Bruins head home for the summer after missing playoffs for the first time since 2016

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins didn’t even bother teasing their fans with a spectacular regular season before heading home for the summer this time.

The Bruins finished with a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, wrapping up a lost season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and posted their first losing record since 2007.

“I’m sad it’s over, obviously. That’s pretty much the only answer I can give you right now,” forward David Pastrnak said. “It’s tough. Obviously want to keep playing. And I’ll leave it at that, I guess.”

The Bruins had topped 100 points in each of the six previous non-pandemic years, including a record-setting 135-point 2022-23 campaign that was the best regular season in NHL history. But since losing in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, they haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs; they have won only one series in the last four years.

That led to the firing of first Bruce Cassidy, and then Jim Montgomery, who was let go 20 games into this season and replaced with Joe Sacco. But the interim coach could only manage a 25-30-7 record the rest of the way — last in the Atlantic Division, and no better than tied for last in the whole Eastern Conference.

Sacco, who is not expected to return, was hobbled by a trade deadline surrender that purged captain Brad Marchand and a handful of other players from the roster. He said he hadn’t had a chance to look back on a season that changed dramatically just six weeks in.

“It’s been pretty busy since the change,” said the 56-year-old suburban Boston native, who played at Boston University before a 13-year NHL career.

“It’s special to be able to coach obviously in your hometown. That’s obviously an added bonus,” Sacco said. “I’ll think more about it as the days go on. But I’m proud of the guys. I know there’s been a lot of moving parts this year and they haven’t quit — right to the end.”

Pastrnak led the team with 43 goals and 63 assists, and his 106 points were nearly twice as many as his nearest teammate. With Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm injured, there wasn’t much help on defense.

And Jeremy Swayman struggled after signing an eight-year, $66 million contract and ending his holdout two days before the season opener.

“The major takeaway is just finding a way to win. And no matter how we do it, we have to compete every single day,” Swayman said. “We’re a proud program. And we owe it to ourselves — really to our fans — to be a lot better. And I’m excited for for the comeback.”

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