2011–12 Boston Bruins season
The 2011–12 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 88th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins entered the 2011–12 season as the defending Stanley Cup champions. Off-season. Veteran forward Mark Recchi retired. Forward Michael Ryder went to the Dallas Stars via free agency, and defenseman Tomas Kaberle went to the Carolina Hurricanes. Forward Benoit Pouliot was signed. Regular season. The Bruins' opened the regular season with a home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they had swept in round two of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs just five months earlier. They recorded their  first regular season success against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 8, a 4–1 home victory against their 2011 Conference Final opponents. The Bruins closed out the month of October with a home-and-home series defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, en route to the worst start by a defending champion since the current playoff platform was adopted in 1994. The back-to-back losses at the hands of their hated rivals proved the catalyst to a resurgence that saw the team secure at least a point in every game through November, the first  time the franchise went undefeated in regulation for an entire calendar month since January 1969. During this run, defending Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas posted a 9–0–0 record and earned First Star honors for the month. With a win over the New York Islanders on March 31, the Bruins clinched an Eastern conference playoff berth. On April 1, the Bruins won the Northeast Division title by defeating the New York Rangers, 2–1. The Bruins allowed only one shorthanded goal all the season, the lowest total of all 30 teams. Playoffs. The Boston Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for  the fifth consecutive season. The Bruins lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals in a seven-game series 4–3. Transactions. The Bruins have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season, or the off-season between the previous season and this season. Draft picks. Boston's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.