The Penguins and Bruins both hit the ice at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day ahead of their first outdoor face-off.
2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic will pit the Bruins against the Penguins at Fenway Park
The Bruins (28-4-4, 60 points), who have yet to suffer a regulation loss in TD Garden this season, will try to match the NHL’s winning record in outdoor games when they host the Penguins (19-11-6, 44 points) in the 2023 Winter Classic.
Boston will become the first team to play in a Winter Classic as it sits first in the league standings and the second-highest-ranked club to play in an outdoor NHL game, after Anaheim (38-10-5, 81 points) in the 2014 Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium. Note that the Penguins (25-11-3, 53 points) entered the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field tied for the most points in league standings, but the Red Wings (24-9-5, 53 points) held first place by virtue of games in hand.
- As a local team at Fenway Park, Boston will have a chance to improve on its 18-0-3 record as hosts this season. It was the longest home start-of-season point streak in franchise history, tying a 19-0-2 streak as host for the start of the 1973-74 season, when every home game was played at Boston Garden. Although this list lists all home points series of more than 21 games at the start of the season, none of them included a game at a neutral site. It should also be noted that home/road series on Records.NHL.com excludes neutral venue games.
- For the first time in franchise history, the Penguins can end an opponent’s 20-game or longer home run streak. The longest home scoring streak Pittsburgh has snapped was Vancouver’s 18-game streak nearly 30 years ago (16-0-2 from Nov. 4, 1992 to Jan. 16, 1993), which ended when the doubles defending Stanley Cup champions won 5-2 at the Pacific Coliseum on January 19, 1993.
- The Penguins’ longest early-season home point streak is 10 games—they beat Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 19, 1972 to end New Yorkers’ 1972 streak of 9-0-1- 73.