At the start of the season, the Bruins’ first five games on paper appeared to be a good opportunity to get off to a good start. Only one of those teams, the Nashville Predators, appeared in the playoffs a year ago, while two other squads – the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche – finished at the bottom and one wasn’t even an NHL team last October.
The Bruins only managed a 2-3 mark in those first five games with a pair of losses to the Avs in the home and home and a setback against the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.