When the puck dropped on the 2022-23 season for the Boston Bruins, there were a lot of questions as to how they were going to navigate the beginning of the season missing two of their top four defensemen and their first-line left wing, all of who were recovering from offseason surgeries. Add in the fact that there was a new coach in Jim Montgomery behind the bench, just how could they stay within striking distance of an Eastern Conference playoff spot until they were fully healthy?
In a season that will go down in the franchise’s history books, as they hold the NHL record for wins and points in a single regular season. When the season began back on Oct. 12, not many people, if any, saw this type of season coming from the Bruins. Now that they have officially set the record for wins in a season with 65 and before they begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers, here are seven reasons why they set an NHL record for wins in a season.
Bruins Have Elite Goaltending With Linus Ullmark & Jeremy Swayman
Raise your hand if anyone saw any of this coming between the pipes this season. Linus Ullmark had a good first season in Boston last season, but there were questions as to whether or not he could have a similar type of season, given his inability to have a strong back-to-back season with the Buffalo Sabres.
Signed to a four-year, $20 million contract in the summer of 2021, Ullmark was forced to play on a nightly basis in November when Jeremy Swayman went down with an injury on Nov. 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the fourth-round pick of Buffalo in the 2017 Entry Draft took full advantage of the opportunity. He is 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage (SV%) with two shutouts.
Swayman has been just as good this season, going 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% with four shutouts. Both goalies all season long have given the Bruins a chance in every game, no matter how they have played.
Trade Deadline Moves
The Bruins were a deep team depth-wise before the March 3 trade deadline. Two moves by general manager (GM) Don Sweeney at the deadline made them even deeper and it gives them the ability to survive injuries.
His first move acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals. Adding both players added sandpaper and Boston Bruins type of players that have fit in seamlessly. Orlov had four goals and 12 assists in 23 games in Boston and averages 22:13 a night. Hathaway had four goals, including game-winners against the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, and six points. Averaging 10:44 a night, he has contributed to the penalty kill along with providing physical and relentless forechecking shifts.
On the Bruins’ final trip out west in late February, Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno were both injured. Those injuries allowed Sweeney to make one more move a day ahead of the trade deadline when he acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from the Red Wings. Bertuzzi has moved around in the top six for Montgomery and has four goals and six 12 assists in 21 games. Three of his goals have come on the power play. All three players are free agents following the season and have been in Boston for just over a month, but all three have played a big hand in their wins since joining the Black and Gold.
Penalty Kill Ranked Near the Top All Season Long
Special teams have been a strength of the Bruins in recent seasons, but since the middle of the season, the power play has struggled, but one consistency has been the penalty kill. They have been near or at the top of the league all season long, even why key players have been out of the lineup.
Related: Bruins Weekly: Marchand, Swayman, Carrick & More
Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo have been the two key penalty killers on defense, while Hampus Lindholm, Orlov, and Charlie McAvoy have all played key roles recently in Forbort’s absence.
Home-Ice Dominance
One big reason why the Bruins racked up 64 wins this season is their home record at the TD Garden. They are 34-4-3 on Causeway Street and didn’t suffer their first regulation loss at home until Jan. 12 when the Seattle Kraken played a perfect game in a 3-0 victory.
Continuing their success at home will be a big part of the playoffs as they have home-ice advantage throughout their stay in the postseason. After losing all four games on the road last season in the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes in their seven-game defeat, having the final game of the series doesn’t mean you will win (see Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues), but it gives better hope than playing it on the road in a hostile environment.
Depth, Depth & More Depth
In order to have the season that the Bruins are having, you need depth up and down your lineup. Not only did they add some at the trade deadline, but they had plenty of it before that. No need to look any further than the bottom six. You know what you’re going to get from the top six, but some players having career seasons in the bottom six and on defense are having career seasons.
Trent Frederic is one Bruin having a career season with highs in goals, assists, and points. Before his injury, Foligno was having a bounce-back season, Tomas Nosek has been vital as the fourth-line center and even getting late-game shifts in close games as an extra faceoff option. Charlie Coyle has been playing his best hockey since coming over in a 2019 trade with the Minnesota Wild. Jakub Lauko and Oskar Steen have come up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and have made key contributions.
On defense, Connor Clifton is having a career season with hits and blocked shots, while Lindholm had a career-high 43 assists with a plus/minus of plus-50 and Matt Grzelcyk had a career-high 22 assists and plus-47. Raise your hand if you saw any of those happening at all this season.
David Pastrnak’s 61-Goal Season Helped Bruins’ Massive Goal Differential
All season long, the Bruins’ goal differential has been off the charts. They finished the season with a plus-128 in goal differential. A big reason for the huge gap in goal differential was David Pastrnak and his 61-goal season. Playing on the second line with Zacha and Krejci has helped him a lot in terms of production, but this season he has been the best offensive player for the Black and Gold. Whether it’s been on the power play, 5-on-5, or any situation, he has come up with some big goals at key times.
The combination of the system, the excellent play from the defensemen, and the goaltending have played a major part in the goal differential. There have not been too many times in a game where you say that Swayman or Ullmark “needed to make a save there.” The defense has also done a good job of giving their goaltenders an opportunity to see a lot of shots.
Jim Montgomery
It was a surprise when the Bruins parted ways with Bruce Cassidy following the 2021-22 season. What was even more of a surprise was the hiring of Montgomery as his replacement. His system has been an added plus for the entire roster.
The one big difference is Montgomery’s demeanor compared to Cassidy’s. It was no secret that Cassidy would call out a player in the media to get their attention, while Montgomery is more of a player’s coach and handles those situations behind closed doors. It also helps to have Bergeron as a captain and he can handle things for his first-year coach. It seems every button he pushes works, whether it’s an in-game decision or a pregame decision.
Who saw the Bruins winning 65 games this season? With free agency, the speed of the game, and injuries bound to happen in the 82-game grind of the regular season, it makes it more of an impressive feat. Once the playoffs begin, the regular season will be in the rearview mirror and all eyes will be on the prize of winning the Stanley Cup. Having regular season success doesn’t mean that there will be any postseason success, just ask the 62-win 2018-19 Lightning.
