By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
The Boston Bruins entered the 1971-72 season looking to make another run at the Stanley Cup after their biggest rival, the Montreal Canadiens, eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs the previous year. Coming off their 1970 Stanley Cup win, Boston still had much of the team that had brought home the championship two seasons earlier.
The Bruins finished the regular season with a 54-13-11 record and 119 points, leading the East Division. Phil Esposito led the league in scoring with 133 points, while Bobby Orr followed with 117. Boston also got strong contributions from Johnny Bucyk, Fred Stanfield, Ken Hodge, Wayne Cashman, and Derek Sanderson. The team scored 330 goals, the most in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Boston opened the postseason against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals. After winning the first game 5-0, the Bruins dropped Game 2 in overtime but responded with three straight victories to take the series in five games. Their next opponent, the St. Louis Blues, had a much tougher road to the semifinals. St. Louis needed all seven games to get past the Minnesota North Stars, securing its place in the next round with a 2-1 overtime win on April 16. Two days later, the Blues would open their semifinal series against Boston at Boston Garden.
The semifinal series opened on April 18, 1972, at Boston Garden. St. Louis scored first when Garry Unger put the Blues ahead with a power-play goal just 3:18 into the first period. The Bruins answered a little over a minute later when Fred Stanfield tied the game. Mike Walton and Johnny Bucyk also scored before the end of the first period, giving Boston a 3-1 lead. Stanfield added two more goals in the second period to complete his hat trick, while Phil Esposito scored on the power play in the third. Boston took the opening game 6-1.
The Bruins came crashing into Game 2 on April 20, once again at Boston Garden. This time, Boston scored 10 goals in a 10-2 win over St. Louis, tying the franchise record for most goals scored in a playoff game. The Bruins had previously reached that mark with a 10-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1969. The series moved to St. Louis for Game 3 on April 23, but the venue change did little to slow the Bruins. Boston won 7-2 to take a 3-0 series lead. Two days later, the Bruins finished the sweep with a 5-3 victory in Game 4 on April 25.
Boston finished the series with 28 goals against St. Louis, while allowing just eight. Johnny Bucyk led all players in scoring with 12 points, recording six goals and six assists over the four games. The 28 goals set an NHL record for the most scored by one team in a four-game playoff series, surpassing the previous mark of 26 set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1946. The Edmonton Oilers came closest to matching Boston’s total, scoring 25 goals against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1983 playoffs. The two teams also combined for 36 goals during the series, tying the NHL record for most goals in a four-game playoff series. More than 50 years later, Boston’s 28 goals remain the benchmark.
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