When it comes to the Boston Bruins and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there have been some endings that fans might never, ever get over. Whether it was one game or a series, there has been heartbreak that fans have been triggered by.
The Bruins have a long, storied history, but when it comes to the playoffs and frustrating endings, they have some that take the cake compared to other NHL franchises. Here are the three biggest Bruins playoff choke jobs ranked.
Ranking the Boston Bruins' 3 biggest playoff choke jobs
3. 2019 Stanley Cup Final Game 7
This one is debatable as to where it should be. Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final at home is all an NHL team can ask for. Some believe that home-ice advantage in hockey doesn't mean as much as in hockey compared to other sports, but nothing beats it. Game 7 for all the marbles, everyone would love to be home for that.
In 2019, the Bruins had multiple chances to put away the Blues but couldn't. Instead, it came down to a Game 7 at home, and Boston played a stinker. Some questionable in-game decisions, including one from Brad Marchand on a questionable shift change, which led to a key goal at the end of the first period and turned into a 4-0 St. Louis lead before the Black and Gold scored too late on a Matt Grzelcyk strike in a 4-1 loss. That one's going to sting for a long, long time.
2. 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Up 3-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers with two games at home, there was no way that the Black and Gold would blow that series, right? Guess again. What made it even more painful was that they not only blew a 3-0 series lead and were forced to a Game 7 at home, but they also blew a 3-0 lead in Game 7. You could say it was as embarrassing as it was; it was the driving force behind the 2011 playoff run that ended with a Stanley Cup championship. However, 2010 still stings.
1. 2023 First-Round Series vs. Florida Panthers
Just when you thought that they couldn't top the 2010 meltdown, the 2023 team was able to top it. Facing the last team into the postseason field as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Florida Panthers, the Black and Gold set the NHL record for wins and points in an 82-game regular season in 2022-23 after firing Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins were the pick to win the Cup against the field. Never pick against the field.
After grabbing a 3-1 series lead, the Bruins would lose Game 5 at home in overtime before losing a high-scoring affair in Game 6 in South Florida. In Game 7 at the TD Garden, Boston failed to protect a 3-2 lead late in regulation and watched as the Panthers won Game 7 in overtime. That series loss started a dynasty in Florida for a Panthers franchise that has won two Stanley Cups since that spring. What made the series loss even more painful was that Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights won the Cup over the Panthers in June.
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