When the end has come for the Bruins in recent seasons, it hasn’t often been accompanied by much suspense.
When the Bruins were eliminated by the Islanders in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, the Fightin’ Potvins prevailed in the decisive sixth game, 6-2. The Isles scored the game’s first goal, three unanswered to break a tie in the second period, and a pair of empty netters for a couple of unnecessary exclamation points.
When the Bruins were bounced from the bubble in five games by the Lightning during the pandemic-altered 2020 playoffs, the finale of the second-round series was a thriller — a 3-2 Tampa Bay win in double-overtime.