A year after a record-breaking regular season and a bitter first-round exit, the Boston Bruins made decent use of a transitional roster to finish second in the Atlantic Division. As another first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs approaches, Bruins fans have their share of causes for optimism and concern for a potential deep run. Let’s take a look at three reasons for each. Optimism: The Bruins plan on using their dynamic goaltending tandem early. The Bruins had a chance to buck conventional wisdom last season with their dynamic duo in net. Instead, they waited too late to pivot to Je ..read more

The first 82 are now a distant memory. The next goal for the Boston Bruins: 16 postseason victories. Jim Montgomery’s club secured their first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs following Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Here’s what we learned from Boston’s regular-season finale. Another first-round matchup with the Maple Leafs awaits. The Bruins’ loss to Ottawa and the Panthers’ win over the Maple Leafs confirmed the latest playoff meeting between the two Original Six squads. Come Saturday night, the Bruins and Leafs will renew postseason acquaintances for the first time sin ..read more

Ideally, the Boston Bruins should avoid a first-round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And judging from Monday’s outing against a desperate Washington Capitals squad, the Bruins lived up to that development. Jeremy Swayman bounced back in likely his final start of the regular season. But the turnover-prone Bruins were in coasting mode from the get-go.  The opportunistic Capitals couldn’t get many pucks past Swayman, but they effectively generated havoc in front of the Boston net throughout Monday’s tilt. The Caps outshot the Bruins 25-16 and pounced on John Carlson’s blast from the p ..read more

Come next weekend, the Boston Bruins will put the finishing touches on their Round 1 preparations. But they enter the final weekend of the 2023-24 regular season without a clear indication of their potential playoff opponents. The Bruins enter Saturday’s tilt in Pittsburgh a mere one point in front of the Panthers in the Atlantic Division standings. Boston has a game in hand on both Florida and the New York Rangers, who sit three points ahead in the Eastern Conference standings. Whether they face the Lightning, Maple Leafs or the East’s second wild card team, the Bruins still have plenty of it ..read more

For the last month, the Boston Bruins acquainted themselves with the playoff-like grind accordingly. Over the last two weeks, in particular, Jim Montgomery’s club earned victories through various means against teams fighting for playoff positioning. But they also endured some hiccups and setbacks against some of the heavier squads they’ve faced during the last month. With a mix of speed, skill and heavy checking, the Carolina Hurricanes possess several traits the Bruins struggled with during previous postseason eliminations. And unlike their last meeting just five days prior, the B’s entered c ..read more

Simply put, the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers don’t like one another. A mere 12 months removed from a bitter first-round series, the teams engaged in four taxing tilts during the regular season, including twice in the last 10 days. Both teams had some stakes up for grabs, with the Panthers entering Saturday’s matinee four points behind the Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic. But more important than improving their potential placement in the final 82-game standings, the divisional rivals wanted nothing more than to make a statement and prove that they’re ready for the postseason grind ..read more

Brad Marchand pounced on a breakaway to lift the proverbial monkey off his back a mere 2:12 into Thursday’s contest in Raleigh. The Boston Bruins then sewed further doubt into a rusty Carolina Hurricanes bunch and never looked back. By the midway point of the opening frame, the Bruins extended their lead to three after David Pastrnak and Danton Heinen netted their 47th and 16th goals of the season, respectively, along the net front. But they still needed to limit some damage during a second-period hiccup. Boston’s struggling power play failed to convert on a four-minute opportunity during the ..read more

The details and the effort remained solid throughout Tuesday’s 60-minute tilt. But the positive results evaded the Boston Bruins against a top-tier netminder in Jusse Saros and the rest of the resurging Nashville Predators. Until the third. Jim Montgomery’s squad encountered a few hiccups, and watched Justin Brazeau exit with an upper-body injury on Tuesday. Linus Ullmark matched Saros stride for stride as the Bruins tried to find their scoring touch. Yet, they never deviated from their tight-checking and defensive structure before pouncing in the third.  The Bruins grabbed the lead at 13 ..read more

A month ago, Don Sweeney searched for a needed physical upgrade in the bottom six. On Deadline Day, the ninth-year Boston Bruins general manager filled the need after acquiring Pat Maroon, a proven checking-line winger with a lengthy championship resume. But the Bruins would have to wait for Maroon to recover fully from back surgery. Maroon began skating on his own shortly after arriving from Minnesota. Yet, the three-time Stanley Cup champion remained eager to join his teammates for a full skate. While Maroon still has a little ways to go before making his Bruins debut, the St. Louis native f ..read more

At times, the Boston Bruins took an unorthodox route to victory during a proverbial bridge season. But Saturday’s latest path to two points over the Washington Capitals felt a little different. Their details looked attentive. Their effort remained solid. But their execution looked a bit off during the first 60 minutes. Despite holding the Caps to 20 shots on net, Jim Montgomery’s club couldn’t extend their two leads following Hampus Lindholm’s seeing-eye shot in the first and Johnny Beecher’s breakaway tally early in the second. Hampus Lindholm's shot from the blue line sails past Lindgren ..read more