The Boston Bruins concluded their record-setting season by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
Capping off an eight-game win streak, the Bruins didn't celebrate for long because they are focused on starting from scratch in their quest for the Stanley Cup.
"It's something we're proud of. We did set our sights on it in that last little while after we locked up first," Bruins' forward Brad Marchand told reporters, Matt Vautour of MassLive.com. "We needed something to play for in the end of the regular season."
Boston set NHL records for most wins in a season (65) and points in a single season (135), and while making history is impressive, it doesn't affect what the Bruins are working toward.
"It's a regular-season record. Playoffs start and everything starts all over again. There's going to be 16 teams with the same goal in mind," Marchand said. "What we've accomplished so far has no bearing on that."
It didn't go unnoticed by Marchand that the crowd was chanting "We want the Cup" in the closing minutes of the Black and Gold's 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on Tuesday.
"It's exciting. You can tell the excitement the city has right now. The expectations are there. It's a long way to get to that point. We love that challenge," he said. "We love that opportunity. We're really excited about it. But it's a step-by-step process we need to focus on. We're going to focus on Game 1 and go game by game after that.
"We're really excited about it. The energy in Garden was incredible," he continued. "It's the best time of the year. It's the best trophy in sports. The hardest one to win. We're excited about it."
The hunt begins Monday night when the Bruins host the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Puck drop from TD Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
