Bruins’ record start faces huge test as most brutal stretch of schedule begins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL as Thanksgiving approaches, and they’re not just beating teams with regularity, they’re destroying them.
The Original Six club has a league-leading plus-37 goal differential and eight wins by three or more goals. The B’s are 11-0-0 at home, lead the league in goals scored with 74 and have allowed the fewest goals with 37. Boston’s special teams have been magnificent, too, ranking No. 5 in power play percentage and No. 2 in penalty kill percentage.
The Bruins have won six consecutive games, giving them a league-best 16-2-0 record entering Monday.
Any way you look at it, this Bruins team has been as dominant as it gets.
Well-balanced effort
Goals Scored
74 (1st)
Goals allowed
37 (1st)
Variation
Double
Maintaining this historically strong start to the 2022-23 season is about to get even tougher, though, because the Bruins’ schedule significantly ramps up in difficulty over the next couple weeks.
“It’s unfathomable that we were going to have this start, right? So we’re enjoying the ride right now, but we know our schedule is getting really hard,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after his team’s 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. “It’s nice to be part of the record books. One thing we want to focus on doing is staying in the present. and focus on the next shift, and I think we did a great job of that tonight.”
The Bruins haven’t had the easiest schedule to begin the campaign, but it also hasn’t been the hardest by any means. Eleven of their 18 games have been played at TD Garden. Half of their matchups were against playoff teams from last season.
The next three weeks present plenty of enormous tests for the B’s, beginning Monday night when they open a two-game road trip versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins have not played the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs (and 2020 and 2021 Cup winners) yet this season. After a 1-3-0 start, the Lightning have righted the ship with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10, including a four-game win streak. Boston plays Tampa Bay twice over the next eight days.
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The Bruins also play the Florida Panthers on the road Wednesday. The Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and have a loaded roster. The B’s will play a Black Friday matinee this week with…