BRIGHTON — It’s only an exhibition game, eh?

Last season the Bruins finished in ninth place, a point out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Teams behind them in that lowly status? Montreal, Columbus, Toronto, New Jersey, Ottawa and Buffalo.

The Canadiens began last season as the hottest team in the NHL the first two months; the Blue Jackets the coldest.

Take a look at the next few weeks as the exhibition season ends and the 2016-17 regular season gets underway, and it reads like this: Three final tune-ups against Montreal, Columbus and Philadelphia; four of the first five regular-season games against Eastern Conference Columbus, Toronto, New Jersey and Montreal.

Keeping in mind the old adage that points in October are equal to those in March, the Black and Gold need to keep all these teams in the rearview mirror again this season if they expect to play beyond the 82nd game. And leapfrog ahead of Philadelphia and Detroit to make the annual goal of postseason play.

First things first — raise your hand if you think the Canadiens will not be in the final eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference.

Sporting a healthy Carey Price and a new-look defense with arguably the best two shutdown blueliners in the business in Andrei Markov and Shea Weber, the Bruins took an early skate at Warrior Ice Arena Tuesday morning before shuttling north for the biggest game of the season in Quebec City in the sparkling new Centre Videotron Tuesday night.

With a devalued Canadian dollar, the expected hoopla of Quebec City being named, along with recently admitted Las Vegas, as the NHL’s newest expansion team is on hold. The $500 million price tag for admission ballooning to some $650 million Canadian the likely primary reason.

Nonetheless, there will be a playoff-type atmosphere farther north of the border with Price and Weber, fresh off their World Cup play, leading the way for Montreal; Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand last week teammates of that pair on Team Canada back in the familiar roles of major adversary.

Price was in playoff form for Team Canada with a GAA just a nudge above a 1.00 average, reflecting his 10-2 start in the early weeks last season before being shut down for the season with an MCL injury to his right knee. Either he or Marchand were easy choices for MVP behind Sidney Crosby.

Weber comes to Montreal in the biggest off-season trade, the blockbuster deal that sent P.K. Subban to Nashville in the even-up swap of No. 1 defensemen.

“It’s always a good atmosphere when these two teams meet,” Claude Julien said before catching the charter north. “There’s city there that would love to have a team and deserves that. It would be a good addition to the league. They now have Weber and we have some guys coming back we want to see, so it’s good for both sides.”

“Some guys” include one set: Zdeno Chara, Bergeron and Marchand who have but one Bruins’ practice session under their belts after their World Cup play. All three were excused from practice but will play Tuesday night according to Julien. Ditto for Tuukka Rask.

The other set is Torey Krug and David Krejci who are ahead in their rehab schedule after their respective off-season surgeries.

“I’m a little nervous past few weeks,” Krejci said after practice. “Always a little hesitation coming back from injury, but I’ve had a few good weeks so excited to go.”

“The energy the past couple of days has been completely different,” Krug said. “Excited to get those (World Cup) guys back and see the new chemistry beginning. I’m looking forward to getting into the game tonight.”

The Black and Gold will be looking for some added momentum off two recent wins over Detroit and Philadelphia, while filling the final few roster slots up front and along the blue line.

“It’s a good gauge to see where we stand in our division; a good test for us,” Krug said about the hockey event of the season in Quebec City. “It will be a fun game.”

Two more exhibition games after Tuesday night before the season opener on October 13. The challenges begin.