Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand will be sidelined for around six months after undergoing successful surgery on both of his hips, the team announced Friday. 

The six-month recovery timeline means he will not be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season. 

The news comes as no surprise after Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters this week that Marchand was undergoing a hip evaluation. Marchand also noted that he was going to need a procedure done either this summer or the next.

"Potentially, yeah," Marchand said when asked if he needed any procedures, per 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson. "I’m gonna need something done this summer or next summer, but we’ll take a look at that [with the doctors]."

Marchand has been a staple in Boston's lineup since the 2010-11 season and has only gotten better with age. He recorded a 100-point 2018-19 season and has two seasons with at least 80 points since. 

During the 2021-22 season, the 34-year-old tallied 32 goals and 48 assists in 70 games. 

The news of Marchand's surgery is a significant blow for the Bruins, who could also be without Patrice Bergeron next season. Bergeron is an unrestricted free agent and has not decided whether he will return for another year or retire.

The six-month recovery timeline would have Marchand returning to the Bruins in late November. He would then likely have to undergo a ramping up period before suiting up for a game. 

The Bruins will have to rely on their depth early in the 2022-23 campaign, and players like Taylor Hall, David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk will be heavily leaned upon. Pastrnak tallied 40 goals and 37 assists in 72 games during the 2021-22 season, while Hall finished with 20 goals and 41 assists in 81 games. 

DeBrusk, meanwhile, notched 25 goals and 17 assists in 77 games. 

That said, the Bruins could look to make some offseason additions in free agency to help lighten the burden on those players. However, the team will have just $4.3 million in cap space and won't be able to do much unless it makes some trades. 

Rule 69.1 in the official NHL rulebook, "Interference on the Goalkeeper," is one of the most difficult rules to understand and one of the most difficult to determine as an official.

It's 381 words, and that doesn't even include rules 69.2-69.8, which are supposed to provide clarity and context for every situation involving goalie's interference.

No wonder it seems like no one knows what the rule actually entails. 

Each year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs cast a shadow on the officials who are tasked with determining what is and is not goalie interference. And it's not just the officials on the ice—fans might love to yell, "Ref, you suck!" but often times, it's the league officials in the situation room in Toronto making the final calls when a challenge is initiated for goalie interference.

Perhaps "official in the situation room in Toronto, you suck!" is too wordy of a chant. Fair enough.

We know that the NHL has been in the midst of an officiating crisis for a few years now, but this one set of standards, in particular, can have more of a direct effect on the outcome of games than maybe something like a missed crosscheck or an errant hook. 

The New York Rangers might have won the first game of their opening-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in regulation had a goal not been disallowed. Instead, they played a triple-overtime thriller, and backup goalie Louis Domingue stole the game for Pittsburgh.

Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour would have "bet [his] life" on Jake DeBrusk's goal in Game 4 of the series against the Boston Bruins being overturned, but the NHL said the incidental contact was allowable. 

Good goal.

Jake DeBrusk ties it on the power play. pic.twitter.com/pUxdsAI0Yk

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 8, 2022

In Game 1 of the Lightning-Panthers series, Anthony Cirelli clipped Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in the head, but the goal was upheld after review.

Cirelli made contact with Bobrovsky's head in the blue paint. Panthers challenged for goalie interference, but it was still ruled a good goal. pic.twitter.com/kVL3ILjZCL

— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) May 18, 2022

Confused? So are we.

Let's take a deeper look at the rule and the process in which goalie interference is determined to see if we can figure out why it's so difficult to properly assess.

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What Is Goaltender Interference?

The rule was introduced for the 1991-92 season with a pretty simple philosophy: A penalty is issued when an attacking skater makes contact with the goaltender, impeding, limiting or altogether eliminating his ability to protect the net and stop the puck.

The rule has evolved as technology has evolved, and in 2015-16, coaches were allowed to challenge for goaltender interference. In 2018, the NHL announced that the situation room would have the final say in an attempt to have more consistent rulings.

Here is how the most crucial part of the rule reads this season:

Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease. Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.

If you're having trouble following, it's a way to keep things fair for the goalies, who have more limited movement in their pads and are restricted to certain areas where they can and cannot play the puck. The onus is on the skater to prevent contact that would keep a goalie from being unable to protect the net.

Meanwhile, the challenge mechanism is in place to allow coaches to get a final ruling on the play by league using all available video feeds.

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How Is Goalie Interference Determined?

Let's use the aforementioned disallowed goal from Game 1 of that Rangers-Penguins series as an example. The Penguins turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko took it down to the offensive zone, coming down the wing and curling in front of the crease with speed.

With Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin on the backcheck, there was a collision in front of the net that knocked goalie Casey DeSmith out of it completely. The play was kept alive, and Kakko flicked the puck to Filip Chytil, who shot the puck into an open net.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan challenged for goalie interference and won, stating after the game that the Penguins had been a perfect 8-for-8 in those challenge calls on the season. 

New York fans were livid, saying the officials were biased toward the Penguins. After all, Dumoulin clearly leaned into Kakko right before the collision.

But Sullivan's video team saw that Kakko failed to make an effort to avoid crashing into DeSmith, so the contact by Dumoulin was immaterial.

The success rate of the Pittsburgh video personnel shows that they are adept at quickly determining whether or not their goalies were interfered with. 

The decision-making process, which has to work at lightning speed, often starts with the video replay teams. Video coordinators have less than a minute to issue a recommendation to the bench, and there has to be "indisputable evidence" to overturn a call.

The replay teams have a set of criteria they have to be able to quickly identify:

• Was the contact inside or outside of the crease?

• Was it initiated by the goalie's own defenseman, or was it by an attacking skater?

• Was that contact avoidable, and did the skater make an effort to avoid the contact?

• Did the goalie have enough time to get back into position before the goal was scored?

• Did the contact have a material impact on the goalie's ability to make a save?

There are other variables that go into these decisions as well, like where the puck was, the score in the game, how much time is left on the clock and whether or not the goalie fought for his ice or just remained on the ground when he was able to regain his position (i.e., did he flop). 

There are times when even goaltenders don't immediately realize they have been interfered with, which is why teams rely on replay personnel. They issue a recommendation to the coach on whether or not to challenge. 

Then, the officials put on the headset and dial up the Situation Room, where the feeds are analyzed. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otk7FZGrKDY

It's important to note that the officials in Toronto have more available angles than the teams. They have more overhead angles and net camera feeds, which is often why it takes them longer than the 15-30 seconds it takes the video coordinators.

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Why Is It So Hard to Determine?

There is a lot of gray area, and it leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

At the end of the day, it's a judgment call, and those are never 100 percent correct. Getting calls wrong can be embarrassing for the officials on the ice.

The league will issue explanations for the rulings but aren't allowed to be questioned. Many have suggested allowing a pool reporter from the media to ask for clarification, which is a common practice in the three other major North American professional sports leagues.

A direct line from the video booths to Toronto might help clarify things as well since the video coordinators from each team can relay the angles and time codes they are looking at.

Every other major North American pro sports league has a policy in place for a crew chief or representative of officials to be made available to reporters, except the NHL. https://t.co/EyvoVH6jWV

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) March 24, 2021

But while the inconsistent outcomes can be maddening, the priority is getting the call right, especially during the postseason. This can be extremely difficult given just how quickly goals are scored. The speed should not be understated. The game is fast out there. 

What you see on Twitter might not be what they're seeing in Toronto. So the next time you're ready to get fired up thinking it was a blown call, ask yourself, do you really know what goalie interference is? Do any of us really know what it is? 

The Boston Bruins were eliminated from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. Now questions about what's next for the franchise, particularly Patrice Bergeron, have arisen.

Bergeron will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing an eight-year, $55 million deal, and it's unclear if the 36-year-old, who will turn 37 on July 24, plans to hang up the skates.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after Saturday's loss that he has not talked to Bergeron about his future with the team. However, he added that he hopes the captain decides to not retire.

"I hope not," Cassidy told reporters. "He means so much to the franchise."

Bergeron also discussed his future with reporters following Game 7, saying that it was too soon to make a decision on what lies ahead.

"It's too early right now," Bergeron said. "Not after... It's too fresh right now. It still stings obviously."

Bergeron said in September that he would wait until after the 2021-22 season to decide his future in the league and didn't rule out retirement. However, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney noted he had contract negotiations with the veteran center earlier this season.

