Favorable scheduling quirk could pay dividends for Bruins in 2025-26

Boston Bruins fans are probably trying to forget the post-trade deadline version of the team from the 2024-25 season. However, if you kept track of the team, you remember the 10-game losing streak they struggled through towards the end of the season, which also had the California road trip wedged in the middle of it.

The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are improving, but California used to be a place where the Bruins would find some success on those lengthy roadtrips. The difference was glaring last season, as they lost by a combined score of 21-6 in those four West Coast games. It wasn't easy for the players to maintain their focus last season, and a trip like that didn't do anything to keep their minds on hockey.

The difference for this year's schedule is that most of those Western road trips are out of the way in the first half, before any team is out of the playoff picture, which could be a massive boost for the Bruins. It means that when other teams are going on lengthy road trips in the second half of the season, the Bruins are staying mostly close to home, which could help them if they find themselves in the middle of the playoff race.

Boston returns from a road trip to Western Canada on January 6 with almost half of the season remaining. The only times they return to the West Coast over the last 39 games are for a quick trip through Chicago and Dallas and a one-game journey to Nashville.

The Bruins might not have a whole lot of things going for them next season, but one of them is their schedule. While other teams are getting beaten up by long roadtrips, the Bruins have the chance to steal some wins in the East and not spend late nights on flights and in hotel rooms. It's an underlooked aspect of life in the NHL, but it is something worth looking at if the Bruins are on the cusp of a playoff spot with 30 games remaining.

Boston also doesn't have many long trips period over that span, as their longest is a four-gamer toward the end of the season which includes a couple of nights in Florida. If you asked them candidly, they'd likely prefer that in the middle of Winter over a trip to Western Canada.