It’s been spoken and written about ad nauseum about how well the Bruins have played this season, but it truly has been a historic year.
Last Thursday night against Columbus they set a franchise record for wins and points in a season (121). On Saturday they became just the fourth team ever to win sixty games and fastest to clinch the President’s Trophy. Now, with just five games left in the regular season, they are on the doorstep of making even more history.
With three more wins, Boston can break the record (62) for most wins in a season by any team. Eight more points and they can snatch the record for best season ever away from Montreal. With the remaining schedule ahead, both of those records are very much within reach.
Up and down the lineup, players have raised their game to propel the team on this historic run.
Pavel Zacha, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Trent Frederic, Connor Clifton and Tomas Nosek have all scored at career-best paces. David Pastrnak became the first Bruin to score 50 goals since Cam Neely and could net 60 by seasons end. Hampus Lindholm filled in admirably for McAvoy early on and has been a dark horse for the Norris Trophy ever since. Linus Ullmark has pulverized his career numbers and been the runaway favorite for the Vezina since November.
Their +120 Goal Differential is the highest the league has seen since the Hall of Fame laden 1996 Detroit Red Wings (+144). The closest any team has come to either figure since was the 2019 Lightning (+103). Not surprisingly, these squads hold 3/4 of the sixty win campaigns, but are all dwarfed by the ’77 Canadiens (+216). That Montreal team is the only one to take home the Stanley Cup, at the expense of the Bruins no less.
There has never been a better Boston Bruins team to take the ice. They have an opportunity to re-write the history books, both at home and across the entire league.
Photo: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
