Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said overtime hero Matthew Tkachuk is "just a gamer" after his dramatic goal clinched a 4-3 road win over the Boston Bruins in Game 5.

The Panthers will take the series back to Florida for Game 6, with Tkachuk swooping on an error from Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark to show poise and score six minutes into OT.

Tkachuk has been a central point during the Stanley Cup first-round series, with Ullmark threatening to fight him in Game 4, but Maurice lavished him with praise after his Game 5 heroics.

"That guy is a - and then you put a long string of profanity - gamer," Maurice told reporters. "Is he not a gamer?

"There's 700 guys in the league, 640 of them jam that thing as fast as they can and lose it, and he pulls it across. He's just a gamer."

Tkachuk revelled in sending the series back to Florida, after scoring his first career playoff OT goal in his 32nd playoff game. It was also the Panthers' first OT win in their history when facing elimination (1-4).

"I think my favourite part about this is I guarantee everybody in this building thought the series was over today," he said. "Get it back on a flight down to Florida, that's the most exciting part."

The Bruins set several regular-season records, including most wins (65) and most points (135) in NHL history and were the raging favourites for the series against the Panthers, who were the East's second wild-card team.

"We were supposed to get swept this series, right? Everyone was saying," Tkachuk said. "I don't think anybody really gave us a chance after losing two games in a row at home. Coming here, it just seemed like the series was over before the game even started.

"Now they're coming down to Florida. We know there can't possibly be a Game 7 in their mind right now, and everybody here in Boston's minds. So it's up to us to see you guys back here in a few days."

It may have been different when Brad Marchand skated in alone on goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky late in regulation but was denied.

"I knew it wasn’t going in," Maurice said, before he admitted he was lying. "You can't know that it wasn't going in, so I'm full of [it] when I just said that to you.

"But I don’t feel like we’ve had a whole lot of advantage in this series, in the karma of the game. I just felt that we had stored enough karma that that shot wouldn't go in."

The result means the Bruins have lost consecutive home games for the first time this season.

"We tend to make big mistakes right now," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. "I don't know why, but the last two games at home we don't manage the ice or manage the puck, it's one of the two."

Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer feels his young goaltender Jake Oettinger is on a trajectory to join the game's best after Tuesday's 4-0 home shutout win against the Minnesota Wild.

The Stars used goals from Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson and Mason Marchment to take a 3-0 lead early in the second period of the crucial Game 5 clash, before Ty Dellanrea put in an empty-netter to complete the rout and give Dallas a 3-2 series lead.

Oettinger, 24, collected the first shutout of the playoffs after making 27 saves, following a regular season where his five shutouts tied him for the second-most in the league.

Speaking after the game, DeBoer said the poise of his third-year shot-stopper is remarkable to see.

"He sure doesn’t look like a 24-year-old goalie," he said. "He's doing some special things.

"Being at this stage in the career he's at, when you look at the real good goalies over their history, not many of them at his age are taking the load that he's taking and delivering like he's doing."

Wild coach Dean Evason added: "We've talked about [Oettinger] a lot – he was good again."

DeBoer went on to talk about how he feels the Stars' confidence is only growing the longer this series rolls on.

"I think we're getting better as the series goes on," he said. "We got behind early, we've chased it. We wanted to take the opportunity to get out in front for the first time in the series. 

"The last win is always the toughest, but we've got an elimination game in Minnesota. We've been a real good road team all year. I think our guys are excited."

Auston Matthews urged the Toronto Maple Leafs to finish the job at the earliest opportunity as they bid to clear the first hurdle in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2004.

A dazzling fightback on Monday saw Toronto surge from 4-1 behind against the Tampa Bay Lightning to win 5-4 in overtime and seize a 3-1 series lead.

The Eastern Conference first-round tussle is a repeat of last year's matchup, when Toronto led 3-2 but wound up losing 4-3.

Tampa Bay went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, denied glory by the Colorado Avalanche.

Toronto have endured a long wait to win a playoff series, so they will be doubly determined to get this particularly job done at the earliest opportunity having put themselves in such a strong position. Their first chance comes on home ice on Thursday.

