General manager Don Sweeney and the Bruins still have no idea what the 2023-24 Bruins are going to look like.
There’s still an awful lot of cap management and countless free agent decisions to be made between now and then.
But they do know when their attempt at the ultimate bounce-back after last spring’s disastrous ending will begin, as Wednesday saw the Bruins have announce their six-game preseason slate.
Sunday, Sept. 24 vs. New York Rangers (5 p.m. at TD Garden)
Mar 4, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) battles for the puck with New York Rangers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) during the third period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
In what feels like tradition at this point, the Bruins’ preseason slate will feature a pair of showdowns with the Rangers, and with the two-tilt fall beginning in Boston this time around. The Bruins swept last year’s season series with the Rangers by a 3-0-0 record, and outscored the Rangers 12-5 over that three-game set.
The Rangers will enter the 2023-24 with a new man behind the bench, too, with Massachusetts native Peter Laviolette set to take over for Gerard Gallant. Laviolette, who spent the previous three seasons with the Capitals before Washington opted to part ways with him after the 2022-23 season, has certainly bounced around the league, with head coaching stints with the Islanders, Hurricanes, Flyers, Predators, and Capitals since 2001.
Tuesday, Sept. 26 at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. at KeyBank Center)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 31: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen #1 of the Buffalo Sabres makes a save against Nick Foligno #17 of the Boston Bruins during the first period at the TD Garden on December 31, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
In a bit of a switch-up from recent preseason schedules, the Bruins will head to Buffalo for a preseason showdown with the Sabres. It will be the first of three road preseason games for the Bruins. The Bruins went 3-0-1 against the Sabres in 2022-23, and they hammered the Sabres for a staggering 20 goals over that four-game sample size. That made Buffalo the only team victimized for a 20-spot by the Bruins in what was a record-breaking year for Boston.
Friday, Sept. 29 vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. at TD Garden)
Nov 17, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a stick save as defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) tries to keep Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) from the rebound at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
Friday Night Hockey at The Garden? Friday Night Hockey at The Garden. Another staple of the preseason slate, the Flyers will come to town for what will be the B’s second home game of their six-game preseason. The Bruins went 3-0-0 against the Flyers last season, and hammered Philly for 15 goals in the process. The Flyers are in the midst of what feels like a total teardown of a rebuild, with Ivan Provorov already shipped out, and with more trades on the way, with nobody considered an untouchable for first-year general manager Danny Briere.
Monday, Oct. 2 at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center)
Sep 24, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) and Philadelphia Flyers right wing Hayden Hodgson (42) fight during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)
Following Friday’s showdown, the Bruins and Flyers will take their rematch down to Philly for the conclusion of their preseason set. As is often the case with any home-and-home, expect the second game of this one to have some heat. This is also around the time where the Bruins will begin to make some cuts from their camp roster, with the club inching towards what is a more NHL-heavy lineup. This could be the ‘last’ chance for a few tweeners or camp surprises looking to make what will be a cap-squeezed Bruins club.
Tuesday, Oct. 3 vs. Washington Capitals (7 p.m. at TD Garden)
Apr 11, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) reacts with center Patrice Bergeron (37) after scoring a goal during the second period against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
The Bruins will wrap up their home portion of the preseason with a meeting with the Capitals. With this being the final home game of the preseason, expect this to be the ‘dress rehearsal’ of the Black and Gold’s schedule, with an almost all-NHLer lineup for Jim Montgomery’s squad.
The Capitals are still led by Alex Ovechkin, of course, but it’ll be interesting to see just how different they play in 2023-24 with first-year head coach Spencer Carbery running the show in DC. Carbery, who made the jump to DC after two seasons as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs, served as an assistant coach for the P-Bruins back in 2017-18 and was considered to be in the running for the B’s gig in 2022 prior to the team’s hiring of Montgomery.
Thursday, Oct. 5 at New York Rangers (7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden)
Jan 19, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) celebrates his goal against the Rangers with center David Krejci (46) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) at Madison Square Garden. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
By the sixth game of the preseason, everybody involved is ready for the start of the regular season. But if you’re looking for something to watch here, this could and should be where any bubble questions are officially answered as the Bruins inch their way down to a 20-skater roster.
