Boston had one of the NHL's stingiest defenses last season, but the Bruins struggled to score goals of their own, making for many tight games.

Advantage Margin: -7
This number is a huge drop from 2008-09, when Boston had 59 more power plays that its opponents. The Bruins had one of the best road records in the NHL last season despite getting fewer power-play chances away from home (110) than any other team.

Special Teams Goal Margin: +9
The B's power play generated only 44 goals, next-to-last in the NHL, but the penalty-killers allowed a League-low 37 goals and scored six times while shorthanded.

Goals by defensemen: 32
The Bruins' blueliners generated just 32 goals last season, down from 50 in '08-09. Much of that falls at the big skates of Zdeno Chara, who went from 19 to 7. Dennis Wideman, now a Florida Panther, fell from 13 to 6.

Overtime Record
Total: 14-4-9 • OT: 4-4 • SO: 10-9
Almost exactly one-third of Boston's games (27) went past regulation, the most in the NHL. The Bruins were much better in shootouts on the road (7-3) than at home (3-6).
     
Times Scored First: 40 • Record: 28-8-4    
The Bruins scored first more often at home (22 times) than on the road (18), but were much better at turning early leads into points away from home -- they were 15-1-2 when scoring first away from TD Garden and just 13-7-2 in Boston.     

Best 09-10 Number: 60
Third-period goals allowed by the Bruins, the fewest of any team except New Jersey. Unfortunately for Boston goaltenders, the B's scored just 59 of their own in the final 20 minutes.

Worst 09-10 Number: 27
One-goal losses by the Bruins, against 19 victories. Boston went 14-13 in games that went past regulation, meaning that they were just 5-14 in one-goal games decided in the regulation 60 minutes.
     
Scheduling
The Bruins open their season in Europe, playing two games against Phoenix in Prague. They have no homestand longer than four games, and their worst trip is a six-gamer in late February and early March that includes a three-game swing through Western Canada.