The Boston Bruins (48-8-5) are on a record pace in the NHL as the trade deadline approaches, threatening to set a record for the most points (132) and wins (64) in the regular season.

But even if they do set a new standard for regular-season success, it won't mean a thing if they don't bring home the Stanley Cup for the 7th time in team history and the first time since the 2011 season.

The Bruins are led by their brilliant captain Patrice Bergeron, who has won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward 5 times in his career. Bergeron is joined by high-scoring David Pastrnak (43 goals)  along with Brad Marchand, David Krejci and defenseman Charlie McAvoy as the leadership of this veteran team.

Boston has acquired defenseman Dmitri Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals last week and added Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings Thursday to fortify their lineup. The new players strengthen the Boston lineup and solidify their role as favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

However, a great regular season and favorite status guarantee the Bruins nothing. The Eastern Conference is loaded with excellent teams including the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

In this piece we look at the Hurricanes, Lightning and Maple Leafs as the biggest threats to the Boston's Eastern Conference dominance.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are in a fight for the Metropolitan Division title, and if they were to face the Bruins, it would be in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bruins would be playing with revenge, as the Hurricanes defeated Boston in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.

While the Bruins have more firepower and consistency than they did a year ago — Krejci was not with the team — the Hurricanes are a dynamic team that combines great offense with speed on defense.

The Canes have quality depth on offense even if they lack a dominant superstar. Martin Necas leads the team with 53 points, and he is followed closely by Sebastian Aho, who has 52 points and Andrei Svechnikov with 51 points.

The Hurricanes have strength on the blue line with Brent Burns, who has made a great adjustment to life on the East Coast after being traded by the San Jose Sharks last summer.

Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta have split the goaltending chores for Carolina this season, but the belief here  is that Andersen will get the bulk of the net work in the post season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three straight seasons, and they earned the championship in 2020 and 2021 before losing last year to the Colorado Avalanche. If the Lightning meets the Bruins, it would be in the second round of the playoffs.

They have had their struggles in the regular season, but the Lightning appears to be a team that can turn it on when the lights are brightest during the playoffs.

Andrei Vasilevskiiy has been somewhat ordinary this season with a 28-15-2 record and a 2.56 goals-against mark, but he can be a lights-out netnminder when he is on his game. It would be a mistake to think that Vasilevskiiy has slowed down.

The Lightning have a slew of superstars in Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. They can all take over the biggest games and dominate.

Championship teams like the Lightning often play at a mediocre level during the regular season but turn up the intensity in the playoffs.

The success this unit has had in the past three years indicate the Lightning will be fully confident at the start of the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs have been one of the best regular-season teams in the NHL for the last three seasons, but they have nothing to show for it in the playoffs.

Since the Bruins are running away with the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs and the Lightning appear to be on a collision course to meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Tension would be high for stars Auston Matthews (28 goals) and Mitchell Marner (76 points), and they would have to overcome a great team to advance in the playoffs. They made it to the seventh game of their series with Tampa Bay last year, but fell short in the decisive game.

If the Maple Leafs found a way to overcome Tampa Bay and advance, they would have significant momentum when they see the Bruins in the second round.

Boston has not lost to Toronto in the postseason since 1959, and that includes the Bruins' 7-game triumphs in 2013, 2018 and 2019.

A series between Boston and Toronto would command the attention of hockey fans in the United States and Canada, and could be a huge test for Boston in their quest for Eastern Conference superiority.