Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Recent history not on Bruins' side in hunt for Stanley Cup

By Josh Kestenbaum | Last updated 3/8/23

The Boston Bruins are the clear favorite to earn the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best record, but that doesn't guarantee they will take home the Stanley Cup.

No team that has earned the Presidents’ Trophy has won the Stanley Cup since the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks. Only one Presidents’ Trophy winner – the 2014-15 New York Rangers – has made it out of the second round since 2013.

In 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning -- who tied the NHL record with 62 wins -- were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

HISTORY!

The Blue Jackets sweep the Lightning after Tampa Bay had a historic 62-win regular season! pic.twitter.com/EvupjuOvXi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 17, 2019

With 20 games remaining, the Bruins need 14 wins to pass that Lightning team and the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the NHL record for wins in a season. Detroit lost in the conference finals that season.

With 12 of their remaining 20 regular-season games coming against non-playoff teams, Boston is in prime position to set the wins record.

In North American major sports history, teams that set records for wins in the regular season failed to win a championship.

The 2007 New England Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season but lost to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots led the NFL scoring 37 points per game with 411 yards per game.

In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants held them to 14 points and 274 yards of offense. https://t.co/PhC8j9rITq pic.twitter.com/RF8d3pLrc7
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 21, 2020

The wins record in MLB belongs to the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners, each of whom won 116 games. The Cubs lost in the World Series to the Chicago White Sox and the Mariners lost in the American League Championship Series to the Yankees in five games.

In 2016, the Golden State Warriors set the NBA regular-season mark for wins with 73. But that team squandered a 3-1 series lead and lost the NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Bruins may be on a historic roll, but nothing is guaranteed in sports. Time will tell if they can secure the wins record and go on to shake the trend and take home the Stanley Cup.

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