After being dominated early on in Monday's game, Matthews got the comeback rolling by scoring twice in the third period to cut Toronto's deficit to 4-3 with 7:31 remaining.

It was Morgan Rielly who levelled up, and Alexander Kerfoot hit the game winner on a power play in overtime.

Matthews said: "I thought in the locker room and everything we stayed focused. Just chip away, chip away."

Asked about game-winner Kerfoot, who has an economics degree from Harvard, Matthews said: "I can't say enough good things about 'Kerf'. He's a guy everyone loves and gravitates to in the locker room and on the ice he's so versatile.

"We all love him in this room, and it was a big goal from him tonight to take hold of the series.

"But we all know in this room that the job's not close to finished. We've got to refocus, enjoy this one, but obviously the fourth one's the hardest one to win."

Reflecting on what it took to win a second consecutive game in OT at Amalie Arena, Matthews said: "This is a loud environment, especially when they get going. I thought halfway through the second we started to find our game a little bit.

"We know who we're up against, the group and what they've accomplished, especially in the last couple of years. We know they're going to be ready to come in Game 5."

Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said his teams were "on top of the puck more" as the game went on.

"We started the game fine, but when they scored, the building gets loud, they get feeling good, they took it to us pretty good the rest of the first," Keefe said.

"The message going into the third was to not go away, stay with it. You're not necessarily thinking you're going to come back in the game, you just want to stay there and give yourself a chance rather than going away and moving on to the next one."

He told his team to win that third period.

"Credit to the group, the spirit of the group, carrying us through to come back in this fashion," Keefe added. "It was outstanding to witness and be a part of."

Kerfoot was the hero of the hour, and the 28-year-old said: "It's what you dream about, scoring goals in overtime in the playoffs.

"There was a lot of belief in our room, even after the first two periods. We started to put the heat on them a little bit, our big guys came though getting us to overtime, and we got one on the power play in the end."

Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was thrilled by the performance of his goaltender Linus Ullmark after 41 saves in a 6-2 Game 4 victory on the road against the Florida Panthers.

But it was not just Ullmark's shot-stopping that captured the affection of his coach, but also the fact that he tried to fight Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.

The Bruins led 2-0 through a pair of power-play goals from Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk, until Tkachuk snatched one back for the Panthers with four minutes remaining in the second period.

Tyler Bertuzzi put Boston ahead 3-1 early in the third, and after Sam Bennett's power-play goal threatened to put the contest back up for grabs, DeBrusk collected his second goal and a late double from Taylor Hall blew out the final score.

The late Bruins' onslaught was in the midst of a series of scuffles, and Ullmark challenged Tkachuk to a fight after being unimpressed by him instigating those.

The referees prevented the clash, and Ullmark was given a penalty for trying to escalate, but his coach did not mind one bit.

"I love it," coach Montgomery said of his goalie. "He's all-in.

"[The Panthers] came up with a really good push, [but Ullmark] allowed us to weather the storm and start going back at them.

"He's been doing that for us all year. It's amazing how calm I am when I see scrambles in front of his net, because he's calm."

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo added: "Tkachuk's kind of doing a lot of things to try and get under our skin, but for the most part we're doing a great job of keeping it between the whistles, and I'm proud of our group for doing so – but at times, you've got to show a little passion and push back."

DeBrusk scored his two goals despite suffering a nasty gash earlier in the contest from a puck to the side of the head, but he said it only helped to wake him up.

"Dusty, one of our trainers, kind of freaked out a little bit because there was a lot of blood," he said. "I thought it was the ear, but it was a little bit higher than that – it kind of woke me up honestly."

The win gives the Bruins – who set the NHL record with 65 wins this regular season – a 3-1 lead in the series, with the series heading back to Boston for Game 5.

The Winnipeg Jets have been dealt a major blow with Josh Morrissey ruled out of the rest of their Stanley Cup first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights after Saturday's 5-4 double overtime loss.

Morrissey has had a career-best season, with 76 points in 78 games while averaging a team-high 24:14 per game, but collided knee on knee with Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud after four minutes in Saturday's game.

The Jets' All-Star defenseman favoured his right leg following the incident and exited down the tunnel and did not return.

