(SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Bruins turned in the NHL's best record last season, but a shorter than expected stay in the playoffs put a damper on the club's 2013-14 campaign.
The Bruins hope to get off to a positive start in 2014-15 when they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers for Wednesday's season opener at TD Garden.
It's a testament to how successful the Bruins have been in recent years that coming within one victory of an Eastern Conference finals appearance is considered a disappointing season. That's what happened last spring when Boston fell in seven games to the rival Montreal Canadiens during the second round.
Boston has a good chance to claim the East's top seed again after winning the Presidents' Trophy with 117 points in 2013-14. After all, the B's are only a few years removed from winning it all in 2011, and the club returned to the Cup Finals in 2013 before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Bruins' main challenge for conference supremacy may not come from another team but the club's own salary cap constraints. General manager Peter Chiarelli was forced to let veteran forwards Jarome Iginla and Shawn Thornton walk via free agency due to cap problems, but that didn't solve the problem entirely. After getting restricted free agents Torey Krug and Reilly Smith to sign one-year, club-friendly deals in late September, Chiarelli created additional cap space by dealing veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders for draft picks.
"Arguably this doesn't make us better now, obviously, but it's something that when I look at it in a series of steps, I think it's the right move," Chiarelli said of the Boychuk trade.
Cap crunch aside, however, there is still a great deal of talent in Boston, as the Bruins finished the 2013-14 regular season ranked in the NHL's top-three on both offense and defense. The club still boasts star defenseman Zdeno Chara, versatile centerman Patrice Bergeron, and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask between the pipes, to name only a few of the club's many assets.
Boston won't have David Krejci tonight, however, as the club's top-line center will miss the contest due to an undisclosed injury. Krejci signed a six-year extension with the Bruins in early September.
Philadelphia's cap situation isn't much better than Boston's, but unlike the Bruins, the Flyers aren't counted among the East's elite. After missing the postseason in 2013, Philly returned to the playoffs last spring before losing to the New York Rangers in seven games. Head coach Craig Berube's club could have a difficult road back to the playoffs in 2014-15.
Led by centerman Claude Giroux, a Hart Trophy finalist in 2013-14, the Flyers are a strong offensive team with serious questions on defense. The defensive depth will be tested by the absence of veteran blueliner Kimmo Timonen, who is out indefinitely after blood clots were found in his leg over the summer. There's a chance Philadelphia may have to permanently get by without Timonen's services, as the medical issue could end the 39-year-old's career.
Sans Timonen, Mark Streit, 36. is left as the elder statesman on the blue line, while Braydon Coburn is the longest-serving member having arrived in February of 2007. Nicklas Grossmann, Andrew MacDonald and Luke Schenn also figure to log minutes in front of No. 1 goaltender Steve Mason, who could see a ton of rubber sent his way this season.
The Flyers also could be without their leading goal scorer from last season, as Wayne Simmonds is questionable for Wednesday with a bruised left foot. The 26- year-old Simmonds paced Philadelphia with a career-best 29 goals in 2013-14.
Boston dominated the Flyers over three meetings last season, going 3-0 while outscoring Philadelphia by a combined 15-6 margin. The Bruins have claimed seven of the past nine meetings overall and Philly has dropped three straight in Beantown.
Both the Bruins and Flyers open this season by playing on back-to-back nights. Boston will visit Detroit on Thursday, while Philadelphia is set to play its home opener against New Jersey.
