NHL fans have had Thursday, March 9, marked on their calendars for some time now.
Tonight’s game featuring Boston Bruins against the Edmonton Oilers (7:30 a.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu) isn’t just a rematch of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final — although that might be East a preview of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
History is being written on both sides. The Bruins are on pace for 65 wins and 136 points this season, both of which would be NHL records (current marks are 62 and 132, respectively). They were the Fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points. Goalie Linus Ullmark could threaten the NHL winning record and is well ahead in the Vezina Trophy race.
On another side, Connor McDavid leads the league with 54 goals and 124 points – he’s 10 points ahead of the league’s No. 2 in goals (Boston’s David Pastrnak), and 28 points ahead of number 2 in points (teammate from Edmonton Leon Draisaitl). In terms of pace, he is on track to reach 68 goals and 156 points. The 124 points are already ahead of McDavid’s 2021-22 point total, and if he maintains his current pace, it would be the highest mark since Mario Lemieux’s 161 in 1995-96.
If you weren’t already convinced to tune in, we’ve gathered our hockey reporters here to discuss the big questions ahead of this game:
The Bruins will finish the season with _____ wins and _____ points.
Ryan S. Clark: He left with 65 victories and 136 points. They’ve won 79% of their games this season and… that’s beyond ridiculous when you say it out loud. The numbers I cited represent what would happen if the Bruins continued at their current pace.
That’s not to say these numbers can’t change. They certainly can. But at this point, it’s hard to argue against a team that made additions at the trade deadline to become even more indomitable.
Victoria Matiash: The Bruins would lose two of their last 20 games in regulation and two in overtime. This equals 49 plus 16 – put the 1… – 65 wins and 137 points. Patrice Bergeron & Co. don’t just care about breaking the record, they want it to be broken. Additionally, this team intends to enter the playoffs as hot as possible.
Kristen Shilton: Boston will finish with 64 wins and 134 points. Once the Bruins break the NHL record for most regular season wins – which seems like a foregone conclusion at this point – it makes sense that they would rest some of their veterans. This is in preparation for what they hope – and we all assume – will be a long spring ahead.
As good as these Bruins have been over the past few months, Boston’s true giant seriously needs to emerge in April.
Greg Wyshynski: The Bruins will finish with 63 wins to break the NHL record for most regular season points and 132 points to tie that of 1976-77. Montreal Canadiens the most in NHL history in a single season. (Montreal wins the tiebreaker after doing so in 80 games.)
Besides being a steamroller, Boston has a pretty manageable schedule the rest of the way, with an equal number of playoff contenders and lottery teams. They’ll make history, then give their veteran players a much-needed break before the playoffs.
Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak are currently leading the league in goals scored. Who will win the Rocket Richard at the end of the season?
Clark: It will probably be McDavid or Pastrnak. But if we have to choose someone outside of these two, maybe Tage Thompson Is the answer.
On Thursday, Thompson was just two goals behind Pastrnak. Remember, Thompson scored 13 goals in the month of December. He showed he could put together those notable scoring streaks. Now he’s trying to do just that as the Sabers fight for a playoff spot. He appears to be the strongest non-McDavid/non-Pastrnak candidate.
Matiash: McDavid wins the Rocket with 70, sullen to the end. Mikko Rantanen finishes second with 55, shaming many of us for not giving him enough comparative attention this season.
Shilton: It’s hard to bet against a player in McDavid who has scored multiple goals in 12 of 65 games this season (so far). McDavid can flip the switch like no one else in hockey.
It would take a truly unusual drought or serious injury to prevent McDavid from winning the Rocket. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see McDavid finish the season with 70 goals.
Wyshynsky: McDavid almost set an NHL record for consecutive games with multiple goals, and I don’t see that situation ending anytime soon.
I will say that Connor will finish with a total of 69 goals as he completes the best points season in NHL history by anyone not named Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux.
Will this be our 2023 Stanley Cup Final game? Otherwise, who do you have?
Clark: Not immediately. Boston appears to have what it takes to reach the Cup Final this season. But it’s not often that the winner of the Presidents’ Trophy also wins the Stanley Cup. Still, this version of the Bruins just looks different.
Edmonton is a tricky situation. This is a team that has struggled to find consistency. But that could also work to the Oilers’ advantage, given that the West has been so close this year that no clear favorite has yet managed to emerge.
Matiash: Why not? After losing all eight regulation games since October, NOW should the Bruins lose half of that total in any given period of two weeks or less? This calculation makes no sense. Additionally, the club is even better in its current form with Dmitry Orlov And Tyler Bertuzzi a board. Never mind that ahead Taylor Room It would be good to put our strengths together from the start once we get to the knockout stage.
In the West, the world’s best club player finally acquired a much-needed defensive zone dominator in Mattias Ekholm. Who helps. A lot. From a tight audience also including the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche — WHO failed to grab a better option to serve as a second-line center — Vegas Golden Knights And Minnesota Wildthe Oilers have as good a chance as any to reach the final round.
Shilton: Phew. If only! Imagine, first of all, three rounds of watching Connor McDavid in the playoffs. It’s good theater. However, Edmonton’s playoff record makes it difficult to label them as a true Cup Final contender at this point. We all know that changes in the game come around playoff time. Can the Oilers provide the defensive elements necessary to go all the way?
On the other hand, the Bruins showed their abilities in all areas throughout the season. Aside from the narrative that “Presidents’ Trophy winners never get anywhere,” there is no fault in saying that Boston is a Cup Final favorite. The Western Conference has more dark horses than the Eastern Conference. This makes it more difficult to predict who will emerge victorious.
Wyshynsky: We have a team of my pre-season Stanley Cup final, and they are the Oilers. My preseason pick was the Oilers vs. the Carolina Hurricanesas we party like it’s 2006. I’ll stick with this for as long as possible, in hopes of looking like a genius if it happens.
But if you’re looking for a spicy version of the Bruins, here it is: I take the field against Boston in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The three best teams in the entire NHL after the Bruins are the Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils And Toronto Maple Leafs. THE Tampa Bay Lightningwho is aiming for a fourth consecutive participation in the Stanley Cup final, and the New York Rangers are both in or near the top 10. There’s a chance the Bruins could contend Sydney Crosby in the first round of the playoffs – and everyone who saw the Pittsburgh Penguins‘series against the Rangers last season knows how he can assert his will on a series.
There may be a reason the entire East moved the trade deadline. Maybe these teams don’t view Boston’s heavyweight as unstoppable.
