2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview: Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins qualified for the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they are clearly one of the favorites to win the cup this season. The Bruins seemed to emerge this season, quickly becoming the best team in the Northeast Division and the Eastern Conference.

Which players look to make the biggest impact for the Bruins in the playoffs this season? Here is a rundown of each of the positions.

Centerﾠ

The Boston Bruins are incredibly solid at the center position, led by All-Star center Marc Savard and the emergent David Krejci. Patrice Bergeron is one of the more solid third line centers in the league, and Stephane Yelle rounds out this group.

Savard has 85 points in 80 games played, and is a +24 on the season. He is a true frontline center that will define the Boston Bruin's success in this year's playoffs.

Krejci is a great offensive force as well, and for a second line center, he is definitely amongst the best. He has 72 points in 80 games played, with only 26 penalty minutes on the season.

Left Wing

The left wing corps seems fairly balanced for a team of this caliber. Blake Wheeler and Milan Lucic lead this group. Lucic has quickly established himself as one of the league's most dynamic young power-forwards, and he has accumulated nice offensive numbers to put up with his high penalty minutes.

Wheeler only has 43 points on the season, but is an impressive +35, and is a serviceable offensive player.ﾠ

P.J. Axelsson and Mark Recchi round out this group. Recchi was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline, and his veteran presence should be a big boost for this fairly young group. Axelsson has been battling injuries as of late, but he should be good to go for the start of the playoffs.

Right Wing

Phil Kessel and Michael Ryder lead the Boston Bruins' right wing corps. Kessel is yet another dynamic young winger who has produced gaudy offensive numbers for the Bruins this season. Kessel has 56 points in 69 games played. Count on Kessel to put up some nice offensive numbers for the Bruins in the playoffs.

Ryder is not shabby, however. Acquired from free agency, Ryder has put up 51 points in 72 games played, and has a great +28 rating on the season.

Rounding out this group is Chuck Kobasew and Shawn Thornton. While Kobasew is a solid third line right winger, look for Thornton to play a key role as enforcer for the team. While Thornton is not a big point scorer, he has an important role to play on the Bruins.

Defense

The Boston Bruins have a few players on defense that should play key roles in how far the team advances. Despite losing Andrew Ference for the season, they made a key acquisition in D Steve Montador to further their defensive corps.

All-Star defenseman Zdeno Chara leads the group. Chara has amassed 50 points in 80 games played this season, providing a great physical presence and scoring nature for the team. D Dennis Wideman has also proved his offensive mettle and passing ability, with an impressive +33 and 49 points on the season.

Goaltending

The Bruins' true strength is found in the quality of their goaltending. All-Star goaltender Tim Thomas has truly been impressive between the pipes for this group. He has a 35-11-7 record on the season to date, with a .933 save percentage and a 2.10 GAA. Backup goaltender Manny Fernandez has also been impressive, with a 16-7-3 record and .914 save percentage. Fernandez should be a starting goaltender for almost any other team in the NHL.

Final Verdict

All in all, the Boston Bruins are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and they deserve it. This is one of the most complete teams in the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Look for them to make it to the Finals. Whether they can win it all will depend purely on the defense holding up and the scoring hitting a nice playoff stride.