The Boston Bruins woke up Sunday morning tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.
It's no fluke. All season, the Bruins have played with every fiber of fight in their system. The one type they lapsed amidst a six-game losing streak in October, Head Coach Marco Sturm let it rip on his team.
Since that losing streak, the Bruins have gone 14-7-0, good for the fourth-best record since that date. That's also second-best in the Eastern Conference, trailing just the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are 15-6-0 during this run.
Mind you, they've done this while dealing with multi-game absences to Elias Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Viktor Arvidsson, Casey Mittelstadt and more.
Key Player #1:
The talk of injuries begins with the first key injury of the season for the Bruins. Hampus Lindholm missed eight games after suffering an injury in the second game of the season, leading to the Bruins going 2-6-0 without him, including five of the six games of that six-game losing streak.
That alone makes Lindholm an MVP candidate for this season, with his impact being that crystal clear in the team's record.
His impact has been second to none, with one goal and 10 points in his 22 games. He's also run the top powerplay unit since Charlie McAvoy went down injured in Montreal.
The team named Lindholm as their third alternate captain before the season began, something he's lived up to in every way since then.
Key Player #2:
Before we go any further, there will be absolutely zero shock when Morgan Geekie is listed here. He looms above everyone this season, and has undisputedly Boston's best skater this season.
Through 30 games, he has 22 goals and 32 points, with 22 goals good for second in the NHL, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon (24).
It hasn't mattered who Geekie plays with, he scores. At the beginning of the season, Pastrnak told reporters that Geekie has the best shot on the team and that he could score 50 goals.
Through 30 games, Geekie's on pace for 60. “He has everything to score 50 [goals] in this league,” Pastrnak said. “I keep telling him, keep reminding him he has a heck of a shot, and he has the goal-scorer instinct. So, he’s gonna get it one day. The shot that he has, it’s amazing. It’s the best on our team.”
Without Geekie, there's truly no saying where the Bruins might find themselves. Instead, they're tied for first in the Atlantic, thanks to Geekie.
Key Player #3:
When introducing Geekie above, I intentionally labelled Geekie as the undisputed best Bruins skater this season.
I hesitated on the best player because Jeremy Swayman could very well have him beat. Through his 19 starts, Swayman's posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.70 goals against average to go with a 12-7-0 record.
Outside the 7-2 blowout loss against the Ottawa Senators, Swayman has a sparkling .921 SV% and a 2.46 GAA.
Analytically, Swayman has the most goals saved above expected in the entire league, with just about every model universally calculating Swayman as the best goalie in the NHL this season.
There's more than a fair argument to make for Swayman winning team MVP over Geekie, but it's a razor-thin margin.
Swayman is a contender for the Vezina Trophy, and will continue to be as the numbers continue to grow in his favor.
Key Player #4:
Sometimes, a player breaks out when they're 22. Sometimes, a late bloomer might break out at 25 or 26. Other times, it's phenom rookies breaking through at the age of 18.
Then comes a player's peak, usually between the ages of 24-28 in recent years.
Nikita Zadorov's reversing all of these trends. While it's hard to call this year a breakout when he's been a dominant NHLer for some time, this season's shaping up to be his magnum opus.
Zadorov's averaging the most minutes of his career this season, averaging 21:56 a game with that number rising as the season's gone on.
Four times this season, Zadorov's played 25+ minutes in one game. The Bruins are 4-0-0 in those games.
He's worn an 'A' at times due to injuries, and he's become a complete fan favorite, whether it's chirping the New York Islanders and their fan base, or chugging beers on the jumbotron at a Boston Celtics game, he's become the most-loved Bruin.
While it remains highly probable that Pastrnak or McAvoy becomes the next captain of the Bruins, perhaps Zadorov deserves some serious consideration. His play style embodies that of the Bruins' legacy, and there's no questioning how much this team feeds off of his play when he's going.
Key Player #5:
Any number of players could occupy this final spot, from Fraser Minten's rookie breakout to Joonas Korpisalo's great play as backup to Swayman, and Elias Lindholm's great start, despite the injury.
But, one player's brought extra energy every single game this season. Not once has he played in the top six, but his impact is felt in every single game.
Mark Kastelic might be the most underrated Bruin this season. His point totals won't wow you, with his four goals and nine points in 30 games not exactly burning the place up, but his impact comes far beyond offense.
He leads the Bruins' forecheck, constantly getting under the opposition's skin as he continues to breakout.
Like Zadorov, he's received expanded minutes and role. Kastelic opened on the fourth line and not taking any face offs after being a natural center.
Kastelic's still a right wing, but he's now on the third line, and every overtime, Sturm taps Kastelic to go take the draw. Kastelic's perfect from the dot in overtime this season.
In his career before this year, Kastelic averaged under 10 minutes a game, and averaged just 10:44 last season.
He's now averaging 13:45 per game, continuing to ascend and has quickly become a key piece in Boston's success this season.