Jets coach Rick Bowness confirmed the injury after the thrilling loss where Winnipeg had rallied back from 4-1 down, only to lose in OT, with VGK opening up a 2-1 series lead.

"It was very unfortunate to lose Morrissey, he's got a lower body [injury] and he's done for the series," he said.

"We've played all year long with a lot of injuries, every team does. You have the next man up. He's a top five D in this league right now. He plays important minutes. He drives the offense so he's a big hole.

"We played the rest of the game without him. We scored four. We're going to have the play the rest of the seirs without him because this series is far from over."

Adam Lowry had tied the game with 21.9 seconds left in regulation, capping the Jets' three-goal third period comeback, after goals from Nino Niederreiter and Mark Scheifele.

But Michael Amadio scored at 3:40 of the second overtime to earn the Golden Knights a crucial road win.

Bowness added: "That was a hell of a hockey game. The crowd was fantastic. The guys laid it all out on the line. They played their hearts out.

"We're down three going into the third and we kept fighting. There's no quitting in this group."

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy praised his experienced side for clinching victory after letting slip their three-goal lead.

"You shouldn’t give up a lead when you have a veteran group, you should find a way to get it to the finish line," he said.

"We're also a veteran group who can put it behind us. If you've followed our team all year, we've found different ways to win."

On Morrissey's injury, Cassidy added: "Obviously that’s a heavy minute, highly productive player that they'll miss. Their depth will have to come through for them.

"It's a tough break in the playoffs to lose a guy like that but it won't change how we're going to play."

The Colorado Avalanche came from two goals down to beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in Game 2 and crucially level their series, rediscovering their "swagger" along the way.

The defending Stanley Cup champions had been upset in the series opener and looked set to remarkably fall two games behind when the Kraken were 2-0 up at the end of the first period on Thursday.

Seattle were on course to become the first team in NHL history to win their first two playoff games while playing both on the road.

However, quickfire goals from Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin in the second period levelled the game, before Devon Toews came up with the winner for the Avs.

Colorado have only won one of their past nine playoff series after losing the first game, but they at least head to Seattle all square and with some confidence restored.

"We played tight [in the first period]," said coach Jared Bednar. "No one wanted the puck, no one wanted to skate with it in the pocket.

"That was a message [in the first intermission] – that we had to build our swagger back, shift-by-shift, that we have to get more assertive and more engaged competitively.

"I think [Seattle] held the competitive advantage for the first four periods of the series, and I felt like we had another level that we needed to get to that they were already at.

"In the second period, you could see we started to free ourselves up a little bit. Now, you get guys fighting through checks and being more assertive, more engaged.

"We really started to see what our team could do once we scored the first goal. Then we played, and it was still hard-fought for the next 40 minutes."

"Swagger" was the word defenseman Bowen Byram used, too.

"That's something that we're trying to build towards," he said. "We finally broke through there and got some confidence and started playing with some swagger.

"When we're playing like that, I don't know many teams that can beat us. We just had to go out there and prove it, and we did that.

"Now, it's just about putting our best foot forward on Saturday night [in Game 3]."

The Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost to the Avs last year in their third straight Stanley Cup Finals, were pegged back on Thursday as they lost 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets is also tied after a 5-2 home win for VGK.

However, the New York Rangers have control of their matchup against the New Jersey Devils after taking both games on the road, the latest a come-from-behind 5-1 win.

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said his side learned an important lesson after losing Game 2 of their Stanley Cup first-round series to the Florida Panthers 6-3.

The Panthers split the opening two games in Boston where the Bruins boasted a 34-4-3 record during the regular season, with the series now headed to Florida for Games 3 and 4.

Florida scored four third-period goals to blow the game open after it was locked at 2-2 heading into the final 20 minutes.

The Bruins came into the playoffs fresh from setting NHL records for most wins and points in regular season history.

The defeat marked the Bruins' first in their past 10 games and only their second loss at home this season by more than one goal.

"The number one lesson you learn is how hard it is to win in the playoffs," Montgomery told reporters.

"Florida did a good job. I thought they had a real good gameplan. We got to look at the tape, we've got to get better, we've got to execute better.

"For a team that's been really good in the third period for a long time, it's an opportunity for us to learn from that."

