The Boston Bruins regular-season schedule for the 2014-15 NHL campaign was released Sunday afternoon.
The Original Six team will begin the regular season at TD Garden for the fourth consecutive year.
Boston won a league-high 31 games on home ice last season, which helped it earn the Presidents’ Trophy for the second time in club history.
Here’s a full analysis of the B’s schedule. To view the entire schedule, click here.
Key Dates
Preseason: Tuesday, Sept. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 4 (seven games)
Home Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Columbus Day Matinee: Monday, Oct. 13 at 1:00 p.m. vs. Colorado Avalanche
First Game In Montreal: Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Montreal’s First Game In Boston: Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Chicago’s Only Trip To Boston: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
All-Star Break: Jan. 22-25 (2015 All-Star Weekend will be hosted by the Columbus Blue Jackets)
Stanley Cup Champs Visit Boston: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Los Angeles Kings
Tyler Seguin Returns: Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Dallas Stars
Vancouver’s Only Trip To Boston: Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Last Regular Season Game: Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Tampa Bay Lightning
Must-Watch Games
Home Opener vs. Flyers
The Bruins will host the Flyers to start the regular season for the second time in the last four years. The last time these rivals met in a TD Garden opener was in October 2011, when the B’s raised their new Stanley Cup champions banner to the rafters. Boston swept the season series (3-0) with Philadelphia last year.
Nov. 22 vs. Canadiens
Montreal makes its first trip to Boston the week before Thanksgiving. These fierce rivals last played in Game 7 of this past season’s Eastern Conference semifinals when the Habs ended the Bruins’ playoff run at TD Garden. This meeting definitely will have the intensity and emotion of a postseason game. The B’s were 0-4 against Montreal in 2013-14.
Feb. 22 at Blackhawks
The Bruins will make their only trip to the Windy City in February, and it’s possible that this game against the Blackhawks could be part of NBC’s “Hockey Day in America.” Chicago and Boston usually play exciting, close games at the United Center. The last two meetings between these Original Six rivals in Chicago have ended in a shootout, with each team winning once.
Feb. 24 vs. Canucks
Roberto Luongo isn’t on the Canucks anymore, but there are quite a few players from the 2011 Vancouver team that faced the Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final still on the roster. These two teams don’t like each other, and their last two games at TD Garden have been incredibly exciting and physical.
Toughest/Easiest Stretches
Longest Road Trip
The Bruins will play five straight road games from Feb. 13 to 22, which includes their only tour through Western Canada. The opponents on that road trip are the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. Boston was 2-1-2 on the road against these five teams last season.
Longest Homestand
The Bruins will start November with four straight games at TD Garden, including matchups against the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and Oilers. They also have a four-game homestand from Feb. 28 through March 8 that includes contests against the Phoenix Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, Flames and Flyers.
California Trip
The B’s will do their California road swing at the beginning of December. They will play the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 1, the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 2 and the Kings on Dec. 4. These Pacific Division teams averaged 107 points last season (Anaheim finished atop the Western Conference standings). Boston was 1-2 on this trip in 2013-14.
Easy Build Up To Playoffs?
Five of the Bruins’ final seven regular-season games are against teams that missed the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. This could benefit the B’s if they are battling for seeding, the division title or the Presidents’ Trophy over the last two weeks.
Miscellaneous Notes From Bruins’ Schedule
–16 back-to-back situations (all four games versus Montreal are on the second of a back-to-back)
–Six 1 p.m. home games
–Games by month: October (12), November (12), December (14), January (12), February (12), March (15), April (5)
–Bruins are off on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
–The Black Friday game is against the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m., which is a change from Boston’s usual matinee game on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
–The B’s will play the Canadiens and Leafs four times each.
