2022-2023 Boston Bruins Season

[Vermont Green]

If the Bs can go 2-1-1 or better over their final four games, they'll break the NHL record for wins and will at least tie the NHL record for points.  It's been a wild regular season.

It has been a great season but I will repeat my table which shows "true wins" vs. overtime wins:

Team          Season    Games     True Wins    OT Wins
Montreal    1976/77        80          60              0
Detroit      1995/96         82          62 59            03
Boston      1970/71         78          57              0
Tampa       2028/19        82          49             13
Boston       2022/23        78          50            11

Boston has 61 wins and 4 games remaining but included in that is 11 overtime wins.  Those early Montreal and Detroit teams had 60-62 wins with no overtime wins.  Even the 1970/71 Bruins had 57 "true wins".

Boston will likely pass Tampa for the record of true wins plus overtime wins, which is a nice accomplishment, but at best the Bruins can have only 54 true wins.

What's your definition of a "true win"? I thought you either won or lost  So the Patriots beating Atlanta in 2017 in OT was not a "true win"?

I was trying to normalize this wins to account for ties.  I agree after seeing the comments that there were overtime wins back then too, I agree with that.  You should count those for the Canadiens or whoever.  But the Canadiens had 12 ties I think.  The  Bruins had no ties.  If those 12 ties had gone to shoot out, they would have more wins, maybe 6 or 8 more wins, probably.

I love this Bruins season.  It is a great accomplishment.  I was trying to figure out a way to adjust for the differences from the past eras where there were ties and it was hard to do.  This is one of the best regular seasons ever, but probably not the best ever.  Glad they at least beat Tampa's 2028/19 season.

And I guess I am unclear as to when the NHL started to have overtime to decide regular season games.  Did Montreal in 1976/77 have overtime wins?  It appears that Detroit did in their great season.  I found that they had 3 overtime wins so my table is wrong for them.  They would 59 "true" wins and 3 OT wins.

The first regular-season game decided by overtime was on October 8, 1983, as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8–7.

[Roy H.]

If the Bs can go 2-1-1 or better over their final four games, they'll break the NHL record for wins and will at least tie the NHL record for points.  It's been a wild regular season.

It has been a great season but I will repeat my table which shows "true wins" vs. overtime wins:

Team          Season    Games     True Wins    OT Wins
Montreal    1976/77        80          60              0
Detroit      1995/96         82          62              0
Boston      1970/71         78          57              0
Tampa       2028/19        82          49             13
Boston       2022/23        78          50            11

Boston has 61 wins and 4 games remaining but included in that is 11 overtime wins.  Those early Montreal and Detroit teams had 60-62 wins with no overtime wins.  Even the 1970/71 Bruins had 57 "true wins".

Boston will likely pass Tampa for the record of true wins plus overtime wins, which is a nice accomplishment, but at best the Bruins can have only 54 true wins.

What's your definition of a "true win"? I thought you either won or lost  So the Patriots beating Atlanta in 2017 in OT was not a "true win"?

I was trying to normalize this wins to account for ties.  I agree after seeing the comments that there were overtime wins back then too, I agree with that.  You should count those for the Canadiens or whoever.  But the Canadiens had 12 ties I think.  The  Bruins had no ties.  If those 12 ties had gone to shoot out, they would have more wins, maybe 6 or 8 more wins, probably.

I love this Bruins season.  It is a great accomplishment.  I was trying to figure out a way to adjust for the differences from the past eras where there were ties and it was hard to do.  This is one of the best regular seasons ever, but probably not the best ever.  Glad they at least beat Tampa's 2028/19 season.

I think in terms of "most wins" or "most points", it's simply a matter of the record books.  Objectively, the Bruins have the most points in an NHL regular season.

That's a lot different than best team, though.  First, we need to get through the playoffs and see if the Bruins win a championship.  If they do, that elevates them over a team like the Red Wings.  But, I expect this team will be behind other teams as the greatest, even if it wins.

You've got the Canadiens teams of the late 70s, that had something like 9 Hall of Famers.  You've get the Gretzky / Messier Oilers.  The Islanders won four straight Cups.  Some of the Red Wings teams in the 90s were absolutely loaded with talent.

If the Bruins win, they may be considered the best team of the salary cap era, and one of the best ever.  I'd settle for that.

[Roy H.]

If the Bs can go 2-1-1 or better over their final four games, they'll break the NHL record for wins and will at least tie the NHL record for points.  It's been a wild regular season.

