Colin Healy ‘25
Sports Editor
The Bruins have picked up the NHL season right where they left off. That is, in the regular season. Through 11 games played as of November 5, the Bruins find themselves atop the Eastern Conference with 19 points. Only Vegas sits higher in the whole league with 23.
Last year, Boston rolled through the regular season, going 65-12-5. They not only set the all-time NHL wins record but the points record too, racking up 135 points in their campaign.
Unfortunately for Boston, as soon as the regular season became postseason, the wheels fell totally off. Their first round loss to Florida in 7 games will go down as one of the worst collapses in sports history.
So far this season, the Bruins have had a short memory. Showing little semblance of the sluggishness that doomed them in April, Boston is flying high in the young season. Their first regulation loss came on November 4 against Detroit, their 11th game of the season. Other than an overtime loss to Anaheim, Boston came away with a W in every game to this point.
With the dual retirements of Boston legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the offseason, ‘23-’24 prospects for the Bruins looked bleak over the summer. Other departures included Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall, key parts in last year’s run. The new, overhauled roster for this year left few expecting anything big from Boston, even from the most diehard of fans. Other than bringing back Milan Lucic, a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup team, no moves the team made raised eyebrows. And yet, Boston is poised for another big regular season.
The goalie tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman is one reason the Bruins are playing so well. Their play – specifically Ullmark’s – backstopped last year’s history making team. They both disappeared against Florida in the first round, but have returned to top form thus far. The rise of rookie Matthew Poitras has been another positive for Boston, who has exceeded expectations and solidified his spot on the roster. Add that to the veteran core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and newly minted captain Brad Marchand, Boston at second glance looks like they belong.
Elsewhere, Vegas and the New York Rangers are the other teams with the hottest starts to the year. Vegas sits at first in the West, and the Rangers are atop the Metro Division in the East. Rookie sensation Connor Bedard has also gotten off to a great start with the Chicago Blackhawks, and has backed up the hype surrounding him. He should remain the favorite to win the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie.
Another big storyline comes from nowhere near the top of the league. In fact, it comes from the bottom. The San Jose Sharks, through 11 games, have only one point. They sit 0-10-1, and are on pace to smash records for lowest win and point totals. A far cry from the Bruins and Golden Knights, it is going to be a long, long season for the Sharks and their fans.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out for Boston. Amazing regular seasons are no guarantee of postseason efficacy, and no one knows that better than the Bruins. It’s still early, but this start indicates Boston is going to be around come playoff time. Maybe they will flirt with last year’s total, and maybe they won’t, but all bets are off in the postseason. Until then though, Boston has nothing else to do but put points on the board. Hockey season is officially here.
Featured image courtesy of NBC Sports Boston.
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