In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Bruins became the first team in NHL history to record 65 wins in a single season. Meanwhile, the Bruins now know who their first-round opponent is going to be, and it has the potential to be an excellent and entertaining series.
Bruins Secure 65th Win of 2022-23 Season
With their 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night (April 13), the Bruins won their 65th game the year. They are the first franchise in NHL history to reach this major achievement. With this win, their record for the season ends at 65-12-5, and they reached 135 total points. That is just simply ridiculous, and teams are going to have a very difficult time trying to beat these new single-season records from here.
The Bruins’ win against the Canadiens was not an easy one, however. The Canadiens came out firing, while the Bruins were certainly sloppier than usual. However, the much better team eventually prevailed due to strong performances from players like Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Charlie Coyle. However, it was superstar forward David Pastrnak who scored the game-winner and his 61st of the year.
Bruins Will Face Florida Panthers in First Round
The Bruins knew that they were going to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference (and the entire NHL) for quite some time. However, it took until the completion of their regular season to find out their first-round opponent – the Florida Panthers. Once the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the postseason, the Bruins knew that they would face off against either the Panthers or New York Islanders. However, after losing 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday (April 13), the Panthers will now have to face the NHL’s best team in the first round.
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Although the Bruins have very good odds against the Panthers, they cannot take them lightly. After all, this is a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy just last season and have heated up during the final portion of this season. With that, they also have players like Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, and Brandon Montour who have been excellent this season. Meanwhile, they also have a goaltender in Alex Lyon who has been playing marvelously.
Linus Ullmark & Jeremy Swayman Win Jennings Trophy
Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been the best goalie tandem in the NHL, and they now have won the William M. Jennings Trophy for the 2022-23 campaign because of it. The pair allowed a league-low 177 goals, which includes shootout-deciding goals, to successfully win the award. The team that allowed the second-fewest amount of goals was the Carolina Hurricanes at 213. Thus, the Bruins’ elite duo won by a landslide.
Ullmark put together a historic season with the Bruins and is the clear frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy because of it. In 49 appearances on the campaign, he had a 40-6-1 record, 1.89 goals-against average (GAA), and .938 save percentage (SV%). Swayman, on the other hand, proved to be far more than just a backup, as he had a 24-6-4 record, 2.27 GAA, and .920 SV% in 37 games played.
Patrice Bergeron Leaves Canadiens Game Early
During the Bruins’ win against the Canadiens, captain Patrice Bergeron left after the first period with an upper-body injury. Although that may have caused some concern, it is important to note that it was immediately deemed as precautionary. Following the contest, head coach Jim Montgomery also noted that Bergeron is “fine” and even wanted to return to the game but the former did not let him.
Ultimately, Montgomery made the right call here, as there was no reason for Bergeron to risk injuring himself in a game that ultimately did not matter. The Bruins need the 37-year-old center for the postseason, as he is their leader, top two-way forward, and a key offensive contributor. In 78 games this season, he has 27 goals, 58 points, and a plus-35 rating.