How Boston Far and Away Lagged the Rest of the N.H.L.

The Bruins, who have won 50 games more quickly than any other N.H.L. team in history, have struggled recently, but with a lead that enormous, it is acceptable to concentrate on the bigger picture.

Boston — The players of the Boston Bruins were given a directive as soon as they reported for training camp in September. Of course, winning the Stanley Cup is the goal of almost every team, but the Bruins had higher goals in mind.

Their favorite captain, Patrice Bergeron, and another respected veteran, David Krejci, had both come back to play for Boston, maybe for a final season. In what may be the final opportunity for the two leaders, who have been the cornerstones of the team for more than ten years, the remaining players, the coaching staff, and the front office came together in a massive effort to win a title.

At a recent practice, defenseman Charlie McAvoy stated, “It would mean the world to us to send him out on top,” first mentioning Bergeron and then adding Krejci. We are definitely more motivated by that because it would be amazing. It’s Krejci, it’s him. You don’t want to let them down since they could not be here next year, so you want to live every minute to the fullest and not miss a beat.

The Bruins followed that philosophy for the first five months of the season at a historic pace, at least until a strangely poor stretch of play has cast question on the entire endeavor.

Everything had been going smoothly. The Bruins this week became the fastest team in National Hockey League history to achieve 50 wins in just 64 games. With 15 games remaining, they might still at least tie the record for the most victories in a season, which was set by the Detroit Red Wings in 1996 and matched by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. At that point, they had a goal difference of 105, more than twice that of the next closest team.

The Bruins fell short against losing teams in Detroit and Chicago after reaching 50 wins. No one wanted to disappoint Bergeron and Krejci, but that is what happened in Chicago on Tuesday, according to McAvoy, who was speaking for his teammates.

Boston was defeated 6-3 by a club that was only focused on rebuilding. They appeared disoriented and a step behind for what might have been the first time all season.

We’re not playing the correct way, we’re disconnected, and we’re cheating right now,” Bergeron remarked. “If you do that, this league will humiliate you.”

The Bruins were the team that embarrassed the rest of the league for the first five months of the season. They still have the best record in the N.H.L. at 51-11-5 with 107 points, so it is difficult to blame them for a few mistakes after 64 games of almost perfect hockey.

The Edmonton Oilers’ coach, Jay Woodcroft, remarked, “They are the class of the NHL.”

Their goaltender tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark has been essential. In his second season in Boston, Ullmark leads the league in victories, save percentage (.935), and goals against average (1.97), while Swayman is ranked third in goals against (2.28).

A.J. Mleczko, an Olympic gold medal-winning forward for the United States and a commentator for ESPN and MSG networks, stated, “It starts with the goaltenders,” while providing commentary from ice level during the most recent Bruins-Oilers game. “A goalie tandem is essential for any successful team, but nobody anticipated Ullmark would be as good as he has been this season.”

Swayman’s shutout helped the Bruins defeat the Jets 3-0 on Thursday in Winnipeg, putting them back on track. However, the rest of the league, particularly in the fiercely competitive Eastern Conference, is still hoping Boston reached its peak performance too soon because it relies so heavily on players in their mid- to late-30s. Their top two centers, Bergeron, 37, and Krejci, 36, are the positions that need the most skating. The only players remaining from the 2011 championship team are them and Brad Marchand, the tenacious and extremely gifted forward who turns 35 in May.

We have several players with a great deal of expertise in difficult circumstances who never give up or alter,” Marchand remarked. “The main thing is that I am aware of the abundance of youthful talent in the league. However, the winning teams usually feature a large number of older players.

Bergeron and Krejci were torn about going back to Boston early in the summer. After Krejci returned home to play for a season in the Czech Republic, Bergeron contacted and persuaded Krejci to rejoin the one and only N.H.L. squad they had ever played for.

“After practice last week, I got really excited, and it helps when somebody like that wants you,” Krejci remarked. “It was referred to as the ‘Last Dance’ or something similar. I don’t want to become involved with anything of this nature. However, I’m happy that I returned and that this is the season we are in.

Despite this, a lot of people were skeptical before the season started since Marchand and McAvoy, two of the League’s greatest defenseman, would miss the opening several weeks due to off-season operations.

However, Boston jumped off to a 17-2 lead and, up until this past week, absolutely outclassed opponents in terms of skill, depth, experience, and cohesiveness. The record for wins appeared inevitable for a while.

Burnout may have played a part in the Red Wings and Lightning teams’ failure to win the Stanley Cup despite their combined 62-game winning streak. The record for victories becomes less possible now that Jim Montgomery, Bruce Cassidy’s first-year replacement as head coach, has stated he may periodically rest Bergeron and Krejci over the next 15 games. This is especially true given Boston’s recent decline in performance. However, the team’s performance in the playoffs will be the only factor used to assess regular season success after the fact.

Krejci declared, “I don’t think we’re chasing the record.” We may not have discussed it at all. After all, our record is fairly impressive, and we ought to be proud of it. Nevertheless, it also doesn’t really matter.

It’s a dangerous standard to even win the semi-dreaded President’s Trophy, which goes to the team with the most wins throughout the regular season. It has been ten years since a winner of the President’s Trophy has taken home the Stanley Cup (Chicago in 2013), and the previous seven winners have all lost in the opening or second round of the playoffs. Out of the 22 President’s Trophy winners since 2000, just four have drank champagne from the Cup.

The only losing streak the Bruins had experienced up to this point was four games out of five right around the All-Star Game. They went on to win the following ten games in a row, but as the run came to an end, there were warning signals. At the conclusion of their Western road trip, they were worn out and in Calgary.

However, Ullmark made 54 saves, and Boston prevailed thanks to McAvoy’s overtime goal and a great Bergeron pass.

Marchand remarked, “I think the game in Calgary was the worst one I’ve ever played in my career.” “To gut it out and figure out a way to finish it speaks volumes about our character. There will be challenges during the postseason. But you must figure out how to prevail.

It doesn’t matter if the Bruins stumble or storm into the postseason. To bring home one more Stanley Cup for their seasoned leaders has always been their aim.