BOSTON -- If you happened to glance at the NHL standings heading into play Wednesday night, you know the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, who face each other Thursday night at TD Garden, could meet down the road in a playoff series.
The last time the league's two black and gold teams met in the playoffs was in 2013, when the Bruins swept four straight from the Pens to advance to the Stanley Cup final.
It was NOT a series that saw two teams exchanging pleasantries, with the nastiness even including a fight between non-fighters Evgeni Malkin and Patrice Bergeron.