Boston Bruins: 10 hottest players heading into second round

Who are the top five players on the Boston Bruins right now?

Leading off the top half of the power rankings is David Pastrnak. It feels like sacrilege to put Pasta this low considering he led the team in points in the series, but a slow start to the series and a few others having clutch moments put Pastrnak at fifth.

The winger really got going in Games 4 and 5, tallying a goal and an assist in both games. Prior to that, he was struggling to put the puck in the net, leading the team in shots on goal, but having nothing to show for it. It’s good to see Pasta get rewarded for his hard work, especially since we’ve seen his shooting go cold in the playoffs before.

At number four is Patrice Bergeron. The captain put the team on his back in the series-clinching game, scoring two goals. His second was a beauty of a play, taking advantage of the Capitals poor puck possession in front of Samsonov and wristing one to ward off any prospect of a Washington comeback.

Bergeron was all over the ice in this series and set the tone from puck drop in every one of the Bruins four wins.

Coming in at number three is Charlie McAvoy, who quite possibly had the best defensive series of his career. McAvoy has had a lot on his shoulders in his first season without Zdeno Chara. He has responded by cementing himself as one of the best defenseman in the NHL.

McAvoy’s fingerprints were all over the Bruins offense and defense in this series, consistently creating opportunities in the offensive zone while terminating the Capitals with extreme prejudice in the defensive zone. He more than made up for his stick explosion in Game 1 by being the Bruins anchor in every single game of the series.

At number two is Tuukka Rask. Personally, I’m at the point where if you hate Tuukka or try to detract from his undeniable success, it’s time for you to find a new team. Game 5 was a direct message to the “Rask has never stolen a game” crowd.

If you put up the stats of Game 5 without the final score, you would think the game was an absolute bloodbath. Guess you forgot about the guy in net. You know, the guy who stopped 40 of 41 shots. The guy who had 2.0 goals saved above average. The guy who stole a game for the Bruins.

Rask was incredible for the Bruins in the series, compiling a 1.88 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. If Rask is on a 2013 or 2019-like heater, this Bruins team is going places.

Taking the top spot is the pest himself, Brad Marchand. Oh, how the Capitals fans must’ve loathed seeing Marchand own this series.

Washington had no answer for Marchand in the biggest moments, as the Bruins left-winger scored the overtime winner in Game 2, the third period game-tying goal in Game 3 to force overtime, and struck first in Game 4 to keep the Caps on their heels.

Without Marchand, the Bruins come nowhere close to winning this series.