The Boston Bruins have been able to surprise their critics throughout the 2023-24 season. The retirement of future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron and game-changing center David Krejci was supposed to doom this team and drive them out of the playoffs.

Instead, the Bruins flirted with a second consecutive Presidents Trophy and they ultimately finished second in the Atlantic Division. Players like Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo have stepped up while captain Brad Marchand and superstar David Pastrnak led the team's offense. Goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark were not quite as good as they were a year ago, but they are still probably the best netminding duo in the NHL.

The Bruins were a record-setting team in 2022-23 and they were the odds-on favorite to win last year's Stanley Cup. However, they were brutally beaten in the first round by the Florida Panthers in seven games, losing the last three games of the series to end the season in heartbreak.

This year's team has been reminded of that painful finish on almost a daily basis.

Bruins facing Maple Leafs in first round

While the difference between the Bruins and Maple Leafs is not great in terms of the overall regular-season standings — just seven points — the Bruins went 4-0 against Toronto in the regular season. When the regular season was in its final days, it appeared the Bruins would win the Atlantic and play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. However, they dropped several late-season games, finished second and drew the Maple Leafs.

The Bruins appeared on their way to a fairly decisive series win, but they dropped Game 5 at home in overtime — much like they did to Florida a season earlier. They followed that with a 2-1 defeat in Toronto in Game 6. Some NHL observers and fatalistic Bruins fans are waiting for the same disaster to follow again this year.

The difference may be in the opponent. The Panthers were deep, nasty and hungry to dish out punishment last year. The Maple Leafs can be explosive offensively but don't have the same kind of depth or scowl to their game. They also did not have William Nylander early in the series and they did not have explosive Auston Matthews and his 69 goals in Games 5 and 6.

The Leafs have their own issues, having failed in six consecutive playoff series against the Bruins and they carry the burden of not having won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

Even if Bruins get by Leafs, they have other issues

The Bruins seem to back off whenever they have a chance to survive and advance. They have lost their last three playoff series and have not won a single round since defeating the Washington Capitals in 2021 in five games.

They were defeated by the Islanders in the second round that year by a 4-2 margin. A year later, they extended the Carolina Hurricanes to seven games, with each team winning its home games. The Hurricanes had the final game on their home ice and that proved to be the Bruins' undoing.

Head coach Jim Montgomery replaced Bruce Cassidy shortly after that loss and drove Boston to a brilliant 2022-23 regular season, but he could not prevent a seventh-game overtime loss to the Panthers. He is trying to do anything in his power to avoid that fate this time around.

If he is successful, the Bruins have another meeting at hand with the Panthers. Last year, Florida was a huge underdog and came through with the win. This time around, the Panthers would be likely favorites.

If the Bruins are to compete on even terms with Florida and ultimately prove victorious, they will need a huge series from Pastrnak. He has been quite ordinary in the first six games against Toronto. They would need him to step up his game in a big way.

They would also need their defense to improve against aggressive Matthew Tkachuk & Co. While McAvoy has been fairly good, the Bruins would need Hampus Lindholm to improve his play. He has struggled to move the puck at times, and opponents can take advantage of him.

Bruins bottom line

The rest of the Eastern Conference is a dangerous battlefield. In addition to getting by the Panthers in the second round — not taking anything for granted against Toronto — the Bruins would have to take on either the New York Rangers or Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both of those teams boast speed, dynamic playmaking and tough defense.

The Hurricanes might be an easier opponent because their goaltending can be shaky. A trip to the Stanley Cup Final could follow, but a series against the Western Conference winner would present its own set of problems. That would be a positive issue for Boston to contend with as they try to survive the first round as it slips away against the Maple Leafs.