The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers have been jockeying for position atop the Eastern Conference standings for more than a month, but there’s now another team in the mix for the top seed.
The New York Rangers are the hottest team in the NHL right now. They have a 16-4-1 record in their last 21 games entering Thursday night’s showdown against the Bruins at TD Garden.
These results have pushed the Rangers up to 94 points with a 45-20-4 record — tied with the Panthers (94 points, 45-19-4) and three behind the Bruins (97 points, 41-14-15).
“I think we’re playing fast. I think we’re on the attack. I think defensively we’ve been pretty good lately,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said after Wednesday’s practice, per the team. “There’s lots of things I like about our game as we’re heading into the playoffs.”
The stats also paint a rosy picture of the Rangers’ performance over the last two months or so. Here’s how the Rangers and Bruins compare since New York’s hot streak began Jan. 27.
The Rangers pose a great test for the Bruins for a lot of reasons. This is a big, physical team that skates hard and fast and has plenty of offensive firepower.
The B’s found that out firsthand in the two previous matchups this season — a 7-4 Rangers win in New York on Nov. 25 and a 2-1 overtime win for the Rangers in Boston on Dec. 16. Bruins star David Pastrnak was ejected in the second meeting after receiving a five-minute major penalty for boarding on a pretty suspect call.
The lopsided loss in November saw the Bruins give up 36 scoring chances and 19 high-danger chances during 5-on-5 play. There’s been only one other game this season during which the B’s have allowed more scoring chances (Feb. 19 vs. Stars) and high-danger chances (Jan. 9 vs. Coyotes).
The Bruins have spent 391:27 on the penalty kill this season. Only the Anaheim Ducks have been shorthanded more often. The B’s gave the Rangers nine power-play opportunities over the first two meetings this season and New York cashed in once each game. Boston has to be more disciplined against a Rangers lineup that features nine players with 10-plus goals, including five with 20-plus goals.
This is a deep, highly skilled group of forwards that puts a ton of pressure on opponents with its speed, tenacity and heavy forecheck. The Bruins have struggled against these types of opponents in recent playoff runs, most notably the Panthers (2023) and Carolina Hurricanes (2022). And if the Bruins are going to make a deep playoff run in 2024, they’ll have to beat a couple teams built like the Rangers to do it.