Montgomery labeled the turnovers his side gave away as "catastrophic", while he lamented their inability to regain their composure when they went 4-2 down in the third period.

"I didn’t think we re-grouped and reset," he said. "Most of the year we've been able to reset and go back to our go to our game.

"We didn’t go back to our game at 4-2. I thought we got back to our game in the first two periods."

The win means the Panthers have home-ice advantage ahead of Games 3 and 4 in Florida, although head coach Paul Maurice was not getting carried away.

"You can’t get too far behind anybody. Certainly not a team like the Boston Bruins, the season they’ve had," Maurice said.

"We’d be more than happy to play seven of them, grind it out. Play as long as we can for as hard as we can."

The Seattle Kraken are not settling for a first playoff win despite stunning the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

In their second season, the Kraken have made the postseason for the first time and began their campaign with a 3-1 Game 1 win on the road against the Avs.

That made Seattle the first team in the expansion era to beat the defending champions in their first playoff game, with the previous three debutants playing such matchups losing both Game 1 and the series.

This was especially impressive as Colorado had won the first game in each of their previous six playoff series, the longest Game 1 winning streak in the NHL.

Now, the Kraken are in a great position to advance as the 10th expansion team to win their first playoff game. Eight of the previous nine won the series.

Alex Wennberg, who had a goal and an assist, knows there is a long way to go, though, even if Seattle enjoyed shutting up their critics.

"Obviously, we played a good game, getting the first franchise win in the playoffs," Wennberg said. "But right now this is Game 1.

"Obviously, we are happy about this performance, but we've got to do it again and do it again.

"[The critics] can do whatever you want. Obviously it comes down to the belief in the group right here.

"Everyone is going to have an opinion about the way we play now, but the focus is always going to be on us. We have a belief in this group."

Previous games between the Kraken and the Avs had hinted at Tuesday's upset, with Seattle winning on both of their trips to Denver this season but losing their sole home game against Colorado.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar added: "Our whole team just wasn't quite good enough. I thought we did some good things. They obviously did more good things."

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper made it clear this is not his side's first rodeo after an overpowering 7-3 road win against the Toronto Maple Leafs to open their first-round series on Tuesday.

The Lightning are coming off three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances – including championships in 2020 and 2021 – and are trying to become the first team to reach four in a row since the New York Islanders' five from the 1979-80 season through 1983-84.

Against the Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay opening the scoring 78 seconds into the action through Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, before Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov added first-period goals to reach the intermission at 3-0.

Toronto clawed it back to 3-2 thanks to goals from Ryan O'Really and William Nylander, but that would be as close as they would get as the Lightning struck quickly with three goals of their own before the end of the second period to put the game away.

Brayden Point scored twice, Kucherov and Corey Perry collected a goal and two assists each, while Cirelli and Ross Colton also both scored and assisted in a stat-stuffing night for the Lightning.

Cooper said he knew his squad would be energised by the playoff atmosphere, even in a road environment.

"We've been there before," he said. "We've been down this road. 

"To be honest, you embrace these moments, and the atmosphere at the beginning of the game, the anthems and the crowd going nuts, it's a wonderful experience. It's not something you should shy away from, and we talked to the guys about that.

"I will never question the guys in that [locker] room, and as the coach, you always want the best, but deep down inside you know there’s a whole bunch of gamers in that room… we knew they would come out to play."

Goal scorer Colton said he was hoping the Lightning would be able to "flick the switch" now that the important games have arrived.

"I think we were excited for it," he said. "I think for a while there we weren't playing the way that we wanted to play. 

"We kept saying that we were going to flick the switch, and at some point we had to stop talking about it and start doing it. 

"So the playoffs, against the Leafs, in this building – it was obviously electric."

Perry agreed, adding: "We had a tough March, a tough end of the season, but it's about the playoffs, and that's what we were doing. We're trying to get our game into shape to come in here and play."

Game 2 will remain in Toronto, before the series heads to Tampa Bay for Games 3 and 4.

The Boston Bruins continued their historic season with a 3-1 Game 1 victory in the first-round series against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday.

Boston put together the greatest regular season record in NHL history at 65-12-5, beating the previous record held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62-13-7) by three wins.

