It's hard to say which was a bigger surprise in 2015: The Boston Bruins missing out on the playoffs or the Winnipeg Jets reaching them.
These clubs open play Thursday night with the Bruins, hoping to avoid another frustrating season, aiming for a 14th straight home victory against the Jets, who are trying to build on an impressive campaign.
Boston missed the postseason for the first time since 2007 despite a 41-27-14 record. General manager Peter Chiarelli was fired as a result, though Claude Julien remains behind the bench.
This is a new-look Bruins team in some regards after the club traded two of its top five point scorers in Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic.