The Boston Bruins' shocking playoff demise against Montreal, highlighted by Kyle McLaren's controversial hit on Richard Zednik, overshadowed the team's first 100-point regular season since 1992-93. Just one season after posting a minus-22 goal differential and missing the playoffs under Mike Keenan, the Bruins totaled 101 points and a plus-35 goal differential under new coach Robbie Ftorek.

	2001-02 by the numbers
	Record: 43-24-6-9, 101 points (2nd overall, 1st East, 1st Northeast) Goals for: 236/2.88 (7th overall) Goals against: 201/2.45 (11th overall) Differential: 35 (T8th overall) 20-goal scorers: Bill Guerin (41), Glen Murray (35), Brian Rolston (31), Sergei Samsonov (29), Joe Thornton (22) 50-point scorers: Samsonov (70), Thornton (68), Guerin (66), Rolston (62), Murray (60), Jozef Stumpel (54)

Unlike some coaches in recent memory, Ftorek couldn't complain about a lack of resources. Management broke with tradition by paying top dollar for mid-level free agents Martin Lapointe, Sean O'Donnell and Rob Zamuner. And while Jason Allison's contract demands were deemed unreasonable, general manager Mike O'Connell acted quickly in trading the holdout center and Mikko Eloranta to Los Angeles for Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel. The new-look Bruins came together quickly under Ftorek, beating out Toronto and Philadelphia for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, success proved fleeting in the playoffs. Facing a Montreal team inspired by Saku Koivu's return, the Bruins surrendered 14 goals in the first three games, losing twice, on their way to an early exit.

Looking at next season
Is Steve Shields the team's key to success? Buffalo, San Jose and Anaheim didn't think so, but Boston's hopes may rest with the former University of Michigan standout. Barring a reconciliation between management and free agent Byron Dafoe, Shields will open the season in net. The Sharks and Mighty Ducks surrendered Shields only after finding top-notch alternatives in Evgeni Nabokov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, respectively, but the fact remains that after a successful stint behind Dominik Hasek in Buffalo, Shields has twice lost starting opportunities. Dafoe's .907 save percentage ranked 14th among goalies with at least 45 appearances, and he crumbled in the playoffs, but he does have 162 career victories -- 98 more than Shields.

How are things shaping up in front of the net? There are worse defensive units than McLaren, Hal Gill, Nick Boynton, Sean O'Donnell, Don Sweeney and Sean Brown, but it's a group short on star power. No defenseman scored more than four goals for the Bruins, and only O'Donnell (25) and Gill (22) broke the 20-point barrier. That's not good enough for a team that was merely average in its own end, ranking 11th in the league in goals allowed. Free agency may still bring aboard a player like Bret Hedican or Jiri Slegr, but the Bruins appear largely content to wait for improvement out of youngsters Gill, McLaren, Boynton and Jonathan Girard.

The picture is only marginally brighter on offense, where the Bruins will have difficulty matching last season's 236 goals. Losing Bill Guerin to Dallas hurts, especially now that potential replacements Teemu Selanne and Tony Amonte are off the market. Without the big winger whipping slap shots from the right side -- he scored 69 goals in 172 games with the team the last two seasons -- the Bruins have just two proven weapons and a bunch of question marks. Injuries limited Joe Thornton to 66 games last season, but he's already established himself as a point-per-game center at the age of 22. As he learns to avoid taking foolish penalties, without losing his aggressiveness, he should inch closer to 100-point territory. As the lone remaining member of the "GAS" line, Sergei Samsonov is developing nice play-making skills (87 assists the last two seasons) to go with his finishing touch.

Thornton and Samsonov are known quantities, but Murray and Brian Rolston are equally vital to the offensive equation. Both players turned in career years in 2001-02, but neither is a lock to repeat that production. After starting slowly following his November arrival in Boston, Murray exploded down the stretch, scoring 30 goals in his final 48 games. Working against him is a resume that includes just two other 20-goal seasons, and no 30-goal seasons. Rolston was another pleasant surprise, setting a career high with 31 goals, including a franchise-record nine short-handed goals. He needs to remain a finisher, despite just one prior 20-goal effort in eight NHL seasons.

Even if Murray and Rolston match last season's production, Ftorek needs more out of Stumpel, Lapointe, Zamuner and Marty McInnis. Lapointe may have already had his career year prior to earning last summer's big contract, but finding a few of the 10 goals he lost between Detroit and Boston would go a long way toward replacing Guerin. Unless the Bruins add one of the remaining free agent forwards (Andrew Cassels remains a possible target), Thornton, Samsonov, Murray, Rolston and Stumpel will be asked to provide a disproportionately large percentage of the points. While there were rumors of a brief flirtation with Tie Domi, who will return to the Leafs, it appears fan-favorite P.J. Stock will be back for another year as the team's unofficial agitator, a role he fills admirably.

The Bruins thought they had a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup last season, as evidenced by their unwillingness to deal Guerin before the deadline. The Eastern Conference remains wide open, but will Boston be in the mix? As important as Guerin and Dafoe were to last year's success, Ftorek returns the bulk of a team that won 43 games. If Shields seizes this starting opportunity, McLaren and Boynton make significant progress and a couple of forwards up their production, the Bruins may earn their chance at postseason redemption.