Kicking off their Eastern Conference playoff campaign, the Bruins jumped ahead in the first period through a David Pastrnak goal, before Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk added one each in the second period either side of Matthew Tkachuk's lone Panthers score.

While the Bruins came out with the win, they finished on the wrong end of the total shot count 32-29, also trailing slightly in hits (44-43).

Head coach Jim Montgomery said the score was not indicative of the general play, but at this time of year they will take whatever they can get.

"Results matter more than the process right now," he said. "When we look at our five-on-five game, we were not very happy with our process. 

"So we can get better there, but the result was really good, and I think the result comes from we had some players play really well, especially our goaltender. 

"The intensity of the playoffs, it surprised us a little bit, and I think we had a little bit of nerves."

Marchand is no stranger to playoff hockey, winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins back in 2011, and he made it clear Boston are not happy with just the regular-season record.

"I don't think we've ever been satisfied with any game we've had this year," he said. "It's always good to start the first game with a win, but we haven't accomplished anything yet."

Tkachuk credited the Bruins with the way they improved the longer the game went on.

"There were parts of our game that were good, and I feel like [the Bruins] got a little bit better as it got on," he said. "Especially when you have a two-goal lead, it's easier to play. 

"You're playing safer, and they packed it in pretty good on us, but I'm confident in our team, in our game, and seeing a lot of things that I think we could hang with these guys."

Game 2 will also take place in Boston on Wednesday before the series heads to Florida.

The Pittsburgh Penguins saw their 16-season run of appearances in the playoffs end as the New York Islanders put a halt to the longest such streak in the NHL.

Losing 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday took the Penguins' fate out of their own hands, and the Islanders squeezed in as the last team to book a playoffs spot when they beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 a day later.

Coach Mike Sullivan's Penguins team have a 40-31-10 record for the season, and they will round off their campaign against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

Beau Bennett spent four years on the Pittsburgh team and was a Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins in 2016, the second of three NHL championships the team won during their remarkable 16-year run.

With the team's fate sealed, Bennett wrote on Twitter: "I mean people will probably be negative but think about how sick that run was. Most orgs will be lucky to have that success in 50 years."

Superstar center Sidney Crosby continues to hit the heights, managing 33 goals and 58 assists in 81 games, while Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have maintained their own high standards. Pittsburgh's 'Big Three' have famously featured throughout the 16-year run.

It was put to Bennett that the Penguins could have gone on achieving, given their top players continued to perform.

He replied: "True but 16 years of consistency, having 3 of the best players the whole time, interchanging everyone else including coaches and management. Sometimes we take greatness for granted."

Bennett said there had been "definitely some suspect moves", with general manager Ron Hextall's rush of trades before the deadline having come in for scrutiny.

Bringing in the likes of Nick Bonino, Dmitry Kulikov and Mikael Granlund, while moving others out of the franchise, has not had the desired effect.

After those trades, Hextall said: "I think that we made our team better. I think there are a lot of teams capable of winning the Stanley Cup, and we're one."

Not this season.

As Bennett sees it, Pittsburgh's elimination now spares them hurt later along the line.

"Let's be real here," he added, "how far are they getting if they get in? All good things come to an end."

The Boston Bruins have "much bigger goals" in the Stanley Cup playoffs than a record-breaking NHL regular season.

Boston set a new high for single-season wins with their 63rd against the Philadelphia Flyers over the weekend, and they made yet more history with win 64 on Tuesday.

A 5-2 defeat of the Washington Capitals took the Bruins to 133 points for the season, clear of the Montreal Canadiens' 1976-77 benchmark of 132.

But postseason success is the primary goal for the Bruins. Since winning their sixth Stanley Cup in 2011, this is their third Presidents' Trophy.

That Canadiens team, widely considered the greatest of all time, followed up their regular season by winning the title.

Winger Brad Marchand said: "We have a very special group. It's incredible how we've come together this year.

"We've done a phenomenal job all year of staying in the moment.

"We're proud of the group, but this is a regular-season record. That's not what we're playing for. We have our sights set on much bigger goals.

"I think it [the record] is something we'll look at down the road when we're daydreaming about what we got to do and what we've accomplished."

