All season long, the debate around the Bruins has been whether they'll make the playoffs. What they might do once they get there has not been up for debate. They'll lose in the first round, of course, because this team is nowhere close to being ready to go on any kind of real run. The consensus has been that Boston's ceiling is not any higher than that.
It's time to rethink that ceiling. The Bruins' recent play demands it. They have not faded down the stretch as their schedule has gotten tougher. They are not desperately clinging to a playoff spot.
What they're doing is getting stronger. They are separating from the playoff bubble, leaving that fight for the likes of the Islanders, Blue Jackets, Senators, Red Wings and Flyers. After Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars, the Bruins are now eight points clear of the playoff cut line with seven games remaining. They now have a 98% chance to make the playoffs, according to HockeyStats.
This was yet another impressive win over one of the best teams in the NHL. The Stars are one of four teams that already have 100 points. They are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender by just about any metric.
This was a tight game through two periods, with the score tied 2-2. But the Bruins dominated in the third. Elias Lindholm scored just 13 seconds into the period to give Boston the lead, and then Henri Jokiharju added to it five minutes later with his first goal as a Bruin. Viktor Arvidsson tacked on two empty-netters, sandwiched around a garbage-time Dallas goal, to complete his fifth career hat trick.
The Bruins held the Stars to just three shots on goal in the third period, and 16 for the game. It was the second game in a row that they finished much stronger than their opponent, following Sunday's three-goal, third-period comeback in Columbus.
It was also the Bruins' third win during this four-game winning streak over a team that's in the top seven of the league-wide standings. They had an identical 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, and a 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. A few days before that, they had a massive 4-2 win in Detroit. Their 4-2 loss to Toronto stands as the lone blip of late, and even that might not end up so bad if it helps keep the Maple Leafs away from a top-five pick (Toronto's first-round pick goes to Boston unless it's in the top five).
The Bruins aren't in any position to get cocky, but their coach also isn't shying away from declaring that his team believes they can beat anyone.
"I do believe so," Marco Sturm said Tuesday night. "I don't know when it started, but the Minny game, even the Columbus game, the Detroit game, those were big, big games. Different, but they were all big. And we won. I think that really – guys are believing in themselves, and they know we’re a good, solid team when we’re on top of it. So yeah, the belief is there right now."
Marco Sturm says the Bruins believe they can beat anyone.
“Guys are believing in themselves, and they know we’re a good, solid team when we’re on top of it. So yeah, the belief is there right now.”
The Bruins have won 4 in a row and are now 8 points clear of the cut line. pic.twitter.com/gLBQ5uL59V
— WEEI (@WEEI) April 1, 2026
The Bruins still don't have all the hallmarks of a Stanley Cup contender, but they have some. They have the best 5-on-5 goal differential in the NHL since Jan. 1. They have one of the best goalies in the NHL in Jeremy Swayman, who leads the league in goals saved above expected since the Olympics.
They have an offensive superstar in David Pastrnak, who has 23 points in the last 14 games. They have a top-10 defenseman in Charlie McAvoy, who has 39 points in his last 35 games. They have an excellent second line with Arvidsson, Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt, whose plus-21 goal differential at 5-on-5 is tied for second-best among all lines in the NHL.
The Bruins are physical, ranking fourth in the NHL in hits. They play a style that can make life miserable for any opponent in a best-of-seven series.
Of course, they have their flaws, too. They take too many penalties. Neither special teams unit has been consistent enough. They don't have the kind of legitimate first-line center that pretty much every recent Cup winner has had. They give up too many high-danger chances at 5-on-5, which could be a killer if Swayman's play falters even a little bit.
But just about every other team in the Eastern Conference has their flaws and question marks, too. Just looking at the four teams ahead of them… the Sabres are inexperienced, and might play a bit too wide open of a style for the playoffs. The Hurricanes are their usual analytics darling, but still have questions in goal and still struggle to finish some of their chances. The Canadiens are also unproven in net, and aren't particularly stout defensively. The Lightning look like the most complete team in the East on paper, but even they are not as loaded as past Tampa teams have been.
The East has been a dogfight all season, and it probably will be in the playoffs as well. There is no one running away and hiding from the rest of the pack. There is an opening for a lower seed to go on a run if they get hot at the right time, especially if they have a hot goalie.
The Bruins are hot right now, and they definitely have a hot goalie. They won't be favored or expected to go on a deep run, which is still fair. But ruling one out seems pretty foolish right about now.
