The Boston Bruins won each of their final eight games to end the season an absurd 65-12-5. The previous record for most wins in a season was 62, set by the 1995-96 Red Wings and tied by the 2018-19 Lighting. The Bruins passed that mark on Sunday with a win over the Flyers, and on Tuesday they set the new record for total points in a season which was previously held by the 1976-77 Canadiens.
In a previous blog post, I discussed the possibility of the Bruins setting these new records and what it would take to do so. The B’s only needed to win six out of the final eight to set the win record, and seven to set the points record. They went ahead and won every single game, including three that went to overtime, one of which was decided by a shootout.
Outside of team accolades, many players set new personal bests this season. David Pasternak basically set new career bests for every category, including goals (61), assists (52), and points (113). His 61 goals put him in second place behind Conor McDavid (64), who earned himself his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy. If Pasta would’ve ended up at the top of the list, it would’ve been his second time winning the award, the other year being 2020 where he shared it with Alexander Ovechkin.
Three Bruins players took all three podium spots for best overall +/- on the season. At the top is Hampus Lindholm (49), followed by Matt Grzelcyk (46) and Brandon Carlo (44). Those numbers seem silly until you look up the best plus minus ever in a season. That title goes to none other than Bruins legend Bobby Orr, who boasted an outrageous +124 in the 1970-71 season. That right there is a record that will never be broken.
The Bruins MVP of the season was undoubtably Linus Ullmark who topped the goaltender leaderboards in nearly every category. He had the best save percentage (.938), goals against average (1.89), and wins (40). Funny enough, his .938 save percentage is identical to Tim Thomas’ 2010-2011 numbers when he carried the Bruins to Stanley Cup. Ullmark’s counterpart Jeremy Swayman was also outstanding this season, coming in fourth for save percentage (.920) and goals against average (2.27). Without the combined efforts of Ullmark and Swayman, the Bruins would be nowhere near where they are today.
WHO ARE THE BRUINS FACING IN THE PLAYOFFS?
In my last blog post, I went into detail about who the B’s could face in the first round of the playoffs. It was an incredibly tight race for the wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference, meaning that there were three possible teams Boston could have been matched up with. The Florida Panthers held the first wildcard spot but were leapfrogged by the Islanders at the last second. This means that Matthew Tkachuk and the boys will be headed to TD Garden to face the Bruins in round one.
The first two games are slated for Monday and Wednesday, but there is no official start time just yet. The betting lines for the series currently sit at -320 for Boston to move on or +250 for Florida to advance. The spread for the series is Boston -1.5 games for -145. The lines for game one favor the Bruins. The moneyline sits at -215, the spread -1.5 for +115, and the O/U is currently at 6.
I think that the best bet for game one is the spread. I think that the B’s will set a tone for the playoffs on Monday night by dominating the Panthers. Sure, Florida can be scary when controlling the puck in the offensive zone, but their defense will not be able to keep up with the onslaught that is this Bruins team. Boston finished second in the league for goals per game (3.65) while Florida finished 21st in goals allowed per game (3.28). The Panthers also finished in the 20s for penalty kill success and shots allowed per game, which is not a good recipe when facing Pasternak and the Bruins.
Tune in on Monday to see Boston’s quest for the cup begin, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Great article Aidan! Hope they can keep it up in playoffs!
Love it Aidan! Keep it up