By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X 18Jxxx18
The Boston Bruins remained one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League in their last game on Thursday night. After defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-2 at TD Garden on Zdeno Chara’s jersey retirement, the Bruins have won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight games.
Because of the eight-game stretch, the Bruins found themselves back in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins currently sit in the second Wild Card spot with 56 points. However, the consistency of remaining hot needs to change if the Bruins want to be a serious team this season.
For the Bruins, this season has been quite a rollercoaster. The Bruins can get on a hot stretch, then get into a cold stretch to fall in the standings.
The Bruins started this season off hot by winning their first three games, only to then lose seven of their next eight games. After that eight-game stretch, the Bruins got hot again by winning seven consecutive games to have an 11-7-0 record.
After the Bruins’ 11th win, the team had another up-and-down stretch to have a 15-13-0 record after losing 5-4 to the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 2. After the loss to the Red Wings, the Bruins won six of their next seven games, which also included a five-game winning streak.
The Bruins had a 20-14-0 record after defeating the Utah Mammoth 4-1 on Dec. 16. Another cold stretch happened yet again for the Bruins afterward. The Bruins lost six consecutive games to fall to 20-18-2 on the season.
Now, the recent eight-game stretch has the Bruins sitting with a 27-19-2 record. After the win over the Kraken, the Bruins will now hit the road for the next two games: tonight at 8 p.m. ET against the Chicago Blackhawks and a 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.
What the Bruins must turn around quickly is their ability to avoid a cold stretch after a hot stretch. If the Bruins continue to remain hot over a certain stretch, the Bruins can find themselves in a steady position to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It can also allow the Bruins to be buyers at the trade deadline to build a stronger team.
During the five-game winning streak, the Bruins’ goaltending has seen significant improvement from Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo. Swayman and Korpisalo each recorded a shutout in back-to-back games. Along with goaltending, the offense is clicking well. The Bruins have outscored their opponents 22-5 during the five-game winning streak.
While David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are once again leading the way offensively, the Bruins are getting good quality depth outside of them. The Bruins are getting outstanding offensive play recently from Pavel Zacha, Viktor Avidsson, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Mark Kastelic.
The Bruins are in a better position right now than they were when 2026 arrived. Now, it’s about maintaining consistent play as the Olympic break is getting closer. A good position in the standings by the break is an ideal mindset for the Bruins.
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