THN.com/free Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman hug again after the Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night to clinch the Presidents' Trophy. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk2OTA5NTc5NzE4NjMyODg1/usatsi_20358448.jpg] Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman hug again after the Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night to clinch the Presidents' Trophy. The Boston Bruins led the NHL nonstop since Dec. 7, and they officially won the Presidents’ Trophy. Boston clinched the feat for the fourth time since the trophy was introduced [https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1641618362508910592?s=20] in 1985-86 after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime Thursday night. It took Boston only 75 games to clinch the trophy for the regular-season champions, tied for the fourth-fewest matches to reach the mark in seasons with at least 80 outings since the trophy was introduced in 1985-86. They trail only the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (71 games), 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning (73 games) and 2001-02 Red Wings (74 games). Ever since bringing back forward David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron on one-year contracts heading into this season, there was a sense this had to be a memorable year for the Boston Bruins. They have not disappointed on the ice, being the fastest team in NHL history to 100 points [https://thehockeynews.com/news/boston-bruins-become-fastest-team-to-100-points-in-nhl-history] and 50 wins. They have the second-most goals-for per game and fewest goals-against per game. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/just-how-good-are-the-boston-bruins-in-2022-23] Their penalty kill is also the best in the league. Whether it’s David Pastrnak being the first Bruin to reach 50 goals in a season since Cam Neely in 1993-94 or goalie tandem Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman having breakout years, the Bruins’ well-rounded roster has paid dividends. They rotated between first and second place from late October to early December as the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils briefly took over at the top. But they tightened their grip on the first spot in the standings and now lead the second-place Carolina Hurricanes by 18 points. This means the Bruins are guaranteed home-ice advantage at the TD Garden for any series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their opponent for the first round is yet to be determined, as the Eastern Conference’s race for the second wild card is still going strong. The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the spot with 84 points in 75 games after a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday. The Florida Panthers trail Pittsburgh by one point with one more game played after beating the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. The Buffalo Sabres (73 games played), Ottawa Senators (74 games) and Washington Capitals (76 games) round out the teams trailing in the East's race for the post-season. As the 2018-19 Lightning learned the hard way, a dominant regular season doesn’t guarantee post-season success. A 4-0 series loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the NHL world that year. There’s also the so-called Presidents’ Trophy curse, where the top regular-season team has only won the Cup eight times since ’85-86. The last team to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup was the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks when they beat the Bruins in six Cup-final games. Boston holds a 2-0 record against the Penguins with one meeting left and a 2-1-1 record versus the Panthers, although anything can change in the playoffs. While the Bruins can briefly celebrate the accomplishment, there’s another championship in mind.
