Boston Bruins: A Return to Normal With the 2021-22 Schedule
Thursday night, the NHL released the 2021-22 schedules for all 32 teams. The Boston Bruins released their schedule, which comes with some odd quirks.
This season’s schedule includes a 23-day break in the month of February for the Winter Olympics that are going to take place in Beijing, China. After a game on Feb. 1, the Black and Gold will not return to the ice until Feb. 24. The All-Star Weekend is scheduled for Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.
With the schedule officially announced, let’s break down the Black and Gold’s schedule as they go back to the Atlantic Division and out of the 2020-21 only East Division.
Bruins open season at home.
The B’s will open the season on Oct. 16 at the TD Garden against the Stars of Dallas. It will be the first non-2020-21 East Division opponent when they face the Dallas Stars. Following that game, the Bruins will play their first road on Oct. 20 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
With the return to the Atlantic Division, that means annual battles return to the schedule against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, longtime rival Montreal Canadiens, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Bruins won’t see the Lightning until Dec. 4 when they visit the TD Garden. The Bruins’ first trip to Tampa is on Jan. 8. The first game with the Stanley Cup runner-up Canadiens is Nov. 14 in Boston, while the B’s first trip to the Bell Centre is Dec. 18. The Bruins visit Toronto on Nov. 5, then host them on March 29.
The Bruins will make three trips out West, with six games in 10 days. The first stop on the trip will be against old friend Jeremy Lauzon and the expansion Seattle Kraken. The Bruins will technically play back-to-back against the NHL’s 32nd team as they host them on Feb. 1, the last game before their Olympic break.
Because of the Olympic Break, the regular season is scheduled to end in April in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on the 29th.
Bruins Should Pursue Two Veteran Defensemen. light. Must Read
Over the next two months following free agency, the schedule and must-watch games on the Bruins schedule will become more clear when they report to Warrior Ice Arena in September for training camp. When that happens, we’ll have a better idea of which games will be worth staying up late for.