5 reasons why Bruins are in a tier of their own this season

The 2022-23 Boston Bruins are no longer competing against their opponents for the duration of the regular season; they’re competing against the ghosts of years past.

Boston is fighting for its status among the all-time great teams and is currently on pace to topple the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens for most points in a regular season (132). This year’s Bruins team became the fastest to reach the 100-point mark and is threatening to break the all-time wins record of 62, set by the 1976-77 Canadiens and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

My colleague James O’Brien summarized Boston’s pathway to becoming the greatest team of all-time in January. Here’s how the Bruins have fared all year and the primary reasons why they’re in a tier above the rest of the field in the NHL.

Bergeron is having a season for the ages

Patrice Bergeron is having the best season of his storied career; an absurd notion when you consider that he turns 38 in July. Boston controls an eye-popping 64.2 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 when he’s on the ice, via Natural Stat Trick, the best mark in the NHL among players who have logged 500 minutes or more. He is outright dominating the competition, and though it will be David Pastrnak who gets the down-ballot Hart Trophy votes, the Bruins’ unmatched success this year begins with their captain.

Bergeron has been the NHL’s best faceoff man by far. He’s winning draws at a spectacular 62.2 percent clip at 5-on-5 and 60.48 percent in all situations, which is all the more remarkable when you consider he’s taken the third-most faceoffs in the NHL, trailing only Bo Horvat and Sidney Crosby by three draws.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Bergeron wins the Selke Trophy unanimously. He’s been the best defensive forward in the NHL by far; his only real rivals are his linemates, and he’s been on the ice for 37 goals scored versus 14 against at 5-on-5. This would be the sixth time — the second consecutive year — where Bergeron wins the award, and this may have been his most comprehensive effort to date.

Bergeron’s leadership also extends off the ice, as Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said he’s eased the transition for all of the team’s post-deadline acquisitions.

"When your captain is Patrice Bergeron, people get acclimated real quick to what the culture is and why it's special to be here, more importantly," Montgomery said Wednesday. "Under Patrice Bergeron, there's a bunch of assistant captains that are great as well, that understand that Spoked-B matters more than anything and that's what we're driving towards.

"It's more than just leading by example. He sets the example — we practice like champions every day because of him and others…they compete. There's a professionalism to what we do on the ice…but more importantly, being around Patrice — Patrice's awareness of other people and being empathetic, whether they're going good or whether they're not going good, he sees it, he addresses it, he communicates with them.

"The best example is, I've met with several players because your job as a coach is to look and be aware of those things and you've got to pick guys up or hold them accountable, whatever the case may be and a lot of times, I'll be ing a player in my office this year and [ask them], 'How you doing, man?' And they'll be like, 'Well, Patrice talked to me. I'm in a better place.'"

Bergeron is also the central component of Boston’s league-leading penalty kill, which is stopping opponents at a 86.6 percent rate, three whole percentage points ahead of second-place Carolina.

Bruins split the Perfection Line into two excellent combinations

Remember when Jake DeBrusk demanded a trade from the Bruins? That may as well be ancient history. DeBrusk leads the NHL in expected goals against per 60 among all qualified players (500 minutes played or more) while Bergeron ranks second. Brad Marchand, for the record, ranks 63rd — he’s clearly slacking!

Boston’s nominal top unit has controlled 63 percent of the expected goals and 73 percent of the actual goals, while being on the ice for 16 goals for versus six against at 5-on-5. All three players are within the top-16 of expected goals for at 5-on-5 and Boston’s second most-used combination has been a veritable nightmare to play against. The Perfection Line (Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak) has been split into two flawless combinations and there’s virtually no scenario where the Bruins take their foot off the gas.

David Krejci returned from his one-year sabbatical re-energized and re-committed to the Bruins. He’s now centering the team’s nominal second line, which includes Hart candidate Pastrnak and former top-six pick Pavel Zacha. This unit has outscored opponents 26-12 at 5-on-5, while the Perfection Line, when reunited, are leading opponents 8-3. It’s also worth noting that Marchand missed the first four games of the year, and the Bruins cooked opponents alive with a makeshift combination of Krejci centering Pastrnak and Taylor Hall.