When the Tampa Bay Lightning had what was at the time arguably the best regular season in NHL history, they lost in the first round. 

Then the Lightning won two back-to-back Stanley Cups despite racking up significantly fewer regular-season point totals, then went to another Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche. 

The Boston Bruins, fresh off obliterating Tampa's cap-era record and brushing by even the mighty Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s, are looking more likely to regress than the Lightning of a few years ago were. This is not a surprise to anyone. Everyone understands that 135 points is not within reach. The question, then, is what to make of these weirdly new-look Bruins, and whether their now-retired captain is right that they will be among the best teams in the league agai