A year after they held the best record in hockey but surprisingly bowed out in the second round to their archrival Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins will throw pretty much the same exact group of players on the ice in 2014-15 for a chance at redemption. But can they duplicate their regular season success from last year with stiffer competition within the division and conference?
Offense
The Bruins are still one of the deepest teams in hockey offensively as head coach Claude Julien can throw out four extremely effective lines at will. Sure, there may not be a ton of star power on the team, but Boston's offense showcases a physical two-way style made up of several above-average players.
The top six is very solid and will be made up of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith. While the first five players listed have proven to be key producers, Smith will need to try to duplicate his 2013-14 season in order to the Bruins' offensive output to be equal to last year.
Boston also expects more out of Loui Eriksson at the right wing position, especially after the departure of Jarome Iginla, who was one of the team's top point scorers.
The bottom six will be made up of gritty players with an edge and a knack for a goal every once in a while, like Carl Soderberg and Gregory Campbell.
Defense
One of Boston's biggest strengths is its depth at defense, as the team has a healthy mix of veterans and youth. Unfortunately this creates a logjam on the Boston blue line with more than six capable NHL-caliber defensemen. Because of this, some of the young defensemen like Matt Bartkowski may not get as much on-ice action as they deserve.
Captain Zdeno Chara leads the defense once again, while youngsters like Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton have high-rising stocks. Scrappy veterans like Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid who provide exceptional depth, and Dennis Seidenberg who is capable of being a top-pairing d-man.
Goaltending
As good as the defense is, Boston's ace in the hole is goaltender Tuukka Rask, who may be the very best in the world right now. If opposing teams can somehow manage to get by the brick wall that is Boston's blue line, they will need to get through a diamond wall named Rask.
Boston also had some insurance for Rask last year as Chad Johnson was incredible as a backup. This year, Niklas Svedberg will need to prove his worth. He appeared in one game for Boston last year...a game in which he surrendered just two goals on 35 shots.
Not bad.
Special Teams
The special teams game is yet another area in which the Bruins excel. Last year, they finished third in hockey in power play percentage and eight in penalty kill percentage.
Despite the potentially exaggerated embellishment done by some Bruins players (*cough* Marchand *cough*), they were dead last in the NHL in power play opportunities last season. Sure, they seemed to do just fine without being on the man advantage as often as other teams, but hopefully they will get more opportunities to showcase their lethal power play this season.
Coaching
Oh look, another area where Boston has an advantage over most teams. Claude Julien is one of best coaches in hockey today and has always found a way to win. Julien is one of the most respectable coaches in the game and he ensures that there is always a healthy atmosphere in his team's locker room.
Season Outlook
It sure looks like Boston is going to have another legitimate shot at taking home the Stanley Cup next spring, and there is definitely no reason to believe that they shouldn't be considered among the league's favorites. The Bruins may have to put up quite a fight with the Tampa Bay Lightning to win another division title, but they certainly have everything it takes to do that and so much more. The sky is the limit.