Bergeron has been a staple in the Bruins' lineup since being selected in the second round of the 2003 draft. The Quebec native made his debut during the 2003-04 season and made his presence felt immediately, tallying 16 goals and 23 assists in 71 games.

His role with the team only continued to grow over the next several years, and he helped lead the Black and Gold to a Stanley Cup title in 2011 after tallying six goals and 14 assists in 23 playoff games that year.

Bergeron also won his first of four Selke Trophies as the NHL's best defensive forward that season after tallying 22 goals, 42 assists and finishing with a plus-36 plus/minus rating. He also won the Selke in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

He's had an unbelievable 18-year career, tallying 400 goals and 582 assists in 1,216 regular-season games, in addition to 47 goals and 76 assists in 167 playoff games.

If Bergeron does retire, the Bruins will be in desperate need of help down the middle.

Beyond Bergeron, the team currently lacks the talent of a first-line center and could look to the free-agent market if it comes down to it. Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Filip Forsberg and Vincent Trocheck are among the top centers expected to be available this summer. 

The Boston Bruins are done after losing 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Bruins posted a mostly sloppy and lackluster effort Saturday at PNC Arena. The B's committed 18 giveaways to Carolina's 11 and amassed four separate first-period penalties.

Boston had no answer for Max Domi, who scored a pair of second-period goals and assisted on Teuvo Teravainen's first-period score.

Carolina also held a 3-1 lead for nearly half the game, and the B's failed to record a shot on goal in the second period's final nine minutes.

Boston scored with 22 seconds left in the third and threatened right afterward, but the 'Canes emerged victorious.

Numerous analysts noted the lethargic play during and after the game:

This third line absolutely shitting the bed in excruciating fashion

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 14, 2022

The Bruins tried to enter the zone vs. Jaccob Slavin 13 times at 5v5 in Game 7..

2 carries allowed
7 dump-ins forced
4 of them broken up

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) May 14, 2022

Pretty much the same things that have hurt the Bruins in the playoffs in the past came up this year. Stars were held in check. Depth players played poorly. No production from the power play.

— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) May 14, 2022

Does anyone keep a stat on failed clearing attempts? The Bruins have to suck at it.

— Tony Massarotti (@TonyMassarotti) May 14, 2022

Where was that desperation earlier? #Bruins

— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) May 14, 2022

I have absolutely no idea why the Boston Bruins did not play the entire final period (at least) the way they played the final minute. If they did, it may have been a better outcome. #NHLBruins

— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) May 14, 2022

Bruins have been nothing short of embarrassing, today.

Celtics better come out with a statement, tomorrow.#NHLBruins #BleedGreen

— Colby (On SI & Sporting News) (@CJFWrites) May 14, 2022

Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak scored Boston's goals.

Carolina will now advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal to play the winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers first-round matchup.

Frederik Andersen jumped on to the scene as a young goalie in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Anaheim Ducks had lost trust in their No. 1 goalie, Jonas Hiller, and instead turned to their rookie netminder. 

Fast-forward to 2022, with Andersen now with the Carolina Hurricanes but injured to begin the playoffs, many wondered whether this would be the moment for another rising rookie, 22-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov. Instead, the net went to veteran goalie Antti Raanta, and he delivered in his first-ever playoff start, backstopping Carolina to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round series. 

The Carolina goaltending situation was one of the biggest storylines to come from the first night of the2022 NHL playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs' decisive win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was another. 

Here are five takeaways from the first night of postseason action. 

New Year, New Narratives

It's been nearly 20 years since the Maple Leafs have won a playoff round, but a 5-0 thrashing of the reigning Stanley Cup champs twice over has the Leafs faithful eager for more. If they advance past the first round, you will likely be able to point to the five-minute power play they killed off Monday as a catalyst. 

Early on, Kyle Clifford received a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for boarding Ross Colton, but Toronto actually generated more scoring chances than it surrendered during seven shorthanded minutes in the first period. David Kampf scored a shorthanded goal in the second period. The vaunted Tampa Bay power play went 0-for-5. 

Matthews and Marner faced significant criticism last year when the Maple Leafs were eliminated in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens. Two key team leaders and two major components to the lineup, Matthews scored only a single goal and assisted on five, while Marner scored none, which was the same amount he scored in the 2019-20 postseason. 

