With points in seven of their past eight games, the Boston Bruins have climbed into a tight, three-way battle for first place in the Atlantic Division, with 86 points. That gives the Bruins an 18-8-3 record since Jan. 15, which is one point back of the Anaheim Ducks for the best record during that span. Is this team a legitimate Stanley Cup threat?
Boston's front office certainly thinks so. At the NHL trade deadline, the Bruins kept veteran Loui Eriksson and traded four draft picks and a prospect to rent Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, who become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Those are not the types of moves than an organization would make without an expectation that it could make a deep postseason run.