A Look at the Boston Bruins' Playoff Streak (Which Could Come to an End)

We are in the early stages of what should be a very captivating home stretch, and we are seeing some surprising teams rise to the occasion. However, such is life in sports, when teams rise, it's because certain other teams declined, and one such team this year is the Boston Bruins. Stanley Cup Playoff hockey in Beantown has been quite the norm lately. Eight straight playoff appearances; tied with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs for the longest current streak in the NHL. And with that, a realization hit me. I've seen quite a few playoff streaks in sports, but if they really don't lead to much, is it really a good stretch?

Let's take a look at Boston's playoff streak, shall we?

The streak started in the 2016-17 season, but the Bruins ended up as the first victims of the Ottawa Senators' buzzsaw run to Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final. In the following year, the Bruins did defeat the Leafs in Round 1, but were ousted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. And then there was 2018-19. The Bruins capitalized on a postseason that saw all four division champions ousted in the first round, and after beating the Leafs (again), they ousted the Columbus Blue Jackets in Round 2, and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Bruins would make it to Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final, but they lost on home ice to the St. Louis Blues.

The following year saw the Bruins finish the paused regular season with the best record, but they would finish with the #4 seed after losing all three games in the Round Robin. They would oust the Hurricanes in Round 1, but Round 2 would see them eliminated by the Lightning for the second time in three years. In 2021, the Bruins lost in the second round again; this time, it was the New York Islanders taking them out. On the following year, the Bruins finished as the #1 Wild Card, and were defeated by the Hurricanes in Round 1.

2022-23. 65 wins. 135 points. The best record in NHL history. Expected to win the whole thing. Led 3-1 over the Florida Panthers, lost the next three games and fell victim to the Panthers' Cinderella run. Ouch! Last year, they sputtered into the playoffs and beat the Leafs (because of course they did), but lost again to the Panthers (because of course they did). So let's look at the facts regarding this streak. Eight straight years, but really, their only saving grace was 2019, when they fell one win short of the Stanley Cup. If you take that year away, you have a bunch of short runs with very little to show for it. Of the five times they advanced past Round 1, they faced the Leafs three of those times. Even worse, if Tampa Bay's collapse doesn't happen, chances are Boston doesn't reach the Conference Final, let alone the Stanley Cup Final.

Regarding this year, it's been a terrible mess for the Bruins. The goals aren't coming, the goaltending is very suspect, they are in seventh place in the Atlantic (seriously, the Bruins and their fans should be thankful that the Sabres exist), and worst of all, their captain, Brad Marchand, is out--listed as week-to-week. The injury happened on just days ago during a game against one of the few teams worse off than they are, the Pittsburgh Penguins. So an already undermanned Bruins team is now down their captain for who knows how long.

Marchand has only 47 points (21 G/26 A) in 61 games. The sad part: that's second on the team. A distant second. To the surprise of absolutely no one, David Pastrnak leads with 77 points, the only Bruin putting up a point per game this season. The offense numbers are absolutely terrible, and the goaltending numbers are even worse. Neither Jeremy Swayman nor Joonas Korpisalo (why the Bruins got the latter, I'll never know) have save percentages at .900 or higher. Yet each goalie has three shutouts. Go figure.

Another thing Boston can be thankful for is the look of the Eastern Conference's Wild Card standings. Despite their tepid play, the Bruins are just a hair out of the 2nd Wild Card spot, because the Wild Card race is a crazy logjam. The Bruins are definitely in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but a few wins pieced together, along with some teams slipping on banana peels, and the streak can continue on for Beantown.