The Bruins were a playoff team last season but very few expected the kind of start Boston had to the 2022-23 NHL season.
The B’s are atop the NHL standings with 60 points (28-4-4) prior to Monday’s Winter Classic matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park. Head coach Jim Montgomery has led Boston to be the league’s top scoring team, and Linus Ullmark is having a campaign worthy of the Vezina Trophy.
There was concern before the season due to Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy recovering from injuries, but the Black and Gold proved to surpass multiple people’s preseason expectations.
“Honestly, we were just hoping to kind of tread water a little bit, stay in the playoff picture until those guys get back,” Bruins president Cam Neely told NESN’s Sophia Jurksztowicz on the network’s pregame coverage. “And then we get off to this fantastic start, and then we hear rumblings that Brad may come back earlier, which he did, then Charlie may come back earlier, which he did. And (Matt Grzelcyk) was on schedule. But I give credit to the players and coaching staff to get off to the start that we did. I mean, it was pretty impressive.”
The Bruins are 18-0-3 at TD Garden, which is the longest point streak in franchise history since the 1973-74 team. Boston hopes to continue its start to the season in 2023.
“It’s been fun. I mean, just the depth throughout the lineup, I think, certainly helps Jim be able to manage his bench a little bit,” Neely said. “The style of play, I think the players are enjoying it. They’re activating the defense a little bit more, because that’s one of the things that we were hoping to get a little bit more offense out of our defense and that’s happened. So I think overall, just some of the guys having better years than last year, some of the guys maturing a little bit. When you’re winning, you’re having fun.”
