The Bruins have been on a dominant run entering out of the NHL All-Star break, but there only is one clear goal on the minds of the players.
Boston has 83 points ahead of their return game out of the break against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. That is seven more than the second-place Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins also hold a plus-81 point differential, which is 37 more than the next-closest team — the Dallas Stars.
The Black and Gold are on pace for 62 wins and a record 133 points, which would surpass the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, according to ESPN.
“It’s kind of crazy, I’ll tell you,” McAvoy told Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter” on Thursday per ESPN video. “It’s not something we all can wrap our heads around. We’re just finding ways to win games. At a certain point, it just becomes the normal and expectation. We’ve kind of improved our standard and what we’ve expected out of each other. It’s hard to win in this league, and we know we’re gonna trip up along the way, but I think we’ve gotten to the point where those things are good for us to learn even more about ourselves.”
The last time the Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy was in the 2019-20 season. However, the team lost in the second round to the Tampa Lightning, 4-1, in a best-of-seven series. Boston likely is to capture the Presidents’ Trophy this season, but fans are eager for the team to win a championship for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
“We did it a few years back where we won the Presidents’ Trophy,” McAvoy said. “It really doesn’t mean anything. I’d trade it all for a Stanley Cup. I think for us we know that. That’s not what we’re playing for. We’re playing to be rounding into form around the spring time when the games really start to matter.”
Boston has the March 3 NHL trade deadline to potentially prepare for a playoff run, but the Bruins will get Jake DeBrusk back soon to also get a boost in the lineup.
