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Boston Bruins: Fans finally have a reason to be happy in 2020

By Sam Minton

Aug 25, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) scores a goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the second period in game two of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) scores a goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the second period in game two of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NHL announced a plan for the 2020-21 season and the Boston Bruins will be returning to the ice pretty soon.

Finally, hockey fans got some good news. The NHL is returning and Boston Bruins fans will get to see their favorite players back on the ice.

It seemed for a while that the NHL might skip this upcoming season. Playing without fans would hit owners hard.

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But now there is a vaccine for COVID-19 and it seems as though we are nearing the end of this worldwide nightmare. At some point in the near future, fans will be returning to arenas.

The Bruins and the rest of the NHL will play a shortened 56 game season in 2021. Teams will begin to play on January 13th.

Boston will be playing in a new division for this upcoming season. The Bruins will be in the East Division and will be facing off against the Sabres, Devils, Penguins, Capitals, Islanders, Rangers, and Flyers.

While that might seem like an interesting division with Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and New York, there are some tough teams. With how the playoffs work this season, Boston will have to be on top of their game. The Bruins will be facing these teams eight times before the season is over.

The top four teams out of each division will play the first two rounds. The winner will get a spot in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Will the Bruins be able to get past the Flyers or the Islanders?

Boston will also be without David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand to start the season. With the start date officially announced for early January, it looks like the wingers could miss about a month of the regular season if not more. That’s a brutal blow to Boston’s offensive output.

Jake DeBrusk and Ondrej Kase will have to have a major impact and Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will have to continue to be consistent scorers. Also, new signing Craig Smith will have to make an impact rather quickly.

With the season being shortened, there is no time to get your legs under you. The Bruins need to start winning games right off the bat.

Finally, there is the case of opt-outs. Patriots fans will be familiar with this as New England led the league in opt-outs.

Now entering the bubble early in the year (which feels like an eternity ago) the only opt-out for the Bruins was Steven Kampfer. Both his wife and son have heart defects so I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he opts out again.

There is also the controversial case of Tuukka Rask. Fans were sent in an uproar when he left the bubble due to a medical emergency involving his daughter. I will say once again for the people in the back, no one can blame Rask for leaving.

But it’s fair to wonder about his status for the upcoming season. The key thing for Bruins fans is that Boston will be playing in TD Garden and not in a bubble. If I had to guess, Rask plays this season.

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So get ready Bruins fans, we will be seeing the black and gold play pretty soon.

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