Coyle, Zboril and Bruins set to begin playoffs

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Will a former Saint John Sea Dog win the Stanley Cup this year? Those hopes rely on the Boston Bruins.

Charlie Coyle and Jakub Zboril, both members of the Bruins, are the only Sea Dogs alumni playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. The odds of Boston winning the Cup seem pretty good after completing one of the best regular seasons in NHL history.

Coyle appeared in all 82 games for his hometown Bruins this season and recorded 45 points, one of the best offensive seasons of his career. Zboril, meanwhile, was an extra defenseman for most of the year and appeared in 22 games.

The Bruins will face the Florida Panthers in the first round. Game 1 is Monday night.

It's worth noting that there are a few former Sea Dogs coaches who have a shot at the Stanley Cup this season. Gerard Gallant, Mike Kelly, Jim Midgley and the New York Rangers will face the upstart New Jersey Devils in what should be a fun first round matchup.

It was a disappointing season for Jonathan Huberdeau and the Calgary Flames. Huberdeau, coming off a 115-point season with the Florida Panthers, posted just 55 points with a Calgary team that struggled to finish its scoring chances.

Thomas Chabot, Mathieu Jospeh, Julien Gauthier and the Ottawa Senators continue to show promise but are just not quite there yet. Same with Joe Veleno and the Detroit Red Wings.

Mike Hoffman and the Montreal Canadiens along with Nathan Beaulieu and the Anaheim Ducks continue to rebuild/tank.

Here's a look at how former Sea Dogs performed in the NHL's regular season this year.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Jonathan Huberdeau	CGY	79	15	40	55
Charlie Coyle	BOS	82	16	29	45
Thomas Chabot	OTT	68	11	30	41
Mike Hoffman	MTL	67	14	20	34
Joe Veleno	DET	81	9	11	20
Mathieu Joseph	OTT	56	3	15	18
Julien Gauthier	NYR/OTT	57	9	5	14
Jakub Zboril	BOS	22	1	3	4
Nathan Beaulieu	ANA	52	0	4	4
William Dufour	NYI	1	0	0	0
Matthew Highmore	STL	2	0	0	0
Bokondji Imama	ARI	5	0	0	0

William Dufour, Matthew Highmore and Bokondji Imama spent most of the season in the AHL. Dufour was the lone Sea Dog from last year's Memorial Cup championship team to appear in an NHL game this season.