On Thursday, the NHL dropped the 84-game schedule for each team. With two extra games added than what they had to play in previous seasons, there were different parts of the schedule that Bruins fans were going to look for.
Sure, fans want to know when the first rematch with the Buffalo Sabres is after they bounced the Black and Gold in six games in the spring from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How about when they face former teammates Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke, both of whom left in free agency earlier this month? What about when Boston plays the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens? How about the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes?
Then there was the season-opening six-game stretch that the Bruins are going to have to play without defenseman Charlie McAvoy. That was released fully on Wednesday, and you can make the case that it is an early-season defining trip.
Bruins face tough stretch minus defenseman, Charlie McAvoy
Here are the six games that Boston will play to begin the season without McAvoy, who will serve a six-game suspension for his slash on Zach Benson in Game 6 of the playoffs in May.
- Sept. 29: vs. New York Rangers, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 2: at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 3: at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 5: vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 8: vs. Utah Mammoth, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 10: vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 1 p.m.
Ok, so the NHL did the Bruins some favors with four of the six games at the TD Garden; however, they have a tough back-to-back on the road against Winnipeg and Minnesota. You might be saying that the first six games might not be season-defining, but this year is shaping up to be different than this past season.
More teams in the Eastern Conference are going to be improved going into next year, but you can't say that right now, the Bruins are not much better, if at all, going into next season. Digging a huge hole at the beginning of the season with a bunch of regular-season losses is not something that Boston will be able to dig itself out of. Keeping their head above water through the stretch to begin is a must before McAvoy returns.
