Now that we’re finally waking up from our collective baseball hangover, we can talk hockey.

The Bruins are off to another good start, finishing October with a 6-2-2-1 record. They were the top team in the NHL entering the weekend.

We’ve been through this before. If you recall, the B’s had a frolicking-good time last autumn under Robbie Ftorek, posting a 19-4-3-1 mark through November. That’s when things went south. The Bruins went 17-27-8-3 the rest of the way, and were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by New Jersey.

So why should this season be any different?

“Because we’ve got guys who have been through this before,” said forward Mike Knuble, who has been reunited on the top line with Joe Thornton and Glen Murray. “We remember what happened last season.”

So do we. And fans across Bruins Country don’t want to get fooled again. That’s why there have been more than a few empty seats at the FleetCenter over the first three home games. I don’t think this team will go down the tubes like its predecessor. Here are several reasons why it won’t be a repeat of last season:

Goaltending. Felix Potvin and Andrew Raycroft are a definite upgrade over Steve Shields and John Grahame. Potvin has played a dozen NHL seasons, more than 600 games. He’s tested, and has the same cat-like reflexes he’s always had. Raycroft is a 23-year old franchise goalie-in-the-making. He is the anti-Grahame, remaining calm in the crease and making every save look effortless.

Youth. The Bruins have quietly overhauled their scouting department in recent years and are starting to bear the fruits of that labor.

In addition to Raycroft, the team is getting terrific play from 23-year old defenseman Jeff Jillson, 23-year old center Sergei Zinovjev and 18-year old forward Patrice Bergeron.

Bergeron, the league’s youngest player, finished the month of October with eight points in 10 games, making him the league’s top-scoring rookie.

“I think about what I was like when I was 18,” said Knuble in amazment. “He’s unbelievable.”

The “700-pound line.” That was the name Canadiens coach Claude Julien labeled Knuble, Thornton, and Murray. Officially, the trio weighs in at 673 lbs., but you get his point. These guys are big, strong, and highly skilled and continue to develop into one of the league’s best offensive lines.

Coaching. Ftorek loved hockey. He was often the first one on the ice for practice and the last one to leave. Trouble is, the players often didn’t understand his message. There were times at practice when he would try to run a drill, only to see that it wasn’t working. Creativity is admirable, but players want stability. Mike Sullivan is an NHL coaching rookie, but he preaches a sound system with defense first. The players are buying into it and should improve as the season goes on.

In addition to that list, you can add the conference. The East is wide open (have you noticed how brutal the Capitals have been?) The Bruins may not be ready to win the Stanley Cup, but they are definitely a playoff team. Their forwards continue to mature, and they have improved coaching and goaltending, the two most important attributes for playoff success.

New England fans are just starting to pay attention to the fall and winter teams, and there’s plenty to like about what’s happening on the ice at the Fleet right now.

Lewiston native Tom Caron covers the Bruins for NESN.

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