2020–21 Boston Bruins season

The 2020–21 Boston Bruins season was the 97th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 1, 1924.^[1] The Bruins entered the season as defending Presidents' Trophy and Atlantic Division champions. On December 20, 2020, the league temporarily realigned into four divisions with no conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing closure of the Canada–United States border. As a result of this realignment, the Bruins played this season in the East Division, only facing opponents from within the new division in a shortened 56-game regular season, and the first two rounds of the playoffs.

2020–21 Boston Bruins
Division	3rd East
2020–21 record	33–16–7
Home record	18–7–3
Road record	15–9–4
Goals for	168
Goals against	136
Team information
General manager	Don Sweeney
Coach	Bruce Cassidy
Captain	Patrice Bergeron
Alternate captains	David Krejci Brad Marchand
Arena	TD Garden
Minor league affiliate(s)	Providence Bruins (AHL) Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Brad Marchand (29)
Assists	Brad Marchand (40)
Points	Brad Marchand (69)
Penalty minutes	Trent Frederic (65)
Plus/minus	Patrice Bergeron (+27)
Wins	Tuukka Rask (15)
Goals against average	Jeremy Swayman (1.50)
← 2019–20 2021–22 →

On March 25, spectators were allowed back into the TD Garden with a limited capacity of 2,200. This was the first time fans were in attendance at a Bruins home game since March 7th of the previous year.^[2] The capacity at the Garden was increased to 25% on May 10.^[3] Starting May 29, the venue was able to host fans at full capacity.^[4]

On May 3, the Bruins clinched a playoff berth after a 3–0 win against the New Jersey Devils.^[5] In the playoffs, they eliminated the Washington Capitals in the first round in five games.^[6] The Bruins would lose to the New York Islanders in the second round in six games.^[7]

Standings

Divisional standings

East Division

Pos	Team v t e	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	y – Pittsburgh Penguins	56	37	16	3	29	196	156	+40	77
2	x – Washington Capitals	56	36	15	5	29	191	163	+28	77
3	x – Boston Bruins	56	33	16	7	25	168	136	+32	73
4	x – New York Islanders	56	32	17	7	24	156	128	+28	71
5	e – New York Rangers	56	27	23	6	24	177	157	+20	60
6	e – Philadelphia Flyers	56	25	23	8	17	163	201	−38	58
7	e – New Jersey Devils	56	19	30	7	15	145	194	−49	45
8	e – Buffalo Sabres	56	15	34	7	11	138	199	−61	37

Source: National Hockey League^[8]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
e – Eliminated from playoff contention; x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division

Schedule and results

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on December 23, 2020.^[9]

2020–21 game log
January: 5–1–2 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 1–1–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 January 14 Boston 3–2 New Jersey SO Rask 0 1–0–0 2 [10] 2 January 16 Boston 1–2 New Jersey OT Halak 0 1–0–1 3 [11] 3 January 18 Boston 0–1 NY Islanders Rask 0 1–1–1 3 [12] 4 January 21 Philadelphia 4–5 Boston SO Rask 0 2–1–1 5 [13] 5 January 23 Philadelphia 1–6 Boston Halak 0 3–1–1 7 [14] 6 January 26 Pittsburgh 2–3 Boston OT Rask 0 4–1–1 9 [15] 7 January 28 Pittsburgh 1–4 Boston Halak 0 5–1–1 11 [16] 8 January 30 Boston 3–4 Washington OT Rask 0 5–1–2 12 [17]
February: 7–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 6–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 9 February 1 Boston 5–3 Washington Halak 0 6–1–2 14 [18] 10 February 3 Boston 4–3 Philadelphia OT Rask 0 7–1–2 16 [19] 11 February 5 Boston 2–1 Philadelphia Rask 0 8–1–2 18 [20] — February 6 Buffalo – Boston Postponed due to COVID-19.[21] Rescheduled for March 27. — February 8 Buffalo – Boston Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for April 13. 12 February 10 Boston 3–2 NY Rangers OT Rask 0 9–1–2 20 [22] 13 February 12 Boston 1–0 NY Rangers Halak 0 10–1–2 22 [23] 14 February 13 Boston 2–4 NY Islanders Rask 0 10–2–2 22 [24] — February 15 New Jersey – Boston Postponed due to COVID-19.[25] Rescheduled for March 7.[26] 15 February 18 New Jersey 3–2 Boston Halak 0 10–3–2 22 [27] 16 February 21 Philadelphia 3–7 Boston Rask 0 (outdoors) 11–3–2 24 [28] 17 February 25 Boston 2–7 NY Islanders Halak 0 11–4–2 24 [29] 18 February 26 Boston 2–6 NY Rangers Rask 1,800 11–5–2 24 [30] 19 February 28 Boston 4–1 NY Rangers Rask 1,800 12–5–2 26 [31]
March: 6–4–3 (Home: 4–3–2 ; Road: 2–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 20 March 3 Washington 2–1 Boston SO Rask 0 12–5–3 27 [32] 21 March 5 Washington 1–5 Boston Halak 0 13–5–3 29 [33] 22 March 7 New Jersey 1–0 Boston Rask 0 13–6–3 29 [34] 23 March 9 Boston 1–2 NY Islanders SO Halak 0 13–6–4 30 [35] 24 March 11 NY Rangers 0–4 Boston Halak 0 14–6–4 32 [36] 25 March 13 NY Rangers 4–0 Boston Halak 0 14–7–4 32 [37] 26 March 15 Boston 1–4 Pittsburgh Halak 2,800 14–8–4 32 [38] 27 March 16 Boston 2–1 Pittsburgh Vladar 2,800 15–8–4 34 [39] 28 March 18 Boston 4–1 Buffalo Halak 0 16–8–4 36 [40] — March 20 Boston – Buffalo Postponed due to COVID-19.[41] Rescheduled for April 20.[42] — March 23 NY Islanders – Boston Postponed due to COVID-19.[41] Rescheduled for May 10.[42] 29 March 25 NY Islanders 4–3 Boston OT Halak 2,191 16–8–5 37 [43] 30 March 27 Buffalo 2–3 Boston Vladar 2,191 17–8–5 39 [44] 31 March 28 New Jersey 1–0 Boston Halak 2,191 17–9–5 39 [45] 32 March 30 New Jersey 4–5 Boston SO Halak 2,191 18–9–5 41 [46]
April: 11–5–1 (Home: 6–2–1 ; Road: 5–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 33 April 1 Pittsburgh 4–1 Boston Vladar 2,191 18–10–5 41 [47] 34 April 3 Pittsburgh 5–7 Boston Halak 2,191 19–10–5 43 [48] 35 April 5 Philadelphia 3–2 Boston OT Vladar 2,191 19–10–6 44 [49] 36 April 6 Boston 4–2 Philadelphia Swayman 2,638 20–10–6 46 [50] 37 April 8 Boston 4–2 Washington Swayman 0 21–10–6 48 [51] 38 April 10 Boston 2–3 Philadelphia Swayman 3,025 21–11–6 48 [52] 39 April 11 Washington 8–1 Boston Vladar 2,191 21–12–6 48 [53] 40 April 13 Buffalo 2–3 Boston SO Swayman 2,191 22–12–6 50 [54] 41 April 15 NY Islanders 1–4 Boston Rask 2,191 23–12–6 52 [55] 42 April 16 NY Islanders 0–3 Boston Swayman 2,191 24–12–6 54 [56] 43 April 18 Washington 3–6 Boston Rask 2,191 25–12–6 56 [57] 44 April 20 Boston 2–0 Buffalo Rask 0 26–12–6 58 [58] 45 April 22 Boston 5–1 Buffalo Swayman 0 27–12–6 60 [59] 46 April 23 Boston 4–6 Buffalo Halak —[a] 27–13–6 60 [60] 47 April 25 Boston 0–1 Pittsburgh Swayman 4,672 27–14–6 60 [61] 48 April 27 Boston 3–1 Pittsburgh Rask 4,672 28–14–6 62 [62] 49 April 29 Buffalo 2–5 Boston Rask 2,191 29–14–6 64 [63]
May: 4–2–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 50 May 1 Buffalo 2–6 Boston Swayman 2,191 30–14–6 66 [64] 51 May 3 Boston 3–0 New Jersey Rask 3,600 31–14–6 68 [65] 52 May 4 Boston 3–4 New Jersey OT Halak 3,600 31–14–7 69 [66] 53 May 6 NY Rangers 0–4 Boston Swayman 2,191 32–14–7 71 [67] 54 May 8 NY Rangers 5–4 Boston Rask 2,191 32–15–7 71 [68] 55 May 10 NY Islanders 2–3 Boston OT Rask 4,565 33–15–7 73 [69] 56 May 11 Boston 1–2 Washington Swayman 2,133 33–16–7 73 [70]
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)   Postponement

Playoffs

Main article: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

2021 Stanley Cup playoffs
East Division First Round vs. (E2) Washington Capitals: Boston won 4–1 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 15 Boston 2–3 Washington OT Rask 5,333 0–1 [71] 2 May 17 Boston 4–3 Washington OT Rask 5,333 1–1 [72] 3 May 19 Washington 2–3 Boston 2OT Rask 4,565 2–1 [73] 4 May 21 Washington 1–4 Boston Rask 4,565 3–1 [74] 5 May 23 Boston 3–1 Washington Rask 5,333 4–1 [75] East Division Second Round vs. (E4) New York Islanders: New York won 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 29 NY Islanders 2–5 Boston Rask 17,400 1–0 [76] 2 May 31 NY Islanders 4–3 Boston OT Rask 17,400 1–1 [77] 3 June 3 Boston 2–1 NY Islanders OT Rask 12,000 2–1 [78] 4 June 5 Boston 1–4 NY Islanders Rask 12,000 2–2 [79] 5 June 7 NY Islanders 5–4 Boston Swayman 17,400 2–3 [80] 6 June 9 Boston 2–6 NY Islanders Rask 12,000 2–4 [81]
Legend:   Win   Loss

Draft picks

See also: List of Boston Bruins draft picks

Below are the Boston Bruins' selections at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rescheduled draft was held October 6–7, 2020 virtually via Video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
2	58	Mason Lohrei	D	United States	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
3	89	Trevor Kuntar	C	United States	Boston College (H-East)
5	151	Mason Langenbrunner	D	United States	Eden Prairie (USHS-MN)
6	182	Riley Duran	C	United States	Lawrence Academy (USHS-MA)

Notes

1. Spectators were in attendance, but the exact number was not reported.

References

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