Bruins’ Historic Season Makes Preseason Odds Look Laughable In Hindsight

Nobody saw the 2022-23 Boston Bruins rewriting the NHL history books to the extent they have during their almost-completed regular season.

Boston now holds the record for most points in history — 133 and counting — after Tuesday night’s win against the Washington Capitals. It came just two days after the Black and Gold set the single-season record for the most victories, currently 64 entering Thursday’s regular-season finale. Boston claimed the Presidents’ Cup in a runaway, were the fastest team to reach (include whatever win or point number you want here), qualified for the postseason March 11 and the list goes on and on.

We’re not going to act like we saw this sort of historic campaign coming, especially given the fact Boston entered the season with a new coach in Jim Montgomery and were tasked to overcome early-season absences of Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Brad Marchand. But now that we’re able to reflect on the campaign, it’s quite comical to reflect on the extent to which Boston surpassed expectations.

One of those ways relates to the Bruins’ preseason point total from oddsmakers.

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FanDuel Sportsbook set Boston’s point total at 97.5 points. BetMGM had 96.5 points and four different USA Today writers went with the under in an early-October story.

The Bruins reached that mark before the calendar even turned to March. An eight-game win streak at the end of February lifted the Bruins to a 47-8-5 record on Feb. 28.

(Go ahead, now’s your time to laugh.)

Oh yeah, and 11 different teams entered the NHL season with a higher win total than Boston’s 96.5, per Hockey Reference. Nine of those 11 were projected to finish with 100-plus points including the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, with a league-high projection of 111.5 points. The 49-24-7 Avalanche, who are first in the Central Division, won’t reach that number this season. Boston did with more than three weeks left.

The Bruins have acknowledged the record is special. It is. But they’ve still stressed how it’s not what they set out to accomplish. It’s without a doubt the correct mindset to have, and fans of the Black and Gold will appreciate those sentiments.

However, for the time being before the playoffs start, it’s worth reflecting on the extent the Bruins have surpassed expectations. It’s something we might never see again.