The Boston Bruins are absolutely rolling this year. The way the season started for the B’s felt unsustainable, going 17-3 through their first 20 games and nearly scoring twice as many goals as their opponents. This hasn’t been the case, however, as the momentum has carried through the halfway point of the season.
The Bruins didn’t lose their first home game until two months into the season and just recently set an NHL record becoming the fastest team to reach 80 points. If they are able to keep up this pace, they would also break the league record for most points and most wins in a season.
This begs the question: are the 2022-2023 Boston Bruins the best Bruins team ever? Let’s dig in.
Boston Bruins 2022-2023 Stats and Trends
You don’t get to be the fastest team ever to record 80 points without having an elite team and that’s where the Bruins find themselves. At the time of this writing, Boston has never lost back-to-back games and has three different winning streaks of five games or more.
Offensively, the Bruins trail only the Buffalo Sabres in goals for (182 to 181) and are second in the league in goals scored per game. The B’s have been efficient with their shots as well, ranking third in shot percentage but tenth in total shots on goal and 20th in scoring chances for. It’s scary to think this Bruins team could be even better on the attack as they rank just 18th in high-danger scoring chances. With a man advantage, Boston ranks third in power play percentage.
Individually, David Pastrnak leads the team in both goals and points. He has almost 20 more goals than Patrice Bergeron, the next closest Bruin. At the time of this writing, only Connor McDavid has more goals than Pastrnak.
Defensively, Boston has been just as stout. They have allowed by far the fewest goals in the league, pacing the next closest team (New York Rangers) by almost 30 goals. Unsurprisingly, they also allow the fewest goals per game at 2.04. Their defensive special teams unit leads the league in penalty killing percentage at 86.39% and have put up the second-most shutouts. When it comes to high-danger chances, the Bruins have been fantastic at defending them, allowing a league-low 6.1% conversion rate.
Linus Ullmark has led the way in goal for Boston, and at the time of this writing, also leads the NHL in wins, save percentage, and goals against average. His standout performance is part of the reason why three of the top five players in plus/minus are Bruins: Hampus Lindholm, David Pastrnak, and Matt Grzelcyk.
Comparing the 2022-2023 Bruins to Past Teams
In order to earn the title of the best Bruins team ever, there is one non-negotiable box that must be checked: lifting the Stanley Cup at the end of the year. Despite being one of the “Original Six” teams and making the playoffs 75 times, the Bruins’ franchise has just six Stanley Cups to show for it.
Best Bruins Teams to Win The Stanley Cup
Although there has been plenty of playoff disappointment for the B’s, some of their cup-winning teams rank among the best NHL teams of all time.
Let’s start with the 1971-1972 team. The 119 points were the second-most in franchise history and led the NHL that year. The B’s had four players who averaged one point per game and ultimately led the team to a finals victory.
Just two seasons earlier, the 1969-1970 team also lifted the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. This win will live on forever as it produced the most iconic play in NHL history with Bobby Orr’s series-winning overtime goal over the New York Rangers.
The 2010-2011 team is the most recent Bruins squad to bring the Stanley Cup to Boston and was the first team to win three game sevens on their way to a finals victory. Fans will certainly remember the dominance of goaltender Tim Thomas during that run.
Best Bruins Team to Fall Short
The team that the current 2022-2023 players are hoping to avoid being in the same sentence with is the 1970-1971 squad. This ’70s team had 121 points, ranking as the most in franchise history and is tied for the eighth-most in NHL history. They averaged over five goals per game and had four players rack up 100-point seasons. All of this came to a screeching halt in the first round when the Montreal Canadiens defeated Boston in seven games.
Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Odds
At the time of this writing, FanDuel Sportsbook has the best price on a Bruins Stanley Cup victory at +500. For reference, the next four shortest odds are the Colorado Avalanche (+750), Carolina Hurricanes (+800), Toronto Maple Leafs (+900), and Tampa Bay Lightning/Vegas Golden Knights (+1100).
Making this season even more exciting is the fact that Massachusetts sports betting will be up and running in time for the Stanley Cup Finals. Retail sports betting is getting off the ground first at the end of January with mobile sportsbook apps likely to launch in March. This timing sets up beautifully for Boston sports fans with March Madness on deck and NHL Playoffs in April.
