Bruins lose top seed despite best regular-season record - ESPN

The Boston Bruins had the NHL's best record (44-14-12) when the regular season was cut short in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet when the 16-team Stanley Cup playoff tournament starts next week, the Bruins will not be the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

As part of the NHL's restarted season, a round-robin tournament was created to give the top four teams in each conference meaningful games before they face the winners from the eight-team qualification-round series.

Boston opened the East's round-robin tournament with losses to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, making it mathematically impossible for the Bruins to earn the first or second seed in the East.

Which team the Bruins will meet in the playoff quarterfinals is a mystery.

But after finishing with a .714 points percentage -- the best for the franchise since 1973-74 -- watching the top seed in the East slip away in just two games was an annoyance.