The 2024 NHL Playoffs are here, and the Boston Bruins are taking on longtime rival, The Toronto Maple Leafs, in the first round. This is certainly not the first time the two teams have met in the first round. The last time it happened was in 2019 when the Bruins won the series in seven games.
Related: 3 Bruins Difference-Makers in the 2024 Playoffs
The Bruins come into this postseason having been ejected in the first round of the last two campaigns. After another very good regular season, the question is whether or not they have enough left in the tank to get them out of the first round and a run at the Stanley Cup.
With the puck drop for Game 1 right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make a few bold and not-so-bold predictions for what will happen in this series.
Bold Prediction 1: David Pastrnak Scores a Hat Trick
David Pastrnak is quite familiar with hat tricks. He has 19 career hat tricks, 17 coming in the regular season and two in the postseason. He currently sits second overall in the Bruins franchise history, trailing only Phil Esposito, who had 26.
As the stats show, having a hat trick in the postseason is harder, but it’s obviously not impossible. Playing the Maple Leafs always seems to bring out the best in Pastrnak. In 42 career games against Toronto, in both regular and postseason, he has 55 points against them. He had six points in their four matchups in 2023-24.
Pastrnak had a great season, finishing with 110 points in 82 games and 43 points ahead of Brad Marchand, who was second on the team in points. That momentum should hopefully carry into a great postseason for him.
Not-So Bold Prediction 1: Series Goes to Seven Games
Before this season, the two teams had met in the playoffs three times since 2010, and each time, it went to seven games. It’s a safe bet that it will go to seven games again in this series. The teams’ history and long rivalry bring out the best in each other and the fans.
While the Bruins swept the Leafs in the regular season, the playoffs are a whole new beast, and no one should expect it to be that simple. These are two teams with great offensive firepower and some issues on defense. The real decision factor in this series will most likely come down to goaltending. It’s been solid for Boston all season, but it was a weaker area last season in the playoffs. On the flip side, it has not always been consistent in 2023-24 for Toronto, but Ilya…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…