Bruins coach Jim Montgomery: “I'm surprised!”

Rumors of the demise of the Boston Bruins have been greatly exaggerated. Despite having been predicted by most pundits and fans as this being the season that they take a considerable step backward in the standings, all Boston has done is prove them wrong in epic fashion. 

Not only are they the top team in the National Hockey League with a 32-4-4 record through 40 games played after their recent successful Western road swing, but they're also easily considered the frontrunners to be hoisting the Stanley Cup this spring. 

And a huge part of it has been 1st year Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery, who replaced Bruce Cassidy in what was originally seen as an extremely puzzling move. Montgomery, who was honored by the NHL by being named the head coach for the Atlantic Division in next month's NHL All-Star Game, admitted that he was surprised by how quickly it all came together for his team.

“I was surprised at how quickly we picked (the system) up the first 20 games,” Montgomery told reporters following practice Wednesday, per team-provided video. “The grind of the season, what I’m amazed is their consistency and how hard we’ve been to play against. I don’t think we’ve been that dynamic offensively in the last 15 games, to be honest, but I think how hard we are to play against in big moments has been consistent throughout the year and I think that’s a reflection of our record.”

The Bruins have not been healthy for most of the year, having been missing several top defensemen as well as forwards. Despite this, absolutely nothing appears to have been able to slow them down.

Boston returns home tonight to the friendly confines of TD Garden in downtown Boston, where they'll be taking on the upstart Seattle Kraken, who are challenging for a postseason spot in their second year of existence.