The Boston Bruins have been on a whirlwind historical season since they stepped on the ice last October.
Boston has set records for being the fastest team to 50 wins and 100 points. They set new franchise records in wins (60) in a single season and the most points (125).
David Pastrnak is the first Bruins player to score 50 goals in a season since Cam Neely in 1993-1994. Linus Ullmark became the first goalie in Bruins' history to score a goal and head coach Jim Montgomery broke the NHL record for most wins by a first-year coach.
While the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup, Montgomery said chasing NHL history can help the Bruins ahead of the playoffs. ESPN's Sean McDonough agreed with the Black and Gold's bench boss.
"When you have the chance to do something that hasn't been done in a 100-plus years in the National Hockey League, why wouldn't you go for it," McDonough said on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Wednesday. "And they can go for it without taxing themselves doing it. I mean they don't even have to stay on the same pace they've played at to get to this point on the verge of history."
With five games remaining, Boston is not only poised to tie, or break, the 62-win seasons by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning, they have the opportunity to eclipse the record of 132 points set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. But again, it all comes down to winning the most coveted trophy in all of sports.
"They're in a great position. When they're all healthy, they have 5 five lines and you can only play four. They have eight defensemen and you can only play six," McDonough said. "A lot of times in the playoffs injuries become a devastating factor to teams and I think the Bruins are positioned that even if they get a couple of injuries they have guys that can step in and play very well for them."
Entering the playoffs, the Bruins match up well with any of the first round opponents they might face. With the Wild Card still not set, Boston could face either the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders or the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals.
"They can play a physical game if they need to and they have," McDonough said. "They're also enormously skilled. I think no matter how the game is played a game's a game in the playoffs and they'll be well suited stylistically."
The Bruins will look to inch closer to history when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
