As you may already know, the Bruins are in first place in the Atlantic division and have a nine point cushion between them and the second place Tampa Bay Lightning. But that’s not all, the Bruins currently sit in first place in the entire NHL and have a six point cushion between them and the second place St. Louis Blues. Now with just 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins are currently on pace to win the Presidents Trophy for the best record in the NHL.
So what’s wrong with that right? First place can’t be a bad thing, can it? If you believe in superstitions it could be a death sentence for the Bruins season. Since 1986 only eight teams have won the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year and just four times since 2000. The last time it happened was in the 2012-2013 season when the dominant, Chicago Blackhawks beat who else but the Boston Bruins in six games in the Stanley Cup finals.
After the Bruins lost the Stanley Cup in 2013, the came storming back and won the Presidents Trophy in the 2013-2014 season with an immaculate 117 point season. That season, however, came to an abrupt ending when the Bruins were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference semifinals in seven games. The Bruins went on to miss the playoffs the following two years after winning the Presidents Trophy.
Ironically the Bruins find themselves in the exact same situation. After losing in the Stanley Cup finals last season in seven games, the Bruins have come back with a vengeance and currently have a pretty firm grasp on the Presidents’ Trophy race with only 15 games left in the regular season. We all know that the Bruins aren’t going to purposely lose a few games to fall below first place, so it is safe to say the curse of the Presidents’ Trophy is going to hang over the Bruins head going into the playoffs.
You can look back to just a season ago when the Lightning won the Presidents’ Trophy and were immediately swept in the first round of the playoffs at the hand of the Columbus Blue Jackets, whom the Bruins ended up beating in the second round. So, it is safe to say the Presidents’ Trophy winners aren’t even safe in the first round of the playoffs.
Even though it may seem like it, the Bruins winning the Presidents’ Trophy isn’t exactly a 100 percent lock just yet. The Bruins still have a few tough matchups coming in these last 15 games against teams like the Blues, Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs who will all be fighting for playoff positioning.
I am not saying that if the Bruins win the Presidents’ Trophy they are automatically destined to lose and then miss the playoffs the next two seasons as they did in 2014. In fact, it is very unlikely that they will miss the playoffs the next two seasons as it is very rare for a team this good to follow up a season like this with a complete flop. All I am saying is that the odds are definitely against them if they do wind up winning this dreaded trophy.