It's too early to see if the curse has been lifted, but there is such immense pressure on the Maple Leafs to get out of the first round, and yet Toronto thrived under it. 

Borderline Violence

Prior to the series starting, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe gave us what could be the quote of the postseason:

"I expect it to be a very physical, borderline violent series in a lot of ways," he told reporters in Toronto. "And our guys will be ready for that."

A total of 122 penalty minutes were doled out in Game 1, so clearly the Leafs were, in fact, ready. A line brawl even broke out midway through the third period involving two longtime NHL tough guys in Corey Perry and Wayne Simmonds. 

The ESPN2 cameras cut away for a commercial during the post-whistle scrum, but there were skirmishes in other games as well. A suspension could also be coming from the department of player safety for Clifford's hit from behind on Colton. It would be unfortunate for Toronto, who relies on Clifford, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, to bring energy on the fourth line, but the Leafs proved they could win without him on Monday. 

This is the time of year when the levels of intensity and physicality go up a few notches. This is when you hear players say they need to "play between the whistles." The key is making sure the emotions don't boil over to the point that it becomes detrimental. 

Speaking of which… 

Un-Gentlemanly Conduct

The Minnesota Wild clinched home-ice advantage against their Central Division rivals St. Louis, but it didn't help much. David Perron scored a hat trick for the Blues in a 4-0 win, and Ville Husso became the first St. Louis goalie to record a shutout in his playoff debut, but all of that was overshadowed by a late penalty for a crosscheck by Jared Spurgeon. 

With 1:34 left in the game, Spurgeon was tied up with Pavel Buchnevich. Frustrated by his inability to connect on the puck with Buchnevich upending him, he crosschecked the back of the Blues forward's legs, slamming his stick down with considerable force. It didn't really matter that the Wild was left shorthanded for the rest of the game—it was lost well before the penalty—but it was a dangerous play that is going to get reviewed by the department of player safety and could land him a suspension. 

It was also uncharacteristic and unbecoming of a captain. Spurgeon was a Lady Byng finalist last season and is a perennial candidate for the sportsmanship award given to the most "gentlemanly" player combined with a high standard of playing ability.

A captain goes down with the ship. He doesn't put himself in a position to sit out games. 

The Blues are 13-1-1 in their last 15 games against the Wild. Ouch. 

Storm Surged

The Bruins have a relentless forecheck. Carolina did its best to stop it, but if you look at the underlying numbers, you'll see this was a pretty evenly matched game. Shot attempts at 5-on-5 were 56-48 in favor of Boston, scoring chances were 24-23 and high-danger chances were 11-11. But the power play woes resurfaced for the Bruins. Despite the fact that Boston generated chances on the first two power plays, the third didn't even yield a single shot attempt. 

There was also some consternation in the Bruins net. Linus Ullmark made the start for Boston and at one point gave up a goal off his mask. Do the Bruins go with rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman in Game 2? Ullmark started because Swayman struggled down the stretch, going 4-6-0 with an .877 save percentage in the final 10 games. 

It's possible he hit a wall and these last few days off have been beneficial for him. But there is no doubt a tandem that once looked strong is suddenly in doubt.

But the story today is Raanta. 

"For me, it was obviously the first start in the playoffs in the NHL," Raanta said in his postgame press conference. "I was just trying to focus on the things that have (allowed me) to be successful. It was working nicely. But it's only one game, one win, and now it's just regrouping and getting ready for Wednesday."

One-Man Rush

Connor McDavid did very Connor McDavid-like things against the Los Angeles Kings. You can call it an odd-man rush because technically one is an odd number, but it was a 1-on-5 with McDavid as the lone man in an orange and blue jersey in the offensive zone. 

With the Kings up 2-0 in the final minute of the first period, McDavid picked up the puck in the defensive zone and picked up some serious speed. He went 1-on-everyone and skated coast-to-coast, going down the boards and cutting through two defenders while another two failed to pick up his movement and another watched helplessly as he sniped one past Jonathan Quick from the edge of the right circle. 

It was an absurd goal scored by one of the most elite players in the world. He just completely walked the Kings' entire five-man unit. 

But when Leon Draisaitl scored around the 10-minute mark of the second period to tie the game at 3-3, it underscored the fact that McDavid and Draisaitl can put a team on their backs and win on their own. The Oilers don't have to be fantastic, but they don't completely roll over, this team will stay in games. 

However, staying in games isn't good enough for McDavid, who is desperate for a championship. And that desperation may be needed after the Kings grabbed a late goal to take a 1-0 series lead.

Phillip Danault scored after an incredible sequence that saw Mike Smith turn the puck over off the back of the boards, then dive back to the crease to make a save before Danualt tipped Sean Durzi's point shot into the net.

"I was just trying to make something happen," Smith told reporters in his postgame press conference. "Obviously, just trying to do too much there. In a tight game like that, you can't afford to make mistakes like that. It ended up costing us the game." 

Smith has lost his last 10 playoff games, including all six he has played for the Oilers. 

The Boston Bruins will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons, and while the Black and Gold won each of the last two series, there's no guarantee they make it three straight in 2022. 

Carolina defeated Boston in all three regular-season meetings this year, outscoring the Bruins 16-1. That said, Bruce Cassidy's side has gone through a shakeup since the last time these two teams met in February. 

For one, the Bruins added veteran defenseman Hampus Lindholm, bolstering their blue line for a deep playoff run. Cassidy also shook up his top lines during the final stretch of the regular season, most notably breaking up the "Perfection Line" of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.

Jake DeBrusk is now playing on Boston's top line alongside Marchand and Bergeron, while Pastrnak is playing on the second line with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula, who signed a two-year contract with the Bruins during the offseason. 

Breaking up the top line has been somewhat of a blessing for the Bruins, who have received much more depth scoring since making the switch. Depth scoring will be a key in Boston's first-round series against Carolina. So, let's take a look at that and some other keys to the Black and Gold winning the series. 

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Depth Scoring

Pastrnak led the Bruins in scoring this season, notching 40 goals in 72 games. Marchand tallied 32 goals in 70 games, and Bergeron finished with 25 in 73 games. That said, Boston also had six other players who reached double digits in scoring — DeBrusk, Hall, Haula, Charlie Coyle, Craig Smith and Charlie McAvoy. 

For comparison, the Bruins had just two players not named Marchand. Bergeron or Pastrnak to reach double digits in scoring during the 2020-21 season—Smith and Nick Ritchie. 

The increase in depth scoring has taken much of the scoring load off Boston's top line. However, the Bruins' depth scoring has been inconsistent in the past, and that's why it will be an important factor in their upcoming series against the Hurricanes. 

That said, it's important to note the Hurricanes will most likely be without starting goaltender Frederik Andersen for the first few games of the first round as he continues to recover from a leg injury, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. 

Andersen had been in the midst of his best season in the NHL before suffering the injury, posting a 2.17 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and four shutouts in 52 games. His loss will be a tough one for Carolina. 

Backup goaltender Antti Raanta is in line to get the start against Boston, with rookie Pyotr Kochetkov set to back him up. Raanta posted a 2.45 GAA, .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games. Those numbers aren't bad by any means, but he's beatable. 

If Andersen misses the first few games of the series, Boston's depth scoring will need to put pressure on Raanta to make big saves. If they throw pucks on net, the Bruins will be better off. 

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Goaltending

The biggest difference for Boston this season has been not having Tuukka Rask in the crease. The veteran netminder announced his retirement in February after attempting a comeback from hip surgery, and the Bruins have relied on rookie Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in goal.

Swayman had an impressive rookie season, posting a 2.41 GAA, .914 save percentage and three shutouts in 41 games. Ullmark, meanwhile, recorded a 2.45 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout in 41 games. 

Considering both goaltenders played well and split games during the regular season, it's possible both play in the first round. Cassidy has yet to name a starter for the playoffs. However, he told reporters he isn't afraid to play the hot hand. 

"Will we run with one guy? Absolutely, if he’s on," Cassidy said. "If a guy is not on, we’re not afraid to go to the other guy, because we’ve seen him play well."

That said, neither goaltender has played in the postseason during their careers. So, it'll be interesting to see how they handle the challenge of stopping players like Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen. 

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Health

The Bruins, like any team, are significantly better when fully healthy. That said, staying healthy will be a key to Boston moving on to the second round. 

