2010-11 Record: 49-25-8, 106 points (2nd Atlantic Division; 4th Eastern Conference; lost in first round to Tampa Bay, 4-3)
Bruins' record vs. Penguins: Boston leads the all-time series 102-54-21-5, and went 2-1-1 last year. The Bruins won each of the first two meetings with dramatic third-period rallies in Pittsburgh, scoring five unanswered goals in the final frame for a 7-4 win on Nov. 10 and four in the final 3:23 for a 4-2 win on Jan. 10. But Pittsburgh won both meetings in Boston by 3-2 scores.
When to watch: The Bruins head to Pittsburgh on Monday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, March 11, and host the Penguins in Boston on Saturday, Feb. 4 and Tuesday, April 3.
Familiar faces: The Penguins signed defenseman Boris Valabik and enforcer Steve MacIntyre this summer. Valabik finished last year in Providence after coming over from Atlanta as part of the deal that brought Rich Peverley to Boston in exchange for Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler, while MacIntyre spent the 2007-08 season in Providence. Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik hails from Braintree, Mass., and attended Boston College, while young blueliners Ben Lovejoy (Concord, N.H./Dartmouth) and Brian Strait (Waltham, Mass./Boston University) also have local roots. Craig Adams went to Harvard, Colin McDonald to Providence College and Joe Vitale to Northeastern, while Philip Samuelsson, son of longtime Bruins nemesis Ulf Samuelsson and a 2009 second-round pick, signed this spring after finishing his second season at Boston College. The Penguins front office also includes a trio of former Bruins and Bay State natives in assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, player development coach Bill Guerin and pro scout Kevin Stevens.
Key additions: F Steve Sullivan (free agent); F Jason Williams (free agent); F Steve MacIntyre (free agent); F Colin McDonald (free agent); D Boris Valabik (free agent); D Alexandre Picard (free agent); G Scott Munroe (free agent)
Key losses: F Alex Kovalev (signed with Atlant Mytischi, KHL); F Maxime Talbot (signed with Philadelphia); F Michael Rupp (signed with NY Rangers); F Eric Godard (signed with Dallas); F Chris Conner (signed with Detroit); F Tim Wallace (signed with NY Islanders); D Andrew Hutchinson (signed with Barys Astana, KHL); F Mike Comrie (free agent)
Burning question: When will Crosby be ready to return to game action?
Crosby missed the final 41 games of the regular season and the playoffs after suffering a concussion in early January. The Penguins did an amazing job of continuing to pile up wins despite the loss of arguably the top player in the league in addition to their second-best player in Malkin, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in February. But their absences were felt in the first-round playoff loss to the Lightning and the Penguins know they need both players, especially Crosby, healthy to make a run at another Cup.
That's what makes the recent news out of Pittsburgh all the more unsettling. While Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero denied reports that Crosby's offseason training had been shut down, he did acknowledge that Crosby continues to experience symptoms from the concussion and has not been cleared for contact. Crosby's availability for the start of the season won't be determined until the start of camp.
2011-12 outlook: The Penguins finished with 106 points without Crosby and Malkin for the second half of the season. If both are healthy, Pittsburgh will be right back in mix for another Cup. They have a solid supporting cast in place with Chris Kunitz (23-25-48 last year), James Neal (22-23-45) and Tyler Kennedy (21-24-45) leading the way up front, Kris Letang (8-42-50) emerging as an offensive force on the blue line and Marc-Andre Fleury (36-20-5, 2.32 GAA, .918 save percentage) among the top netminders in the league. Pittsburgh did lose a lot of grit and toughness this offseason with Rupp signing with the Rangers, Talbot with Philadelphia and enforcer Godard with Dallas, but the Penguins did re-sign Arron Asham and added Steve MacIntyre.
Did you know? Despite missing exactly half the season, Crosby still led the team with 66 points in 41 games. It was the first time since the lockout that the Penguins didn't have a 100-point scorer. Crosby and Malkin had hit the century mark a combined six times in the previous five seasons, and six other Penguins, including Mark Recchi in 2006-07, had 66 or more points in a season in that span.
With the bulk of the offseason moves complete and the start of another NHL season inching closer, NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be previewing one team from each conference every day through August 26.
Monday, Aug. 15: Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators
Wednesday, Aug. 17: Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks