By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
The 2026 Winter Olympics are over for the National Hockey League after yesterday’s thrilling 2-1 overtime win by Team USA over Team Canada in the gold medal game. In three days, the Boston Bruins return to action, poised to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Prior to the Olympic break, the Bruins lost their final two games in Florida, both in shootouts. At the moment, the Bruins have 69 points and hold the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot. When NHL play resumes, the first six games on Boston’s schedule are going to be pivotal to make an opening statement and gain some ground on teams.
First six games for Bruins after break:
Thursday vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Saturday @ Philadelphia Flyers
March 3 vs Pittsburgh Penguins
March 5 @ Nashville Predators
March 7 vs Washington Capitals
March 8 @ Pittsburgh Penguins
At first glance, the first six games offer as tough opponents for the Bruins. Each game has an important meaning based on the NHL standings, and the first one will be tough.
The Blue Jackets headed into the Olympic break as the NHL’s hottest team, winning seven consecutive games to get right back in the playoff race. At the moment, the Blue Jackets trail the Bruins by four points in the standings. A win against the Blue Jackets would let the Bruins continue to have ground on them. In a twist, Thursday’s game will be the first meeting between the Bruins and Blue Jackets this season.
A road game in Philadelphia will always be tough. The Flyers trail the Bruins by eight points in the standings. With that in mind, the Flyers would be eager to knock off the Bruins to get closer to the playoff race, especially since the Bruins won the first and only meeting this season by a final score of 6-3.
While the Predators aren’t in the same conference, a road trip to the Music City will be pivotal for the Bruins. The Predators have 59 points and are trying to get back in the playoff hunt in a Western Conference that looks bleak. The Bruins won 3-2 in overtime in the first meeting on Jan. 27, so the Predators will be eager to avenge that loss.
Whenever Alex Ovechkin is playing, the Capitals will always be tough to beat. Just like the Blue Jackets, the Capitals trail the Bruins by four points in the standings. The Bruins won the first and only meeting against the Capitals by a final score of 3-1 in the season opener in October, but not playing a team in nearly five months can shake things up.
Two games against the Penguins will be key. The Penguins are ahead of the Bruins by one point and hold the Metropolitan Division’s second seed. One home and away game for the Bruins against the Penguins will be tough. The road game will be tougher with it being the second game of a back-to-back for the Bruins. The first and only meeting between the Bruins and Penguins resulted in a 1-0 shutout win by Joonas Korpisalo on Jan. 11 for the Bruins.
If the Bruins jump out to a hot start after the Olympic break, things can start looking upward. David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, and Charlie McAvoy have been steady all season. A big area will be around Jeremy Swayman. While Swayman won a gold medal with Team USA, he only played one game in the Olympics. With plenty of rest, Swayman will be a key factor in determining how good the Bruins can be following the Olympic break.
Leave a Reply