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This has been refreshing, hasn't it Bruins fans?
Each of the last three seasons, the B's playoff hopes have come down to the wire, often the final weekend of the regular season. In the spring of 2015 and 2016, under Claude Julien, Boston fell short.
Last year, a midseason coaching change to Bruce Cassidy propelled the black and gold to an 18-8-1 finish and a trip to the first round.
Today, with 10 games still to play, Cassidy's Bs have 100 points - five more than all of last year - and they're postseason-bound again.
“Well, it’s step one,” Cassidy said. “Going into the season, we wanted to make the playoffs, be a Stanley Cup contender. At some point, hopefully, you’re a Stanley Cup favorite. That’s kind of where it goes from there.”
“But, right now, we got in. So, we’re going to be a contender. That’s the good news.”
“Now, going forward, we want to be in the best position possible.”
Bruins sit four points behind the Lightning for the East lead, with one game in-hand.
They'll continue their four-game trip tomorrow in Dallas, hopefully with reinforcements. Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, Rick Nash, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug, and Jake DeBrusk all missed last night's action with injuries.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman Reports: