Boston Bruins: The 10 Biggest Stories from Their 2011-12 Season

Will the Boston Bruins have their seasoned, hardware-laden goaltender back for the final year of his contract in 2012-13? Will they have one of their power forwards back to normalcy come training camp? Will their highest draft pick in recent memory continue to put up increasingly radiant numbers in his third NHL season?

How did these questions, among others, come about in the first place?

In the wake of a first-round playoff exit that terminated their Stanley Cup title defense, the Bruins leave a 49-29-4 campaign that featured quintessential nadirs and hot streaks. Several key personnel raised their own bars while others raised doubts about their future with their team, if not in the game altogether.

In chronological order, each key story is encapsulated as follows to form the recipe for the 2011-12 season.

Hangover Gives Way To Hot Streak

The most dreaded potentiality in the wake of a long-anticipated banner-raising ceremony came to fruition when the Bruins finished October at 3-7-0, the final two games being a pair of losses in a home-and-home series with Montreal.

But over the ensuing seven weeks, Boston did not waste a nanosecond restoring its contender persona, moving from the cellar of the Eastern Conference to a virtual tie for first place with a 6-0 victory in Philadelphia on Dec. 17.

Two nights later, a home victory over the Habs nudged them into first. And they would fall no lower than second for the remainder of the season, with the exception of one 48-hour period in mid-March, when Ottawa briefly had the upper hand in the Northeast Division race.

Near-Perfect November

It was like 2008 all over again when the Bruins rabidly kicked ice chips over their unsavory October with a 12-0-1 run through November, evoking memories of the 11-1-1 record they posted within the same month three years prior.

Horton Suffers Setback

In the wee phases of the season, Nathan Horton confessed that he may have still had lingering effects from his concussive hit via Vancouver’s Aaron Rome the previous June. But those were only bad enough to hamper his performance, not enough to require time on the sidelines.

Ultimately, his performance picked up to the point where he was on an 82-game pace to log 30 goals (which would have been the team lead) and 27 assists.

That was until a Jan. 22 tilt in Philadelphia, when Flyer forward Tom Sestito re-concussed Horton with a high, late hit. The Bruins’ top-six winger and clutch scorer has not seen action since.

Thomas Taking Off?

Reigning Conn Smythe Trophy recipient Tim Thomas was the lone member of the 2011 Stanley Cup champions missing from the traditional White House visit, which was held on Jan. 23, one day before a road bout with the Capitals.

Thomas’ candid explanation for his absence drew mass controversy and invited undying speculation that his days in Boston are numbered.

There are two other goalies in their 20s waiting in the wings. There are doubts that the 38-year-old Thomas can return to 2011 form, and the evidence suggests that. And after the season-ending loss, the aging stopper may have dropped hints of resentment for his long-time employer.

Revised Record

Zdeno Chara won his fifth consecutive hardest shot competition at the NHL All-Star SuperSkills in Ottawa. In addition, with his 108.8 MPH blast, he broke the event’s all-time record for the third time in as many opportunities.

The following day, the team captained by Chara squeaked past Daniel Alfredsson’s squad, 12-9. Tending the net for Team Chara in the third period, Thomas won his fourth straight All-Star decision, while head coach Claude Julien won his second Midseason Classic behind the bench.

Rolston Back in Black (And Gold)

Despite nonstop rumors and public pressure, general manager Peter Chiarelli refrained from any external transactions throughout the season until the final hours leading up to the Feb. 27 trading deadline.

Seeking to replenish some of the up-front veteran presence lost by Mark Recchi’s retirement, Chiarelli made a multi-player swap with the New York Islanders to give the 39-year-old Brian Rolston a second term in Boston. With him came former Boston College defenseman and 2000 Hobey Baker Award winner Mike Mottau.

The other deadline deal had defensive prospect Steve Kampfer exported to Minnesota in exchange for Greg Zanon.

After two uneventful weeks in Bruins attire, Rolston perked up for three goals and 11 assists over the final 12 games of the regular season.

Seguin’s Scoring Swells

His game log still reeks of inconsistency, but Tyler Seguin’s final sophomore transcript spoke to a surge rather than a slide.

Playing in seven more regular-season games than he did as a rookie, Seguin tripled his point total from 22 to 67 and topped the scoring chart of the second-most prolific team in the NHL.

Curiously, Seguin’s efforts were rewarded in the form of the Bruins’ Seventh Player Award when, frankly, this was precisely what should have been expected of him.

And although he stalled for the better part of a prematurely-finished postseason, Seguin made another developmental stride with a highlight-reel overtime goal in Game 6 and a gritty equalizer in Game 7. The second overall draft choice from 2010 will have plenty to build upon in 2012-13, as the Bruins hope to make him that long-missing elite scorer.

Rask’s Run Ends Early

The course of Tuukka Rask’s development will heavily sway the front office’s effort to keep Thomas for at least another year. But the younger half of the goaltending tandem must first complete his recovery from a March 3 injury.

The lower-body ailment, sustained in a game against the Islanders, kept Rask out of commission for the balance of the regular season, although he did suit up for the final two games of the playoffs.

Too Much Spring Slumber for the Strike Force

For Boston’s oft-reliable top six, something was lost in translation between the 2011-12 regular season and the 2012 postseason. Ironically, their scoring leader in the relatively brief playoff run was Rich Peverley, who was only elevated on the depth chart due to Horton’s season-ending injury.

Peverley tallied three goals and two assists over seven games against Washington. The rest of the Boston forwards collected no more than three points apiece.

As a consequence, unripe Washington goaltender Braden Holtby was permitted to engage Thomas in a seven-round arm-wrestling match, which the former would win by way of a 2-1 overtime decision in Game 7.

Two Still in the Hardware Hunt

Patrice Bergeron, the longest-tenured and most reliable two-way performer on Boston’s roster, has been named one of the three finalists for the Selke Trophy.

In his fourth full season since a concussion confined him to 10 games-played in 2007-08, Bergeron had his most fulfilling campaign in the Claude Julien era, with 64 points in 81 games, coupled with an NHL-best plus-36 rating.

Meanwhile, Chara has a chance to win his second Norris Trophy in four seasons after matching a two-time career-high plus-33 rating.