Bruins want to avoid slow start

The Boston Bruins rebuilt faster than expected and the result was a 50-win season in 2017-18, the 10th in franchise history.

But their playoff run ended in the second round, leaving room for improvement that owner Jeremy Jacobs hopes comes with the continued maturity of Boston’s young players around its core of veterans.

Jacobs was asked about his expectations during the Bruins’ media day Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.

“My expectations never lessen so far as this team is concerned . ... They’re young, we’ve got that on our side, and we’ve got a good warehouse of talent,” said Jacobs, who’s entering his 44th season of ownership of the Bruins.

“I expect them to improve on last year. Because we didn’t start as strongly, I guess it was more the finish, we didn’t (the start) have last year.”

The Bruins started 6-7-4 last season, but their 50-20-12 record earned them second place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

After defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round - the Bruins’ first playoff series win since 2014 - they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the second round.

The Bruins open their regular season Wednesday on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, who will raise their championship banner during a pregame ceremony.