The Bruins beat Vegas 3-2 in a shootout last night, and now the question is whether they're for real heading to Pittsburgh.
The Hockey News asked that very thing today, and the record gives the conversation legs. Boston is 11-4-1 in 16 games, good for 23 points, third in the NHL and first in the Atlantic.
Monday's win gave the Bruins four of four points on the homestand and extended their home winning streak to six. They've won two straight overall, and they're 7-2-1 over their last 10.
The goals back it up. Boston has scored 58 and allowed 38, a +20 differential that holds up better than any single shootout result.
David Pastrnak sits on top of the scoring list with 20 points, 8 goals and 12 assists. He also put seven shots on goal against the Golden Knights in Pastrnak's shootout winner against Vegas, so the engine of this team is still running hot.
The more interesting part is who's behind him. Elias Lindholm has 13 points, James Hagens 12, Morgan Geekie and John-Jason Peterka 11 each, and Fraser Minten 10.
That's five centers and wingers within a few points of each other, which is exactly how you survive a night when the top line gets stopped.
The road record is the real question for the Bruins
At TD Garden, Boston is 7-1-0. Away from home it's 4-3-1, still a winning record, but a clear step down from what this group does in front of its own crowd.
That gap is what Thursday is about. Pittsburgh is 5-7-2 and sits 26th in the NHL, yet the Penguins are 4-1-1 at home, and their one-sided road record doesn't change how they play in their own building.
Marco Sturm's team can make a case as the Atlantic leader on paper, and the Bruins' place in the division is not in doubt right now.
Home wins build a lead, but road games decide whether it lasts, and Boston has already dropped three of its eight away from TD Garden in regulation. Thursday at Pittsburgh is the next chance to show the Bruins travel as well as they play at home.
