Boston Bruins: Time To Save Money For A Panic Button Or Playoff Tickets?
Seems like the Bruins are always in this crazy predicament every year. They could either get a high seed or completely miss the playoffs by only a few points. It’s exhilarating yet depressing at the same time. It’s like going to a party and doing shots and making new friends only to wake up on the bathroom floor covered in sweat and vomit. Plus, it’s not even your bathroom.
There are only 11 games left in the season. 11! Where does the time go? They’re one point behind Florida in the Atlantic division (bet you would never think you would say that out loud) with Florida having a game in hand. Speaking of a game in hand, Tampa Bay is one point behind the Bruins in the Atlantic with a game in hand as well. With the Bruins being 4th in the conference you would think they would be a lock for the playoffs. Just like how the Bruins typically blow 2 goal leads like it’s their favorite hobby, nothing is secured. Detroit is 9th in the conference while behind the Bruins by 7 points also with a game in hand. Even though it’s looking good for the Bruins, any fan knows, crazy things happen down the stretch.
The Bruins have been looking good lately. Since the deadline it seems like the lines are clicking both on the front and back end. Stempniak has quickly become a fan favorite and reliable on the first line gaining chemistry with Marchand and Bergeron with each shift. Liles has brought some stability to the Bruins defensemen corps and giving Claude the ability to figure out his pairs before the playoffs start (not a jinx) and resting players at the back end of this season. They’re 5-1-2 in March and are in the middle of a little west coast trip where they have already dropped the first game to San Jose and have to play a back to back against the Ducks and Kings. That’s brutal seeing how both teams are in the top 10 in points in the whole league.
The B’s have to keep a sense of urgency and realize that there is no time to slip up or take the foot off the gas pedal. They need to grind out the rest of this road trip and keep getting points even if they have to take almost every game into overtime. As long as the Bruins keep playing to Claude’s system and Rask keeps coming up huge with his incredible saves and minimizes his sometimes careless blunders then I have absolutely no doubts that they’ll be playing on the same days as the Red Sox.
Follow David Manners on Twitter @DavidManners