Boston coach Jim Montgomery was a little more open to discussing the team's latest achievement, recalling the quality of the 1977 Canadiens.

"I think of all the Hall of Famers on those teams and then Scotty Bowman behind the bench and going to the old Montreal Forum," he said.

"Think about how great those teams were and how we've surpassed that total. It's significant because those were dominant, dominant hockey teams."

The Boston Bruins saw no better preparation for the Stanley Cup playoffs than chasing NHL regular-season records under pressure.

That was the message from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery after Boston set a single-season NHL record with their 63rd win following a 5-3 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Bruins moved past the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning (both 62 wins) and have two games to lay down another benchmark.

Boston are just one point behind the all-time single-season record of 132 held by the Montreal Canadiens (in 1976-77), who they visit on Thursday after hosting the Washington Capitals two days prior.

Montgomery had previously said his group are "aware" and "grasp" their record-breaking exploits, and acknowledged his team are using the regular season to prepare for the playoffs, which start on April 17.

"Being able to stay focused and learn how to win when chasing records is the closest thing you can do when you're having a season like us to prepare for the playoffs," Montgomery said.

David Pastrnak scored a hat-trick against the Flyers to take his tally for the season to 60, only Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has more with 64.

Bruins forward Pastrnak echoed Montgomery's sentiment as Boston aim to etch their name further in history.

"It's been a lot of fun, I'm not going to lie," Pastrnak said of the season. "It's been enjoyable, especially the group we have here.

"We obviously knew the stakes, and it's definitely special to hit it in a game like this. Made history today in the biggest league in hockey."

The Bruins set NHL records for the fastest team to 50 wins (64 games) and 100 points (61 games), while they have already secured home advantage in the playoffs after clinching the Presidents' Trophy.

Their latest record may come with some slight contention, given the Red Wings' 62 wins came without shoot-outs replacing tied games, whereas Boston have won four games via that deciding method this term.

Nevertheless, Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman says the 62-win mark stood for so long for a reason and revelled in breaking it.

"It's hard to win in this league and there's a reason why this record is at 62 because not many teams can get there, so it's a special honour," Swayman said.

"These guys in this room are more than deserving."

Montgomery added: "Anytime you're talking about putting your team's name in the history books of the most wins ever in a regular season, it's special."

The Seattle Kraken revelled in their "leap" into the Stanley Cup playoffs after clinching a wild card berth on Thursday.

Seattle are in just their second season in the NHL, having fallen 37 points short of the postseason with the second-worst record in the Western Conference in their expansion year.

However, the Kraken's 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes – the only team to finish below them in 2021-22 – made sure they will not miss out this time.

In the existing format, only the Vegas Golden Knights have made the playoffs quicker, doing so in their first year in the league and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

That was one of two Finals runs in the Golden Knights' first three seasons, but they had only 43 wins in their second season – a mark the Kraken passed on Thursday.

Indeed, Seattle's 44 wins are the most by any second-year team in NHL history, further evidence of their rapid progress.

"You look at the leap that we've made and it's special," said winger Jordan Eberle. "We've got a special group in here."

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol added: "The group in here earned it. They earned it from day one and all the way through tonight, finishing off the two points tonight that solidifies it for us.

"That speaks to everybody about the character and the work ethic in the dressing room."

The Boston Bruins clinched the Presidents' Trophy on Thursday but quickly turned their focus towards the postseason, with coach Jim Montgomery "looking forward to that grind".

The Bruins have been the NHL's outstanding team this season and moved to 121 points – out of the reach of any rival – with a 2-1 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Their 58th win of the campaign set a new team record, but Montgomery is keen to ensure this is not the extent of their achievements.

After a victory that he acknowledged was "not the standard we've seen all year", he said: "We're not at our game, and there's fatigue that comes in. It's not easy, but we're finding ways to win.

"It's been a magical season so far, and we know the hardest part is ahead of us, and we're looking forward to that grind."

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was slightly more interested in revelling in their Presidents' Trophy success, the fourth in team history.

"Of course you're proud," he said. "A lot of games and a lot of hard work.

"I'm proud of the way we've done it, sticking to our process and growing as a team."

The Bruins have seven games left in the regular season and need five more wins to set a new NHL record for wins in a single season.