The Boston Bruins cannot be stopped.
Thursday’s 7-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres was the Bruins’ ninth victory in a row and moved them to 48-8-5 on the season, good for 101 points. No NHL team has ever reached 100 points faster.
Moving past 100 points in their 61st game, Boston eclipsed the mark previously held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens – a team that many argue is the greatest in NHL history. That squad, which featured nine Hall of Famers and a Hall of Fame coach, reached the 100-point mark in its 62nd game and finished with a 60-8-12 record. Their 132 points remain a league record.
These Bruins, though, are incredibly on pace to surpass that mark set 46 years ago, currently sporting a .828 points percentage (the ’77 Canadiens were at .825). They have the added benefit of playing two more games than NHL teams did then.
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Of course, the No. 1 reason why we remember those Canadiens is simple: They won the Stanley Cup. Four in a row, in fact, from 1976-79. It’s harder than ever to win the Stanley Cup, thanks to added rounds and the league’s parity. But a great core that has been bolstered by recent trade deadline additions make the Bruins the clear favorite entering spring.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bruins set NHL record by reaching 100 points in just 61 games
