Cheer For The Enemy: A Playoff Guide For The Disappointed Bruins Fan

Playoff hockey is usually an annual tradition in Boston this time of year. But this season, the battle for Lord Stanley won’t include the Hub of Hockey.

For the first time in nine years, the Boston Bruins have missed the playoffs after finishing the season a disappointing 33-39-10, leaving a void in the hearts of fans who typically flood Causeway Street in a sea of black and gold. 

While it won’t be quite the same, Bruins fans can still find reasons to cheer by rooting for these teams in this year’s playoffs. 

Florida Panthers: 

The idea of rooting for the Florida Panthers, the team that eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, was once unthinkable.

But so too was the thought of Brad Marchand playing anywhere else but Boston. 

Now, both are harsh realities that Bruins fans have to accept. 

In the deal that sent Marchand to Florida at the NHL trade deadline, Boston received a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, which becomes a first-round selection if the Panthers make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this year, and Marchand plays in at least half of their games along the way.

Is that worth the price of seeing Marchand win his second Stanley Cup with a team that’s not the Bruins? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least it’s something. 

Colorado Avalanche:

Another move the Bruins made at the trade deadline was with the Colorado Avalanche, acquiring Casey Mittlestadt, prospect Will Zellers, and a second-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Charlie Coyle. 

Upon his arrival in Colorado, Coyle fit in seamlessly with the Avs and has been on fire lately, riding a six-game points streak entering the playoffs with two goals and nine assists. 

Plus, if you’re seeking a feel-good story this postseason, look no further than Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog, who just recently made his return from a knee injury that held him out of action for the last three years.

Washington Capitals: 

As the Bruins begin a long offseason hoping to retool on the fly, there’s no better model to follow than the one provided by the Washington Capitals. 

After missing the playoffs two years ago and barely squeaking in last season, the Caps spent this past summer supplementing their roster with savvy trades and under-the-radar free agent signings that helped them skyrocket to the top of the Eastern Conference standings in 2024-25.

However, as Bruins fans know all too well, there’s a major difference between success in the regular season and the postseason. 

If the Bruins are going to follow the path created by the Capitals, they better make sure it takes them where they want to go. 

Ottawa Senators: 

Linus Ullmark’s time in Boston was well spent, but didn’t last.

He helped the Bruins make the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the team and led to the best regular season record in NHL history in 2022-23 en route to capturing the Vezina Trophy.

Now with the Ottawa Senators, he has the chance to accomplish something he never did with the Bruins by winning the Stanley Cup. 

The Sens are back in the postseason this year for the first time since 2018, and while they are, in fact, a hated division rival of the Bruins, they’re also matched up against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round.  

If the Bruins can’t be in the playoffs, they can at least enjoy seeing Toronto lose in the first round, yet again. 

St. Louis Blues/Vegas Golden Knights:

If you believe the Bruins should fire general manager Don Sweeney and team president Cam Neely, or if you’re simply a masochist, then you’ll certainly be rooting for the two teams that are led by Boston’s last two head coaches.

After getting fired by the Bruins in mid-November, Jim Montgomery took over behind the bench of a once directionless St. Louis Blues team and has turned them into the NHL’s hottest team entering the playoffs. 

The Bruins consistently fell short in the postseason under Montgomery. It’s why he entered this season as a lame duck in Boston with his contract set to expire, and one can only imagine that he’d love nothing more than to prove Sweeney and Neely wrong. 

Bruce Cassidy already knows how that feels. 

Fired by the Bruins following the 2021-22 season, he landed on his feet with the Vegas Golden Knights and won the Stanley Cup the very next year. 

Adding another to his resume would twist the knife even more. 

FOLLOW ANDREW FANTUCCHIO ON 𝕏: @A_FANTUCCHIO

FOLLOW BOSTON HOCKEY NOW ON 𝕏 AND FACEBOOK