The Bruins have not lost in regulation indoors at TD Garden this season. They're 18-0-3 there after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, tying the team record for a season-opening home point streak they set in 1973-74, when they were 19-0 with two ties at Boston Garden.
Now they will head outdoors to the iconic home of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
"I think we'll put this away pretty quick and start focusing on the great event that's coming," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "The Winter Classic is like the Super Bowl of hockey in the regular season, and it's a great time, it's a great event, it's a special event, and it's going to be at Fenway. So, I think our minds are going to go there pretty quick, and we'll] get excited about [the] Winter Classic."
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The Bruins were disappointed after failing to score on a 5-on-3 and blowing a 3-2 lead late in the third period Saturday.
But they won 37 regular-season home games in 2022, setting an NHL record for a calendar year. At 28-4-4 overall this season, they're first in the NHL with 60 points, four ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. They're on a 10-game point streak (7-0-3) and haven't lost back-to-back games in any fashion this season.
"We're not going to dwell on the loss]," Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. "We got a point, and we've got a great opportunity ahead of us. We're going to have a lot of fun. It's an exciting time. Everyone has a ton of family here. We're all looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and skating and getting [the loss] out of the way. So, yeah, disappointing tonight, but lots to look forward to."
Boston and Pittsburgh each is scheduled to practice and hold a family skate at Fenway on Sunday.
"It's great memories for everybody," Montgomery said. "The only thing I know is, you remember it a lot better when you win, so the focus has to be on our details and our habits and our process that allows us to have success. But leading up, the family skate and tomorrow's practice, [everyone should] really just take it in. It's a special time. It's a special moment."
[Video: Take a look at the last Winter Classic at Fenway
The Bruins defeated the Penguins 6-5 on Nov. 1 in Pittsburgh in their only previous meeting this season. Montgomery doesn't expect the Winter Classic to be that wide open. Pittsburgh has lost four straight (0-2-2).
"It's going to be fast," Montgomery said. "Both teams play fast with and without the puck. But that game, we fell behind 5-2. We really started unloading and almost cheating offensively with how we were holding the offensive zone, which led to opportunities, but that can backfire on you too. I don't think we're going to start the game off like that."
This will be the fifth, and perhaps final, outdoor game for Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. The 37-year-old has played for Boston since 2003-04 and was part of the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway, a 2-1 overtime win for the Bruins against the Philadelphia Flyers.
"It means a lot," Bergeron said. "First one was at Fenway. To do it twice is pretty special. To do it in Boston means a lot. It's a city that means a lot to me, and it's a fun event, so looking forward to it."
