The Boston Bruins are an unstoppable machine right now, folks. Unstoppable!
Their current points streak reached 18 consecutive games on Thursday night thanks to a wild come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers that saw them erase a two-goal deficit, and then score two goals in the final 36 seconds to secure the win.
Patrice Bergeron once again played the role of hero for the Bruins with a shorthanded goal early in the third period, and then the game-winning goal with just under seven seconds remaining in regulation.
That goal came just 20 seconds after Matt Grzelcyk tied the game on a power play.
Here is a look at Bergeron’s game-winning goal.
So we should talk about this for a little bit because this is an absolutely incredible run and has the Bruins currently sitting with the second best record in the league behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With this win the Bruins are now 14-0-4 since returning from their bye week and have built a four-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs when it comes to the second spot in the Atlantic Division, which would give them home-ice advantage in what seems to be their inevitable first-round matchup.
They have done a lot of that without the services of one of their best players, David Pastrnak, who has been sidelined since February 10, while Thursday’s game was also played without Marcus Johansson and Jake DeBrusk. Their remaining stars have stepped up and are carrying the load, including master troll Brad Marchand who now has 27 points during the streak after his three-assist performance on Thursday.
Is there a little bit of luck involved here? Sure there is. You do not go 14-0-4 in the NHL without at least a few breaks going your way.
Do the Bruins still have some questions regarding their depth, especially given the recent developments with Johansson and DeBrusk? You bet they do, especially with the current injury situation.
But a handful of star players playing at the top of their game and some outstanding goaltending (both of which the Bruins have) can take a team a long way.
Right now with the way they are rolling this is a team that nobody is going to want to face in Stanley Cup Playoffs. Especially a Toronto fanbase that probably still has nightmares about recent postseason matchups with the Bruins.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.