Recent history is on the Boston Bruins side after an abysmal performance

It’s never a pleasant experience when your team goes down by three goals following the first frame. But that was the predicament the Boston Bruins found themselves in when the season-opener’s horn blared to signal the end of the first period. 

After 20 minutes, Boston was down 4-1, allowing the Florida Panthers to outclass them in every facet of the game. To use the old cliche ‘add insult to injury,’ the Bruins watched the Panthers raise their first-ever championship banner earlier that evening, a reminder that, just a few months ago, saw that same team steamroll past them en route to the Eastern Conference Final and, ultimately, the Stanley Cup Final. 

But it’s not all bad, despite the horrific start. For one, you only need to look back to last season and realize that the Panthers started off on the wrong foot, getting shut out against the Minnesota Wild of all teams. Two days later, they allowed six goals in a loss to the Winnipeg Jets before collecting their first win vs. the New Jersey Devils. 

And let’s not even get started on the Edmonton Oilers, who won the Western Conference last season. While we remember the team’s 5-12-1 start, few recall just how bad the Oilers had it, losing Game 1 by a score of 8-1 to the Vancouver Canucks. 

Game 1 didn’t go the Boston Bruins way, but whatever

Honestly, it’s Game 1 of 82, and the Panthers and Oilers proved last year that the first game means nothing in the six-month stretch that is the NHL season. Yeah, the Bruins looked every bit like the league’s most dysfunctional hockey team, and doing so made it impossible for them to come back and win, barring a major collapse on Florida’s part. 

But when you give this Bruins team a chance to build chemistry and embark on a hot streak, recent history also shows they’re hard to beat. The 2022-23 season drove that point home, and the Bruins were the league’s most dominant team to kick off the 2023-24 campaign. 

That wasn’t the case this season, as they allowed an astonishing five goals in the game’s first 30 minutes. But hey, the team that raised its championship banner also didn’t look any good this time last year. They got it together and won the Cup. It’s a long season, and both the Bruins and their fans need to remember that.