The Boston Bruins’ record-setting 2022-23 season continues.
The team broke the NHL record for total points in a season with a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
The win was the Bruins’ 64th of the season, adding to the record they broke with their 63rd win of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday and giving them 133 points.
“You can just tell they’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen said of the Bruins. “They’re really deep, [they have] a lot of good guys, and they’re just playing with confidence and making plays. I’m on the other side looking at them like I don’t even know how they’re making some of these plays, but that’s what happens when you play with confidence.”
The 133 points break the record set by the Montreal Canadians in 1976-77, who accumulated 132 points in just 80 games when the league did not have shootouts to end tied games.
“Obviously, it’s a big honor,” forward Tyler Bertuzzi reflected as he answered questions from the media after the game. “Obviously, we have a bigger goal in mind, but you can’t put this to the side. This is a big honor for us. The guys have been battling all year for this…and it’s been a fun ride.”
The Bruins have coasted through this season with a 64-12-5 record through 81 games, winning the club’s third President’s Trophy as the top team in the NHL regular season.
However, Boston knows it still has plenty of work to do, as only eight of the previous 36 Presidents’ Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup in the same season.
“It’s something we’re proud of,” veteran forward Brad Marchand told the media about the record. “We did set our sights on it the last little while. We kind of locked up first [place], and we needed something to play for the remainder of the regular season. It’s a goal we wanted to accomplish. It’s not our be-all or end-all; it’s an incredible accomplishment.”
“We’re very proud of this group and what we’ve accomplished,” Marchand continued. “To have the most points and the most wins ever is an incredible accomplishment with the history of this league and how many good teams there have been. It’s special, and I think it’s something, down the road, we’ll be more proud of.”
“It’s great for our group that we’ve been able to put it together every night, but we have something much bigger that we’re playing for.”
The Bruins have locked up the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference with one regular season game remaining. They will play the Montreal Canadiens in their regular season finale on Thursday before beginning their playoff journey against the New York Islanders or the Pittsburgh Penguins.