Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down: Power Play, Edwards, Maple Leafs & More

The Boston Bruins will open the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs after stumbling to the finish line of the regular season.

The 2023-24 NHL regular season is over for the Boston Bruins and now their full attention turns to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Seemingly in control in the Atlantic Division, the Black and Gold closed out the season losing three of their final four games and finishing in second place behind the Florida Panthers. That means they went from a first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning to a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It’s safe to say that the Bruins are not playing their best hockey entering the postseason and there is a lot of reason for concern going into a seven-game series with Toronto despite winning all four regular season matchups. The Maple Leafs pose different problems than the Lightning would have and it’s no guarantee that they will continue their success against their division rivals as the playoffs are a totally different animal. With that said, here is the latest Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down.

Plus One: Bruins Have Home Ice Advantage

The case can be made that home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is overrated and the Bruins need to look no further than last spring when they lost the final three games against Florida at home in the stunning first-round upset. You can even go back to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues where they lost 4-1.

This year could be different. The Bruins have had a lot of postseason success against the Maple Leafs and playing a Game 7 at home could be huge for the Black and Gold with doubt that could creep into Toronto’s head. Then again it may not get that far, but defending home ice in the series is key for Boston if they want to advance.

Minus One: Bruins Lose Division to Florida