It has been a great season but I will repeat my table which shows "true wins" vs. overtime wins:

Team          Season    Games     True Wins    OT Wins
Montreal    1976/77        80          60              0
Detroit      1995/96         82          62 59            03
Boston      1970/71         78          57              0
Tampa       2028/19        82          49             13
Boston       2022/23        78          50            11

Boston has 61 wins and 4 games remaining but included in that is 11 overtime wins.  Those early Montreal and Detroit teams had 60-62 wins with no overtime wins.  Even the 1970/71 Bruins had 57 "true wins".

Boston will likely pass Tampa for the record of true wins plus overtime wins, which is a nice accomplishment, but at best the Bruins can have only 54 true wins.

What's your definition of a "true win"? I thought you either won or lost  So the Patriots beating Atlanta in 2017 in OT was not a "true win"?

I was trying to normalize this wins to account for ties.  I agree after seeing the comments that there were overtime wins back then too, I agree with that.  You should count those for the Canadiens or whoever.  But the Canadiens had 12 ties I think.  The  Bruins had no ties.  If those 12 ties had gone to shoot out, they would have more wins, maybe 6 or 8 more wins, probably.

I love this Bruins season.  It is a great accomplishment.  I was trying to figure out a way to adjust for the differences from the past eras where there were ties and it was hard to do.  This is one of the best regular seasons ever, but probably not the best ever.  Glad they at least beat Tampa's 2028/19 season.

And I guess I am unclear as to when the NHL started to have overtime to decide regular season games.  Did Montreal in 1976/77 have overtime wins?  It appears that Detroit did in their great season.  I found that they had 3 overtime wins so my table is wrong for them.  They would 59 "true" wins and 3 OT wins.

The first regular-season game decided by overtime was on October 8, 1983, as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8–7.

The overtime rules have shifted over the years.

Here's the history:

The NHL adopted a 5-on-5, 20-minute overtime period in 1921 before slimming it down to 10 minutes in 1927. At the time, the league still used the sudden-death format.

The next year, the league changed to non-sudden death, meaning the period would run the full 10 minutes. If the score remained tied at the end of OT, it was declared a draw.

In 1942, due to wartime restrictions with train schedules, overtime was eliminated from regular-season play. Any game tied after regulation would end in a tie. Playoffs continued to have 20-minute sudden-death OT periods.

Over 40 years later, the NHL reimplemented the OT period, this time with a five-minute, sudden-death period. The league continued with the 5-on-5 format until 1999, when it changed to 4-on-4 play for the regular season. It was also this season that teams got a point if they lost in OT and two points for winning. If no team scored in OT, both teams earned a point.

The shootout was put in place in 2005 after the NHL lockout. If no team scored in OT, the shootout would decide the winner. This eliminated ties in the game of hockey.

Finally, the 3-on-3 format was adopted in 2015.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-overtime-rules-2022-format-playoffs-regular-season/ra91rapepumorsdrqpouhjsg

[Vermont Green]

If the Bs can go 2-1-1 or better over their final four games, they'll break the NHL record for wins and will at least tie the NHL record for points.  It's been a wild regular season.

It has been a great season but I will repeat my table which shows "true wins" vs. overtime wins:

Team          Season    Games     True Wins    OT Wins
Montreal    1976/77        80          60              0
Detroit      1995/96         82          62 59            03
Boston      1970/71         78          57              0
Tampa       2028/19        82          49             13
Boston       2022/23        78          50            11

Boston has 61 wins and 4 games remaining but included in that is 11 overtime wins.  Those early Montreal and Detroit teams had 60-62 wins with no overtime wins.  Even the 1970/71 Bruins had 57 "true wins".

Boston will likely pass Tampa for the record of true wins plus overtime wins, which is a nice accomplishment, but at best the Bruins can have only 54 true wins.

What's your definition of a "true win"? I thought you either won or lost  So the Patriots beating Atlanta in 2017 in OT was not a "true win"?

I was trying to normalize this wins to account for ties.  I agree after seeing the comments that there were overtime wins back then too, I agree with that.  You should count those for the Canadiens or whoever.  But the Canadiens had 12 ties I think.  The  Bruins had no ties.  If those 12 ties had gone to shoot out, they would have more wins, maybe 6 or 8 more wins, probably.

