Boston Bruins: Top 3 questions that remain to be answered in 2020
The Boston Bruins are among the teams with a lot on the line if the 2019-20 season were to return, leaving plenty of questions without a resolution.
On March 12, 2020, the 2019-20 NHL season was paused due to the COVID-19 outbreak. At that time, the Boston Bruins sat atop the Eastern Conference and the NHL, well on their way to the Presidents’ Trophy. The Bruins currently sit with 100 points through 70 games, going 44-14-12 so far. However, even as the top team in the league right now and coming off an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Bruins still have questions to answer themselves.
As a team and even down to the individual level, the Bruins are looking for answers to a question that can define their season. With such an amazing record, fans and the league have to ask if this would be the year for the Bruins after all. Along with that comes the incredible accolades of the team’s players that helped get them to this point and if they are going to finish the season as well as they played up to this point with such a long layoff.
Personal and team goals will be put to the test whenever the league resumes, as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has made it clear that it will eventually. Time will tell as to when the Bruins can answer these following questions, but they will need answers to have closure on this incredible season.
1. Will Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak finish off their dazzling seasons in style?
Tuukka Rask and David Pastrnak’s play this season have been gigantic reasons as to why the Bruins are on top of the entire NHL. But can they both hold the top rank in their separate statistics to propel them towards award season? With 12 games left in a hopeful finish to the regular season, anything can happen.
Rask was phenomenal for the Bruins all season long, leading the league in goals against average with a 2.12 average, and ranks second in save percentage. His percentage currently sits as .929, just a single digit behind Dallas Stars’ Anton Khudobin for the league lead. If he can keep his one spot on top while also hopping over the Stars’ goalie, Rask could be on his way to his second Vezina Trophy of his career.
When it comes to Pastrnak, he is trying to outpace the best goal scorer of the past two decades in Alex Ovechkin to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the first time in his career as the league’s leading goal scorer. Right now, Pastrnak is tied with Ovechkin at 48. Not only is that number important, but the chance to get to 50 for the first time in his career also has to be looming in the back of his head.
One last goal for Pastrnak this season is to record five more points to accomplish his first 100-point season of his career. That would be the icing on top of his incredible season and put him right in the middle of the Hart Trophy conversation at league’s end.
While all they take care of the team’s success when the season returns, these long-term season goals surely would be a nice accomplishment for each man. There’s a good chance their teammates would like to see them accomplish these feats as well.