The Bruins leave for Toronto on Sunday. Here are 7 things you should know.

07/26/2020 USA


The NHL is back, and the Bruins are ready to resume their search for the Stanley Cup.

Here is a timeline provided by the club:

Monday july 13

– Bruins’ training camp started at Warrior Ice Arena

Sunday July 26

– The Bruins travel to Toronto (where the Eastern Conference bubble is located)

Tuesday, July 28 – Thursday, July 30

– Exhibition games

Sunday August 2

– Round robin game vs Philadelphia Flyers

Wednesday August 5

– Round robin game against Tampa Bay Lightning

Saturday August 8

– Round robin game against Washington Capitals

Tuesday August 11

– The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins

Tuesday August 25

– The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins

Tuesday, September 8

– The conference finals begin

Tuesday September 22

– The Stanley Cup Final begins

Friday, October 9 – Saturday, October 10

– NHL 2020 Project

Here’s what you should know as Boston looks to return to the Finals for the second consecutive year and capture its first championship since 2011.

They will start with a round-robin.

The Bruins ended the regular season shortened with the best record in the NHL (44-14-12). They will begin their second season with a round robin in Toronto that also features the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers.

The four teams will have a goodbye, and will play each other once to determine the playoff rankings. The Bruins will begin with a matchup against the Flyers on Sunday, August 2 at 3 p.m., then face the Lightning on August 5 at 4 p.m., followed by the Capitals on August 9 at a time to be determined.

Then they will face a team that has already played in a series of the best of five.

While the Bruins, who won the Presidents’ Trophy, are trying to maintain their dominance in the No. 1 seed, eight other Eastern Conference teams will compete in a best-of-five series. As the Eastern Conference playoffs advance in Toronto, the Western Conference playoffs will do the same in Edmonton.

Teams will be replanted after each round so that the highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed. The playoffs will proceed from there, at their established locations, then the Conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals will be played in Edmonton. If the Bruins make a deep run, they will have to travel almost all over Canada.

They are one of the favorites to win it all.

Vegas Insider gives the Bruins and Lightning (+650) the best odds to take the Stanley Cup home. Action Network puts the Bruins and Lightning at +700.

According to OddsShark, the Bruins have the second best odds (+600) to win it all, behind the Lightning (+550) and ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (+700).

They will follow strict COVID-19 protocols.

Each of the nearly 52 staff members from each team will live inside a bubble and will be screened daily for COVID-19. They will also undergo daily temperature checks and symptom tests.

As the NHL points out in a recent memo, people who may have direct or indirect contact with NHL teams will be screened daily. “Anyone within the safe zone who tests positive will be immediately isolated,” the publication notes.

The Bruins had a positive test for an unidentified player in June, but it appears they will enter the bubble with no current case on the team. According to the Bruins, the player was tested twice more and the results were negative.

They will undergo one last round of testing before leaving. As of Thursday, the NHL reported zero positive tests for COVID-19 during the week.

It is unclear at this time if the handshake lines will be carried out in the usual way.

David Pastrnak is expected to be there.

David Pastrnak, who finished the regular season tied for NHL first in goals (48) and tied for third in points (95), should be able to fly with the Bruins on Sunday.

He missed the first two days of training camp due to coronavirus quarantine rules after returning from the Czech Republic. Since then she has not been able to participate, outside of a practice, but it seems that she will be present in Toronto.

Nick Ritchie is also expected to travel, but Ondrej Kase is unknown. Kase was deemed “unfit to play” and has missed the entire Back to Play camp. As part of the NHL Back to Play Plan, a team may not disclose information about the player’s injuries or illnesses.

Brad Marchand believes that hockey will be neglected.

Brad Marchand is not overly optimistic that the quality of the game is what fans are used to, at least to start with.

“I think it will be really sloppy hockey, to be honest,” Marchand told reporters. “We’ve been gone for four or five months, whatever it is, and it takes more than a couple of weeks to get it back and be on top of its game.” And the ice conditions are not going to be good. So I don’t think it’s great hockey. “

He acknowledged that everyone will deal with the same unusual circumstances, which will level the playing field, however it may take some time to return to normal after the long break.

There is a sense of urgency when entering the playoffs.

After being close to winning it all last year, before falling to the St. Louis Blues in seven games, the Bruins enter this year’s playoffs with a chance to do something special.

The roster may change in the offseason, and players believe there is no better time than now to complete the task they have been tantalizingly close to. Defender Torey Krug, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent, is ready to flee.

Krug said: “It is no secret that this could be the last race I have to win the Cup with this group.”


Get Boston.com browser alerts:

Enable breaking news notifications directly in your internet browser

Turn on notifications

Great, you are registered!


Designed by Tricksfast Solutions
© Copyright 2025, All Rights Reserved