I love this Bruins season.  It is a great accomplishment.  I was trying to figure out a way to adjust for the differences from the past eras where there were ties and it was hard to do.  This is one of the best regular seasons ever, but probably not the best ever.  Glad they at least beat Tampa's 2028/19 season.

And I guess I am unclear as to when the NHL started to have overtime to decide regular season games.  Did Montreal in 1976/77 have overtime wins?  It appears that Detroit did in their great season.  I found that they had 3 overtime wins so my table is wrong for them.  They would 59 "true" wins and 3 OT wins.

The first regular-season game decided by overtime was on October 8, 1983, as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8–7.

The overtime rules have shifted over the years.

Here's the history:

The NHL adopted a 5-on-5, 20-minute overtime period in 1921 before slimming it down to 10 minutes in 1927. At the time, the league still used the sudden-death format.

The next year, the league changed to non-sudden death, meaning the period would run the full 10 minutes. If the score remained tied at the end of OT, it was declared a draw.

In 1942, due to wartime restrictions with train schedules, overtime was eliminated from regular-season play. Any game tied after regulation would end in a tie. Playoffs continued to have 20-minute sudden-death OT periods.

Over 40 years later, the NHL reimplemented the OT period, this time with a five-minute, sudden-death period. The league continued with the 5-on-5 format until 1999, when it changed to 4-on-4 play for the regular season. It was also this season that teams got a point if they lost in OT and two points for winning. If no team scored in OT, both teams earned a point.

The shootout was put in place in 2005 after the NHL lockout. If no team scored in OT, the shootout would decide the winner. This eliminated ties in the game of hockey.

Finally, the 3-on-3 format was adopted in 2015.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-overtime-rules-2022-format-playoffs-regular-season/ra91rapepumorsdrqpouhjsg

This is what makes it hard.  So did Montreal have any OT wins in 1976/77?  The Bruins in 1970/71?  I can't find that?  That fell in the 40 years where there was no OT in the regular season, right?

[Roy H.]

One thing I've thought about:  why is Connor McDavid automatically MVP over Pasta?

I get it, McDavid is having one of the best statistical seasons in years.  It lags far behind historical standards, but in the salary cap era, it's about the best there's been.

At the same time, Pasta is only 4 goals behind him, and the Bruins are 22 points better than any other team.  Edmonton is tied for 7th in the NHL, after a hot streak closing the season.  The Bruins goal differential is more than twice Edmonton's.

Pasta is playing on a line with Zacha and Bertuzzi right now.  McDavid is on a line with Nugent-Hopkins (66 assists, 37 goals, 103 points) and Zach Hyman (47 assists, 36 goals, 83 points).  It's a lot easier for McDavid to put up stats than Pasta with such talented playmakers and finishers around him.  And on the power play, Leon Draisaitl joins the unit (51 goals, 73 assists).

Maybe McDavid deserves it, but there should at least be a debate.

[Redz]

One thing I've thought about:  why is Connor McDavid automatically MVP over Pasta?

I get it, McDavid is having one of the best statistical seasons in years.  It lags far behind historical standards, but in the salary cap era, it's about the best there's been.

At the same time, Pasta is only 4 goals behind him, and the Bruins are 22 points better than any other team.  Edmonton is tied for 7th in the NHL, after a hot streak closing the season.  The Bruins goal differential is more than twice Edmonton's.

Pasta is playing on a line with Zacha and Bertuzzi right now.  McDavid is on a line with Nugent-Hopkins (66 assists, 37 goals, 103 points) and Zach Hyman (47 assists, 36 goals, 83 points).  It's a lot easier for McDavid to put up stats than Pasta with such talented playmakers and finishers around him.  And on the power play, Leon Draisaitl joins the unit (51 goals, 73 assists).

Maybe McDavid deserves it, but there should at least be a debate.

I'm sold.

[Vermont Green]

One thing I've thought about:  why is Connor McDavid automatically MVP over Pasta?

I get it, McDavid is having one of the best statistical seasons in years.  It lags far behind historical standards, but in the salary cap era, it's about the best there's been.

At the same time, Pasta is only 4 goals behind him, and the Bruins are 22 points better than any other team.  Edmonton is tied for 7th in the NHL, after a hot streak closing the season.  The Bruins goal differential is more than twice Edmonton's.

Pasta is playing on a line with Zacha and Bertuzzi right now.  McDavid is on a line with Nugent-Hopkins (66 assists, 37 goals, 103 points) and Zach Hyman (47 assists, 36 goals, 83 points).  It's a lot easier for McDavid to put up stats than Pasta with such talented playmakers and finishers around him.  And on the power play, Leon Draisaitl joins the unit (51 goals, 73 assists).

