Boston Bruins Will Be Running With The Devils in 2021 Opener

The Boston Bruins will be running with the Devils when they kick off the 56-game 2021 NHL regular season. 

There had been serious discussions for the Boston Bruins to be part of the NBC season-opening tripleheader with a tilt on the road against the Flyers in Philadelphia, but between yesterday afternoon and when the league announced the schedule just after 3 PM ET, things changed and the Bruins will open their season on the road with a two-game set against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday, Jan. 14. 

The two new East Division rivals will play again at ‘The Pru’ two days later before the Bruins head over to Long Island and face another new East Division rival in the New York Islanders and a team that lost to the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. 

The Boston Bruins will open their home slate of the reduced 2021 schedule on Jan. 21 in the first of a two-game set that concludes on Jan. 23. They will then welcome in Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for two games Jan. 26-28 before closing the month on the road against the Washington Capitals, wait for it. …a two-game set against Alexander Ovechkin and the team that’s pretty much owned the Boston Bruins in recent years, the Washington Capitals. The Bruins will play 25 two-game sets and six one gamers this season, including four against the New York Islanders. 

As Joe Haggerty reported here on Monday morning, it doesn’t appear that Boston Bruins fans will be allowed into TD Garden for home games anytime soon. Early Wednesday evening, the team released this statement:

“The Boston Bruins and TD Garden are working closely with state, city, and public health officials along with the NHL to develop and review plans to safely welcome fans back to the arena. The safety of our associates and all our guests is paramount to any reopening plans.

We are not permitted to host fans at this time, but when approved, we will share all new TD Garden policies and procedures with our fans.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!”

You may have noticed in the schedule below, that the Bruins’ longtime Original 6 rivals, the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs are not on the Bruins schedule. This will be the first time in franchise history that the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have not faced each other in a regular season game and the first time since the lockout-shortened 48-game season in 1994-95. Due to COVID travels risks and restrictions, the Habs, Leafs, and the five other Canadian teams will play all games in the Canadian Division. While the Bruins and their fans will surely miss the bitter rivalry tilts with the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, they actually can renew those rivalries in the Stanley Cup final under the new NHL Return format. 

The new divisional realignment will also provide the chance to renew other previous rivalries like those with the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers. Seeing each team eight times and mostly on back-to-back will build animosity that we haven’t seen since the late 1980’s and early nineties when the Bruins played both of those clubs more often and the other Patrick Division teams, the Capitals, Islanders, and Devils. The Bruins will also play a former Adams Division rival in the Buffalo Sabres. And lest we forget they will get a taste of prior battles with the Habs when they face Devils defenseman P.K. Subban in the season opener.

The Stanley Cup playoffs will begin May 11 and can’t go past June 9. Will the playoffs and the Final be the next Boston Bruins schedules you read here?

2021 Boston Bruins Schedule:

JANUARY:

Thursday, January 14 @ New Jersey

Saturday, January 16 @ New Jersey

Monday, January 18 @ N.Y. Islanders

Thursday, January 21 vs. Philadelphia

Saturday, January 23 vs. Philadelphia

Tuesday, January 26 vs. Pittsburgh

Thursday, January 28 vs. Pittsburgh

Saturday, January 30 @ Washington

FEBRUARY:

Monday, February 1 @ Washington

Wednesday, February 3 @ Philadelphia

Friday, February 5 @ Philadelphia

Saturday, February 6 vs. Buffalo

Monday, February 8 vs. Buffalo

Wednesday, February 10 @ N.Y. Rangers

Friday, February 12 @ N.Y. Rangers

Saturday, February 13 @ N.Y. Islanders

Monday, February 15 vs. New Jersey

Thursday, February 18 vs. New Jersey

Sunday, February 21 vs. Philadelphia

Thursday, February 25 @ N.Y. Islanders

Friday, February 26 @ N.Y. Rangers

Sunday, February 28 @ N.Y. Rangers

MARCH:

Wednesday, March 3 vs. Washington

Friday, March 5 vs. Washington

Sunday, March 7 vs. Philadelphia

Tuesday, March 9 @ N.Y. Islanders

Thursday, March 11 vs. N.Y. Rangers

Saturday, March 13 vs. N.Y. Rangers

Monday, March 15 @ Pittsburgh

Tuesday, March 16 @ Pittsburgh

Thursday, March 18 @ Buffalo

Saturday, March 20 @ Buffalo

Thursday, March 25 vs. N.Y. Islanders

Saturday, March 27 vs. N.Y. Islanders

Sunday, March 28 vs. New Jersey

Tuesday, March 30 vs. New Jersey