The Boston Bruins' second line continues to be one of the best in the entire NHL. It's not even up for discussion at this point.
Game in, game out, they're dominating and making a massive difference on the scoreboard and in every game.
Pavel Zacha has 13 goals in March, good enough to lead the NHL for the entire month. In total, he's got those 13 goals and 22 points in the 17 games post-Olympics.
Viktor Arvidsson, meanwhile, has seven goals and 19 points in the 17 games since the Olympic Break ended.
Casey Mittelstadt's also done quite nicely, with two goals and 12 points in those 17 games.
Consider that Morgan Geekie hasn't scored since March 5, and has just two goals and eight points in the last 17 games. Add in the struggle of Elias Lindholm, who, up until March 20, had just three points in 12 games.
It would've been easy for the Bruins to collapse. Yes, David Pastrnak has kept on humming. But the other go-to forwards have struggled.
Not this second line. This line produces at least one goal a game these days.
The Bruins erased a 3-0 deficit Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road. Zacha scored twice with one assist, including the game-tying goal with 11 seconds left.
Arvidsson posted three assists, including in an incredible play to swipe the puck off of Charlie Coyle's stick, and to knock it to Zacha in front for the tying goal in one sweep of his stick.
Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, Zacha had two more goals to his name. Arvidsson had a goal and an assist. Mittelstadt had three assists, a stellar performance against an elite team.
Postgame, Pastrnak heaped praise on the line.
"Yeah, It's impressive," Pastrnak said postgame Saturday. "They never met each other, and they've been a great line the whole year. Every time they are on, it makes it so much easier for the rest of the group to follow up.
"When they have nights like this, not many nights we come up short."
It's heavy praise from Boston's superstar up front, who has greatly benefited from the line's ascension. Pastrnak just had a 12-game point streak come to an end in Columbus, a run only possible with strong, balanced depth helping him.
Zacha himself now has a goal in three straight games, and again, leads the NHL in goals for the month of March.
"Pav has been on a great goal streak," Pastrnak continued on Saturday. "We'll need that, and it's been really fun to watch, and I'm super happy for him."
Perhaps the most poignant of all the praise Saturday came from Bruins' Head Coach Marco Sturm.
When asked about the total lineup, Sturm went in depth on why he's liked the new-look top and third lines, along with the fourth.
As for Zacha's line?
"Pav's line is Pav's line."
Short, sweet, and to the point. You have to be an elite grouping for an NHL coach to drop that simple five-word sentence, that speaks volumes about the level of trust said coach has in you.
When healthy, it's been the line for virtually the entire season.
It's something Arvidsson has loved, after constantly dealing with rotations in Edmonton and Los Angeles.
"I think this has been a year where I haven't had any other line mates, kind of like we've been together the whole time," said Arvidsson postgame Saturday. "It's helped for sure, getting to know each other, and especially for me, first year here, so it's been helpful."
As for the confidence that comes with this unbelievable stretch of play?
"Oh, it's fun," Arvidsson said. "We have fun out there. Trying to create, and every time we get off the ice, we talk about stuff and try to make better plays. I think that's a big key, that we're communicating and trying to get better every shift."