Later in the regular season, the Black and Gold went a period without Pastrnak or Lindholm available due to injury. Pastrnak missed eight games between April 5 and April 22nd, and the B's went 3-5 in that span. Lindholm was also absent for seven of those matchups.

Considering Pastrnak and Lindholm are two of Boston's best players, it will be important they stay healthy if the Bruins want to defeat the Hurricanes. In addition, it'll be important players like Marchand, Bergeron and McAvoy avoid injury.

Boston's depth beyond what it has on the roster is questionable, which only makes it more important that the team stays healthy. You won't want the Black and Gold picking up players from their AHL affiliate in Providence because not many of them are ready for NHL competition. 

The Boston Bruins clinched a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by way of a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Boston had the opportunity to clinch a berth Thursday but lost 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden. Regardless, the Black and Gold are back in the playoffs for the sixth straight season and are hoping to win their first title since 2011. 

Here's an updated look at the Eastern Conference standings:

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Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes*: 48-19-8, 104 points
2. New York Rangers*: 49-21-6, 104 points
3. Pittsburgh Penguins*: 43-23-11, 97 points

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Atlantic Division 

1. Florida Panthers*: 53-15-6, 112 points
2. Toronto Maple Leafs*: 48-20-6, 102 points
3. Tampa Bay Lightning*: 45-21-8, 98 points

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Wild Card

1. Boston Bruins*: 46-24-5, 97 points
2. Washington Capitals: 41-23-10, 92 points

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And here is a look at the Western Conference standings:

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Central Division

1. Colorado Avalanche*: 54-14-6, 114 points
2. Minnesota Wild: 46-21-6, 98 points
3. St. Louis Blues: 44-20-10, 98 points

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Pacific Division

1. Calgary Flames: 45-20-9, 99 points
2. Edmonton Oilers: 43-26-6, 92 points
3. Los Angeles Kings: 39-27-10, 88 points

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Wild Card

1. Nashville Predators: 42-27-5, 89 points
2. Dallas Stars: 42-27-5, 89 points

*Indicates playoff spot clinched

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The Bruins have spent most of the 2021-22 season floating between a top-three spot in the Atlantic Division and a spot in the wild card. They have been paced by Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, the team's top line. 

Marchand and Bergeron, members of the 2011 Stanley Cup team, have developed significant chemistry over 13 seasons together. Pastrnak was added to the mix during the 2014-15 season and has been a perfect fit alongside the two veterans. 

The addition of Taylor Hall during the 2020-21 campaign has also been a welcome sight for Boston, which had lacked depth scoring over the last few seasons. Charlie Coyle, Erik Haula, Jake DeBrusk and Craig Smith have also supplied ample depth scoring this season, which has been a difference-maker for the Black and Gold. 

In terms of defense, the Bruins are led by Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, whom the team acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline. Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, Mike Reilly, Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton round out a defensive unit that has been mostly solid. 

The Bruins also have a new goaltending tandem of rookie Jeremy Swayman and veteran Linus Ullmark. The position was in question entering the 2021-22 season because of Tuukka Rask's hip injury. The veteran attempted a return earlier this year but ultimately retired.

We’re in the dog days of the 2021-22 NHL regular season. The cellar-dwelling teams are beating each other up in meaningless games while the top teams in each conference jostle for Stanley Cup Playoff positioning. 

The Eastern Conference playoff grouping has been set for months, with the only thing left to determine is the final bracket. Over in the Western Conference, the wild card has yet to be determined. The Vegas Golden Knights could potentially miss the playoffs for the first time since the franchise’s history. The Vancouver Canucks still have an outside chance of leapfrogging Vegas and Dallas for that last wild-card spot. 

And, of course, there is always a chance the high-powered Golden Knights get some of their firepower back and manage to pull ahead of the Los Angeles Kings to save their season. 

Lots of scenarios are still in play. 

Matchups are everything in the playoffs. Unlike in the regular season, when weaknesses can be minimized in a single game, a seven-game series allows some teams to exploit another's weakness or neutralize the opposition's strength. It's enough time to figure out how to pick apart a power play and how a goalie moves.Br

Sometimes two teams match up well, but other times it's a disastrous draw. 

Here are five matchups that fall into the latter category and why. 

