2026 Boston Bruins Bold Predictions | Poke The Bear
In this episode of Poke The Bear, Conor and Evan discuss Boston’s win in Edmonton, our early predictions for the Bruins in 2026, and Olympics roster news.
0:00 – Ringing in the New Year!
4:33 – Bruins defeat Oilers 6-2
13:20 – Prizepicks
15:45 – Boston Bruins 2026 Predictions
20:36 – Subscribe to the Podcast!
21:56 – Reaction to Latest Olympic Roster News
26:22 – Wrapping up!
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8 Comments
I want to point out that Boston’s regulation-time record sits at 15-18-8, which is dead last in the Atlantic Division (46.3% points percentage).
When Evan refers to the model (from The Athletic) that predicts Boston to finish this season as a bottom-five team, this is why.
The team’s results have been hard-carried by their excellent powerplay efficiency, some stellar performances by Swayman, and success in 3v3 overtime.
Those are all objectively good things, but they’re also covering up the Bruins’ glaring weakness at 5v5.
I’m good with the letters DJ. Just no f’n C !
An Abu Ghraib mention on Poke The Bear is diabolical
My prediction is the Bruins stink and draft Belchetz and Reid. Edit: LMAO, seconds later Conor makes the same prediction. Great minds think alike, Bs need to make it happen.
Ellen's backstage Abu Ghraib prison absolutely sent me lol
I made the exact same prediction as Ryan a few days earlier, in a comment under a Bruins Diehards show with Evan as a guest.
Expectations for the Boston Bruins in 2026?
If we’re just talking about 2026 in terms of the rest of the 2025-2026 season, I’d say expect more of the below because the Bruins are one of the slowest, least skilled teams overall in the NHL who is absolutely miserable defensively at 5×5
Boston Bruins 5×5 Metrics halfway into the 2025-26 Season:
CF%: 22nd
FF%: 24th
Shots Against: 23rd
Scoring Chances Against: 25th
Middle Danger Chances Against: 21st
Long Danger Chances Against: 25th
High Danger Chances Against: 27th
Expected Goals Against (xGA): 32nd and DEAD LAST
Expected Goals For% (xGF%): 29th
Also worth noting, Jeremey Swayman has been in the Top 10 in Saves Above Expected for most of the season & the Bruins have dropped to a crappy 20th on the Penalty Kill for the year
Also worth noting, they Bruins are 15th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference in Goals Against and 26th in Goals Against in the league
Also worth noting, the Bruins are 13th in Goal Differential with a craptastic -4 in the Eastern Conference and 20th in the NHL overall
So all Boston will be capable of being moving forward is what they’ve been to so far this season…
Again a big, slow, terrible defensive team that struggles on offense and defense at 5×5, that in order to beat the good speed and skill teams in the NHL they need Swayman to be the better goalie, they need to be the better team on special teams and they need the other team’s goalie to let up two or more bad goals
If two or all three of those things don’t happen most games the Bruins will continue to struggle against even the NHL’s bad teams, let alone the good ones that lean much more heavily into being the NHL’s better speed and skill teams, something this version of the Bruins will never be
Anyone saying anything else differently is delusional because both the eyeball test and all of the advanced metrics SCREAM that Boston is a middling .500 team that stinks defensively and offensively at 5×5 and a team that needs their goalie and their special teams to win their battles every night or they have very little chance of beating any NHL teams consistently, good or bad
If we’re talking about the draft, the offseason and going into the 2026-27 regular season?
Who the hell knows?
We have no idea if they will sell or add at the deadline, we have no idea what players will be move or still be here, what player will be drafted, what players will be traded for or what players be signed as UFAs
We don’t even know if Don Sweeney, Cam Neely and Marco Sturm will even be in their positions after the regular season ends, thus any speculation on what the Bruins will or won’t be or who will or won’t even be here for the 2026-27 is just pointless right now
What you guys have not talked about is the potential impact of Pasta, Zacha, McAvoy, both Lindholms and Swayman and playing intense extra games in the Olympics. Even with Swayman's performance against Edmonton, he can't play every game going forward and may need to play less to recover if Team USA has a deep run. Pasta hits 30 in May, been in the NHL since he was 18, the shine is coming off slightly naturally and he does not need extra games when he still needs to drive the offense night after night. Sweeney has to sign Hagens to a pro contract, and Zellers too n possibly, because these guys might be out of gas after the Olympics and no way are the Bs running away with a playoff spot by February 6th.