The Boston Bruins were successful as they clinched a playoff berth this week against the New Jersey Devils. The Bruins have caught fire since the trade deadline  with the acquisitions of Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly. During this span the Bruins have won nine  of their eleven games and sit at fourth in the East Division with 66 Points. Besides the stellar  play from Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly the emergence of 22 year-old goaltender Jeremy  Swayman has lit a fire under the Bruins. Swayman was thrust into his role shortly after an injury  to starting Goalie Tuukka Rask sidelined the starter six weeks. During Rask’s injury and shortly  after his return, Swayman has notched a 6-2-0 record with a 0.942 save percentage and 1.62  Goals against average over the span. With the NHL’s regular season coming to a close the  Boston Bruins have six games remaining and are only five games back from the first place  Pittsburgh Penguins to control home ice advantage.

As the regular season comes to a close this looks to be one of the last shots at another Stanley  Cup with the core of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask. These  remaining games will be important for the Bruins’ hopes for another Cup as if seeding for the  playoffs ended today they would be matched up with the top seeded Penguins. The NHL’s new  playoff format for the COVID season has given the Bruins some help as they would not have to  meet with a team that has notoriously given them trouble in the Tampa Bay Lightning. However,  Bruins fan should be weary in looking forward as there is a high chance the Bruins end up  facing a thorn in the side, The Washington Capitals. The Bruins are (4-3) in the 2021 head to  head matchup and have always been a roadblock for the Bruins.

It will be interesting to see if the Bruins are able to stay hot as the season ends and carry the  momentum into the postseason, momentum that they were gaining similarly to last year when  the season was eventually stopped due to COVID. This year with no stoppage in sight may be  the ultimate last chance at a second Stanley Cup Championship with this core.