It’s tough to think that Bruins fans may need extra or added reasons to watch the Bruins now that hockey is back. Just seeing the game back on ice across the continent will be good enough for many.
But if for some reason you need a little extra motivation or added incentive, here’s one reason (there are plenty more) to watch every single Bruins game this season, starting with Saturday night’s season opener against the Rangers.
Jan. 19 Rangers at Bruins — Hockey is back for the first time this season, and it’s going to be tough to beat a matchup between two of the league’s best teams.
Jan. 21 Jets at Bruins — Play hookie for this 1 p.m. matinee start on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Garden.
Jan. 23 Bruins at Rangers — The second matchup in less than a week between the Eastern Conference powers come at the other Garden.
Jan. 25 Islanders at Bruins — The Islanders are going to struggle again this year, but they boast a top line that features John Tavares and Matt Moulson, a dynamic duo that combined for 67 goals last season.
Jan. 28 Bruins at Hurricanes — The Bruins can only hope that Joe Corvo, who has returned to Carolina, reverts to old habits makes some sort of costly turnover that ends up helping the B’s.
Jan. 29 Devils at Bruins — Don’t forget: New Jersey won the East last year and took the Kings to six games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Jan. 31 Sabres at Bruins — These Northeast Division rivals may get a little testy, especially with Buffalo’s additions of big John Scott and noted agitator Steve Ott.
Feb. 2 Bruins at Maple Leafs — This may mark Dougie Hamilton‘s first appearance in Toronto, the latest reminder for the Maple Leafs and their fans of what they could have been had they not made the Phil Kessel trade.
Feb. 6 Bruins at Canadiens — This is the first installment of the game’s greatest rivalry. Enough said.
Feb. 9 Lightning at Bruins — A rematch of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals features Steven Stamkos, who led the league with 60 goals last season.
Feb. 10 Bruins at Sabres — Some of the Bruins’ toughest losses in the last two years have come in Buffalo, with the B’s going just 2-2-2 in the last two seasons against their division rivals.
Feb. 12 Rangers at Bruins — This marks the two teams’ third and final meeting of the season (all within a month), and by this point, with the two teams presumably finding their stride, it should be a dandy.
Feb. 15 Bruins at Sabres — The Bruins return to Buffalo for the the second time in five days, opening a pivotal five-game road trip.
Feb. 17 Bruins at Jets — Hopefully Tyler Seguin‘s alarm clock goes off in time for this Sunday afternoon tilt in Winnipeg.
Feb. 21 Bruins at Lightning —Â Will new Tampa Bay defenseman Sami Salo be on the lookout for Brad Marchand following this hit in that epic Bruins-Canucks matchup last year?
Feb. 24 Bruins at Panthers — What kind of tan will Andy Brickley be rocking after spending a couple of days golfing with the Bruins’ swing through Florida?
Feb. 26 Bruins at Islanders — Keep an eye on Ryan Strome, the fifth overall pick from the 2011 draft, who is one of the best prospects in all of hockey.
Feb. 28 Senators at Bruins — Neither of these teams are afraid to fight, which means we could have a slobberknocker on our hands.
Mar. 2 Lightning at Bruins –Benoit Pouliot returns to the Garden as a member of the Bolts.
Mar. 3 Canadiens at Bruins –– This is the Canadiens’ first trip to Boston on the season. Again, enough said.
Mar. 5 Bruins at Capitals — The Bruins and Capitals tangle for the first time since Washington’s surprising first-round playoff win over Boston.
Mar. 7. Maple Leafs at Bruins — Maybe, just maybe this will mark Roberto Luongo‘s first appearance in Boston in a Toronto sweater. We can only hope.
Mar. 9 Flyers at Bruins — Do the Bruins seek retribution for Tom Sestito‘s hit on Nathan Horton after a high hit cost Horton his season last year? That’s assuming, of course, Sestito isn’t puttering around in the AHL when this matchup happens.
Mar. 11 Bruins at Senators — This game marks a week in which the B’s will play five games in seven days. Good luck with that.
Mar. 12 Bruins at Penguins — Two of the best teams in the East meet for the first time.
Mar. 14 Panthers at Bruins — Florida is another potential landing spot for Luongo, which would give this game a lot of added interest.
Mar. 16 Capitals at Bruins — Bruins legend Adam Oates returns to TD Garden for the first time as the head coach of the Caps.
Mar. 17 Bruins at Penguins — This marks roughly the halfway point of a treacherous month and the end of a treacherous week of games against one of the best teams in the entire league.
Mar. 19 Bruins at Jets — This game kicks off a three-game Canadian road trip.
Mar. 21 Bruins at Senators — Two recent Norris Trophy winners — Erik Karlsson (2012) and Zdeno Chara (2009) — will be on display in this Northeast Division clash.
Mar. 23 Bruins at Maple Leafs — The Bruins return to the Air Canada Centre where Seguin notched his first career hat trick last season.
Mar. 25 Maple Leafs at Bruins — This video pretty much sums it up.
Mar. 27 Canadiens at Bruins — Hopefully Bruins fans are treated to a little bit more of this when these rivals square off at the Garden.
Mar. 30 Bruins at Flyers —Â You gotta think the Flyers won’t forget about their Dec. 17 matchup with the Bruins last year when the B’s pounded Philly 6-0, thanks to four first-period goals.
Mar. 31 Bruins at Sabres —Â The Bruins will try to solve Ryan Miller, who has owned them in his career, posting a 22-6-7 record with a 2.53 goals against and .917 save percentage.
Apr. 2 Senators at Bruins — There’s a good chance that Ottawa tough guy Chris Neil gets his hands dirty at some point against the Bruins, given the fact he’s fought a combined seven times against Boston in his last four seasons.
Apr. 4 — Devils at Bruins — Could this be the final stop in Boston for future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur?
Apr. 6 Bruins at Canadiens — The final B’s-Habs throwdown of the season comes at Bell Centre where the Bruins are just 3-5-1 during the regular season in the last three seasons.
Apr. 8 Hurricanes at Bruins — The Hurricanes were added last year to the growing list of teams the Bruins proved they have no problem dropping the gloves with.
Apr. 10 Bruins at Devils — Krys Barch, one of Shawn Thornton‘s favorite dance partners, is now a member of the Devils.
Apr. 11 Islanders at Bruins — There is no way Rick DiPietro is healthy for this game, right?
Apr. 13 Bruins at Hurricanes — Don’t you just wish the Hurricanes would rock some Whalers throwbacks for one of these matchups with the B’s?
Apr. 15 Senators at Bruins — This is the final meeting of the season between the first- and second-place teams in the Northeast last  year.
Apr. 17 Sabres at Bruins — The B’s continue their final homestand with their last divisional game of the season.
Apr. 19 Penguins at Bruins — Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin make their final stop in Boston for the season, unless of course these two teams meet in the playoffs.
Apr. 21 Panthers at Bruins — The Bruins end their home slate with this Sunday afternoon tilt.
Apr. 23 Bruins at Flyers — This game could have plenty of playoff implications with the season winding down.
Apr. 27 Bruins at Capitals — The Bruins end their regular season against  the team that ended their season last year.
Tune in to NESN on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET for complete coverage of the Bruins’ season-opening game against the Rangers.