New York Rangers: Pittsburgh Penguins

The New York Rangers will successfully take the next step in their rebuild when they return to the playoffs (technically, they only reached the postseason portion of the 2020 bubble tournament and not the playoff portion, failing to make it out of the qualifying round) for the first time since 2017.

They have a lineup full of elite talent at the top and emerging young stars throughout, plus a goalie who should be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in Igor Shesterkin.

The lineup has also done a good job of limiting chances in front of Shesterkin, and their power play is exceptionally good, with the Blueshirts' 26.6 percent conversion being the second-best in the NHL.

The top unit with the man advantage might be one of the best, with Chris Kreider (the third-leading scorer in the league), Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, Mika Zibanejad and defending Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox. The addition of Andrew Copp to the second unit has given them a tougher net-front presence, but that second unit doesn't see a whole lot of time since the top one takes care of business. 

However, the Rangers generate surprisingly little offense at 5-on-5, ranking toward the bottom of the league in Corsi, scoring chances and expected goals for. New York typically wins by winning the special teams battle and goaltending, making its Metropolitan Division foes in the Pittsburgh Penguins, the least penalized team in the NHL this season, its most potentially daunting challenge.

The Penguins also have the second-best penalty kill in the league and a ton of postseason experience. The Rangers' leaders aren't completely devoid of playoff experience, but it's tough to match that of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter and even former Ranger Brian Boyle. 

Maybe this is where we see the changing of the guard, with the Rangers overcoming their even-strength issues and their young players knocking off the legendary vets, especially since the Rangers are 3-1-0 against Pittsburgh this season and have outscored the Penguins 11-4.

But on paper, this isn't a good matchup. 

Colorado Avalanche: Vegas Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche have been playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing in the second round to the Vegas Golden Knights last season. A meeting again in early rounds would be a nightmare for reasons other than just the statistical matchup because the Avs have been the better team all season.

Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty could get healthy enough for the playoffs when the salary cap doesn't matter, and the club would be out of the woods with the cap constraints. That would give Vegas an even deeper lineup than they had last spring when they knocked out Colorado in six games since Jack Eichel has joined the club.

The Avs have been the favorites in the Western Conference all season but have dealt with their own injury issues, with captain Gabriel Landeskog currently on injured reserve while he recovers from knee surgery. Nazem Kadri, who is second on the team with 83 points, is expected to return by the playoffs.

However, should Colorado continue to struggle with injuries and run into a fully healthy Golden Knights squad, they may struggle to avenge their playoff disappointment from a season ago.

Questions will be asked about last year's series, but Vegas has been a contender for four years. It's time for the Avs to show that they're a top team when it matters, and to do that, they may once again have to face off against Vegas.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Tampa Bay Lightning

If you’re looking at playoff history, as we just did above, you might be thinking the worst opponent for the Toronto Maple Leafs would be the Boston Bruins. The Leafs have lost their last six postseason series against Boston dating back to 1969.

The 2019 first-round loss still stings, but this is a better, deeper Leafs team that has a different coach, a different goalie and plays much better defense.

Instead, the nightmare matchup for Toronto would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. To be fair, the Lightning are a nightmare team for anyone to face. They haven't lost a postseason series since 2019, and they're still the champions until someone knocks them off.

These are two elite teams that would make for a great series.

Tampa Bay has the best quite possibly the best goaltender in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy, a proven coach in Jon Cooper and a deep lineup.

The team lost its entire third line of Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and Barclay Goodrow, as well as other players from those two Stanley Cup teams like Tyler Johnson, and hasn't missed a beat.

In Toronto, Auston Matthews has quickly become one of the most prolific scorers of this generation and is the type of game-breaking player that can make a difference in the playoffs. He scored his 55th goal of the season on Thursday night to set the Leafs' single-season record and the most for a U.S.-born NHL player.

Meanwhile, Mitch Marner has surpassed the 30-goal benchmark for the first time in his career.

Yet Matthews and Marner disappeared during their seven-game series with the Montreal Canadien last season. The Lightning have the defenders to neutralize even the best scorers, including Ryan McDonagh, who is expected to return as soon as this weekend. 

Meeting in the first round is a realistic scenario given the current Atlantic Division standings. There is immense pressure on Toronto to get out of the first round, and this is an opponent who can bring the pressure on and off the ice.

Much like the Colorado-Vegas matchup, this one is less about the statistics and more about the storyline and the narratives that surround the Leafs and Lighting.

Los Angeles Kings: Calgary Flames

The Los Angeles Kings will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. A decade ago, it looked as though they had an emerging dynasty, but the culture fell apart, key veterans departed and former general manager Dean Lombardi tried to keep the window open a little too long, failing to recognize that it had already shut.

Finally, Lombardi's successor, Rob Blake, decided to blow it up and rebuild in 2019. Blake kept some of that championship core, and Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick remain.

He stockpiled talent and quickly built one of the most impressive prospect pools in hockey. He hired coach Todd McLellan to guide the team through the lean years and get them ready for a return to contention.

Los Angeles is ahead of schedule and currently sitting in third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points, a near-lock to make the playoffs. And there is a chance they could face a familiar face: Darryl Sutter, the coach that guided them to two Stanley Cups and the current coach of the Calgary Flames.

Sutter hockey has proven to be effective throughout the years, and the Flames are proof that it's still working. It might a low-event style of play, but Calgary is scoring 3.48 goals per game, good for sixth in the league, and they're the third-highest shot volume team at 5-on-5 in the NHL. 

The Kings don't have the defense to withstand an offensive attack from Calgary. If Alexander Edler returns, as he is expected to soon, it will add another proven defender to the blueline. However, the club is unsure when Doughty can return from an upper-body injury, and without him, Los Angeles may not have enough to stop Calgary's offense. 

The Los Angeles power play is also the least effective amongst teams in playoff contention, as its 16.6 percent mark is 28th in the league. The Flames, meanwhile, happen to be one of the best penalty-killing teams, killing off 83.4 percent of the opponent's power-play opportunities. 

No one knows Sutter hockey like the Kings, but now that Kopitar, Doughty, Brown and Quick are on the other side, it might not be as much fun. 

Boston Bruins: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have outscored the Boston Bruins 16-1 in three meetings this year. Granted, one of those games was one of Tuukka Rask's final games in the NHL, and it was a disaster. However, Linus Ullmark didn't fare much better against the Canes in February, allowing all six goals in a 6-0 loss.

This matchup could be similar to a Kings-Flames series in that Carolina is a high shot-volume team, and Boston may not have the defense to contain their attack.

The Bruins added Hampus Lindholm at the trade deadline to deepen the blueline, and this team has been good at limiting scoring chances throughout the season.

They'll have to decide which goaltender to go with during the playoffs because a tandem is never really an effective plan past the regular season. They have two very good options in Jeremy Swayman and Ullmark, though, the latter of whom has played much better lately, going 6-0-0 with a .938 save percentage in his last seven games.

However, it's tough to argue with how many weapons Carolina has up front. This is an exceptionally deep team, especially at forward, where they can roll all four lines and overwhelm teams with the volume and quality of shots. They have defensemen with shutdown abilities like Brett Pesce and two who can jump into offensive plays in Jaccob Slavin and Tony DeAngelo.

It's a tough match for the Bruins, who have similar high-end talent but not as much as Carolina, especially on the blueline.

The Boston Bruins will be without left winger Brad Marchand for six games.

The NHL announced it suspended Marchand for six games for the roughing/high-sticking penalty he committed against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry during Tuesday's game.

Marchand punched Jarry's head and poked his mask in the final seconds of Pittsburgh's 4-2 win.

"It is important to note that these acts, both the punch to Jarry and the high-stick, were delivered well after the conclusion of play," the video explanation said.

It also pointed out that Marchand is a repeat offender since he has previously been suspended seven times and fined five times, which meant he was subject to a stricter punishment.

"Obviously lack of discipline on Brad's part in that situation," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. "Brad's a leader on our team and he needs to control his emotions."

Marchand has appeared in 39 games for Boston this season and has 49 points on 28 assists and 21 goals. He is one of the team's most important offensive playmakers, so his absence will be felt as the Bruins attempt to hold on to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and perhaps make up ground on the teams ahead of them.

This isn't even the first time he has been suspended this season.

He was sidelined for three games in November for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The latest incident will do nothing to help his reputation as someone who goes over the line at times when it comes to dirty play, and the Bruins will be without one of their key playmakers for an extended stretch as a result.