remarkable year for the superstar. At the time of this writing, he has 57 goals, 105 points, and a plus-32 rating. We will need to wait and see if he can hit 60 goals and possibility even 110 points by the end of the season.
Bruins Could Set Another Record
Although hockey fans are naturally paying attention to the Bruins’ push for 63 wins, they also have the potential to break another NHL record before the year is over. At the time of this writing, they have 129 points and need four more to pass the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens’ record of 132 points.
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When looking at the Bruins’ final three opponents, it is possible that the Bruins could break this record as well. However, they also are expected to rest some of their top players for the final stretch of the year, so time will tell what happens on that front.
