Boston Bruins fans, wait no longer. The time has come for the black and gold to officially commence its defense of the Stanley Cup championship, with Thursday night's game one against the Washington Capitals in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Bruins actually fell in three of four regular-seasons match ups with the talented team from the nation's capital, but that all is in the past, and Boston is hopeful to re-channel the cohesion and gritty play that guided them to their first Stanley Cup victory in 39 years in 2011.
Slowing down Washington always starts with containing star winger Alexander Ovechkin, and it's likely that Bruins head coach Claude Julien will shadow his line with his top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.
As we saw on Wednesday in the opening night of NHL playoffs action, anything is possible, and look for the Bruins and Capitals to engage in a series of memorable outings.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV Coverage: NBC Sports Network
Radio Coverage: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
For everything Bruins related, check out Stanley Cup Of Chowder. For more news, analysis, and discussion on Capitals hockey, head to Japers' Rink. You can also head over to the SB Nation NHL hub page for more on hockey news as the playoffs begin.