Maybe McDavid deserves it, but there should at least be a debate.

Pastrnak has been playing most of the year with Krejci and a fair chunk with Hall before Zacka kind of moved up to complete the Czech line.  He will get some votes but not many first place votes (if that is how they vote).  Pastrnak is not quite MVP grade just yet.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

One thing I've thought about:  why is Connor McDavid automatically MVP over Pasta?

I get it, McDavid is having one of the best statistical seasons in years.  It lags far behind historical standards, but in the salary cap era, it's about the best there's been.

At the same time, Pasta is only 4 goals behind him, and the Bruins are 22 points better than any other team.  Edmonton is tied for 7th in the NHL, after a hot streak closing the season.  The Bruins goal differential is more than twice Edmonton's.

Pasta is playing on a line with Zacha and Bertuzzi right now.  McDavid is on a line with Nugent-Hopkins (66 assists, 37 goals, 103 points) and Zach Hyman (47 assists, 36 goals, 83 points).  It's a lot easier for McDavid to put up stats than Pasta with such talented playmakers and finishers around him.  And on the power play, Leon Draisaitl joins the unit (51 goals, 73 assists).

Maybe McDavid deserves it, but there should at least be a debate.

Great points. McDavid's far ahead in total points, but Pastrnak is the biggest star on perhaps the best team of the modern era, and by far the best team of this season. That should count for a lot.

That said, I think McDavid gets it, and I don't think the vote will even be close, because most voters, IMO, see only the individual point totals.

[Roy H.]

One thing I've thought about:  why is Connor McDavid automatically MVP over Pasta?

I get it, McDavid is having one of the best statistical seasons in years.  It lags far behind historical standards, but in the salary cap era, it's about the best there's been.

At the same time, Pasta is only 4 goals behind him, and the Bruins are 22 points better than any other team.  Edmonton is tied for 7th in the NHL, after a hot streak closing the season.  The Bruins goal differential is more than twice Edmonton's.

Pasta is playing on a line with Zacha and Bertuzzi right now.  McDavid is on a line with Nugent-Hopkins (66 assists, 37 goals, 103 points) and Zach Hyman (47 assists, 36 goals, 83 points).  It's a lot easier for McDavid to put up stats than Pasta with such talented playmakers and finishers around him.  And on the power play, Leon Draisaitl joins the unit (51 goals, 73 assists).

Maybe McDavid deserves it, but there should at least be a debate.

Pastrnak has been playing most of the year with Krejci and a fair chunk with Hall before Zacka kind of moved up to complete the Czech line.  He will get some votes but not many first place votes (if that is how they vote).  Pastrnak is not quite MVP grade just yet.

Krejci and Hall are pretty mediocre, too.  McDavid is dishing to excellent goal scorers and is being set up by excellent  playmakers.

If 60 goals and 109 points on the most successful regular season team in NHL history isn’t MVP grade, I’m not sure what the standard is.

[0003323344]

If the Bs can go 2-1-1 or better over their final four games, they'll break the NHL record for wins and will at least tie the NHL record for points.  It's been a wild regular season.

It has been a great season but I will repeat my table which shows "true wins" vs. overtime wins:

Team          Season    Games     True Wins    OT Wins
Montreal    1976/77        80          60              0
Detroit      1995/96         82          62 59            03
Boston      1970/71         78          57              0
Tampa       2028/19        82          49             13
Boston       2022/23        78          50            11

Boston has 61 wins and 4 games remaining but included in that is 11 overtime wins.  Those early Montreal and Detroit teams had 60-62 wins with no overtime wins.  Even the 1970/71 Bruins had 57 "true wins".

Boston will likely pass Tampa for the record of true wins plus overtime wins, which is a nice accomplishment, but at best the Bruins can have only 54 true wins.

What's your definition of a "true win"? I thought you either won or lost  So the Patriots beating Atlanta in 2017 in OT was not a "true win"?

I was trying to normalize this wins to account for ties.  I agree after seeing the comments that there were overtime wins back then too, I agree with that.  You should count those for the Canadiens or whoever.  But the Canadiens had 12 ties I think.  The  Bruins had no ties.  If those 12 ties had gone to shoot out, they would have more wins, maybe 6 or 8 more wins, probably.

I love this Bruins season.  It is a great accomplishment.  I was trying to figure out a way to adjust for the differences from the past eras where there were ties and it was hard to do.  This is one of the best regular seasons ever, but probably not the best ever.  Glad they at least beat Tampa's 2028/19 season.

And I guess I am unclear as to when the NHL started to have overtime to decide regular season games.  Did Montreal in 1976/77 have overtime wins?  It appears that Detroit did in their great season.  I found that they had 3 overtime wins so my table is wrong for them.  They would 59 "true" wins and 3 OT wins.

The first regular-season game decided by overtime was on October 8, 1983, as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8–7.

The overtime rules have shifted over the years.

Here's the history:

The NHL adopted a 5-on-5, 20-minute overtime period in 1921 before slimming it down to 10 minutes in 1927. At the time, the league still used the sudden-death format.

The next year, the league changed to non-sudden death, meaning the period would run the full 10 minutes. If the score remained tied at the end of OT, it was declared a draw.

In 1942, due to wartime restrictions with train schedules, overtime was eliminated from regular-season play. Any game tied after regulation would end in a tie. Playoffs continued to have 20-minute sudden-death OT periods.

Over 40 years later, the NHL reimplemented the OT period, this time with a five-minute, sudden-death period. The league continued with the 5-on-5 format until 1999, when it changed to 4-on-4 play for the regular season. It was also this season that teams got a point if they lost in OT and two points for winning. If no team scored in OT, both teams earned a point.

The shootout was put in place in 2005 after the NHL lockout. If no team scored in OT, the shootout would decide the winner. This eliminated ties in the game of hockey.

Finally, the 3-on-3 format was adopted in 2015.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-overtime-rules-2022-format-playoffs-regular-season/ra91rapepumorsdrqpouhjsg

This is what makes it hard.  So did Montreal have any OT wins in 1976/77?  The Bruins in 1970/71?  I can't find that?  That fell in the 40 years where there was no OT in the regular season, right?

Correct. There was no OT during the regular season in 1970-71 or 1976-77. If a game ended in a tie each team got 1 point.

[Vermont Green]

I think in terms of "most wins" or "most points", it's simply a matter of the record books.  Objectively, the Bruins have the most points in an NHL regular season.

That's a lot different than best team, though.  First, we need to get through the playoffs and see if the Bruins win a championship.  If they do, that elevates them over a team like the Red Wings.  But, I expect this team will be behind other teams as the greatest, even if it wins.

You've got the Canadiens teams of the late 70s, that had something like 9 Hall of Famers.  You've get the Gretzky / Messier Oilers.  The Islanders won four straight Cups.  Some of the Red Wings teams in the 90s were absolutely loaded with talent.

If the Bruins win, they may be considered the best team of the salary cap era, and one of the best ever.  I'd settle for that.

I agree with you.  Best team of the salary cap, OT, Shoot Out era, and that for sure is saying something.  But that Canadiens team, for example, might have won 68 or 69 games if all the ties were settled, and that would have been in only 80 games.  I don't see this as even the best Bruins team.  That 1970/71 team had 57 wins with no OT and no shoot outs and only 78 games.  That too was a different era.

This Bruins team is remarkable.  They are kind of like the Shula era Dolphins, kind of a balanced, deep team, with no ultra stars, but also no weak spots.  I know Pastrnak has had an all league year, McAvoy has been great, Bergeron and Marchand are still top of the league caliber players.  And Krejci is very underrated.  Add to that, two of the best goalies in the league.

This team is great.  This is no fluke.  But the playoffs is going to be a grind, it always is, at least in this era.

[Roy H.]

One more point for Pasta's MVP candidacy:  he leads the league in game winning goals, with 12.

That's pretty impressive.  Roughly 20% of the time, he's the guy who finishes off the other team.

[Roy H.]

Another win, giving the Bs the all-time record with 133 points in a season.

[Phantom255x]

Another win, giving the Bs the all-time record with 133 points in a season.

Cup or bust for this team, period. But I feel good about our chances (even knowing all the previous chokes over the past decade)

[Roy H.]

The Bruins finish the regular season on a 15-1 streak.  That one loss was by one goal.

65 wins, 135 points, both records. 

Pasta (the real MVP) finishes with 61 goals, 52 assists, and 113 points.  13 GWGs.

Looks like we'll be playing the Panthers.  Time for some revenge, as they beat the Bs twice this year.