Boston Bruins secure NHL record for single-season victories

The Boston Bruins have set a new NHL single-season record with 63 wins, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center.

Forward David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick to give him 60 goals on the season, second only to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (64).

The Bruins entered the game tied with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning. They ended the game as the first team in NHL history to post 63 victories in a single regular season.

Boston now has 131 points on the season, within reach of the all-time single-season record of 132 points held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins finish with a home game on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals and a road game on Thursday against — potentially quite poetically — the Canadiens.

«I think they grasp (the moment), because we're talking about the history of the NHL and how long this league has been here,» Boston coach Jim Montgomery on Saturday. «I think they grasp it like when (Wayne) Gretzky broke (Gordie) Howe's record. Our group is aware of what we're doing as a team.»

Boston has dominated the 2022-23 NHL season from start to finish. They have clinched the Presidents' Trophy with the league's best record, and with it home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the Bruins are the fourth team in the NHL's modern era to sit atop its division standings for the entire season, joining the 2008-09 Sharks, 1984-85 Oilers and 1977-78 Canadiens.

The Bruins set NHL records for the fastest team to 50 wins (64 games) and 100 points (61 games) as well.

Rather than coast into the postseason, Montgomery and his players have emphasized that breaking those regular-season records was a