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There’s a problem with the Boston Bruins.
In their third straight defeat, this time at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in a marquee matchup of a ‘Wednesday Night Rivalry’ affair at Wells Fargo Center, the Black and Gold squandered yet another lead in the third period, and found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 final.
With the loss, the Bruins dropped to 14-4-1 when leading after two periods. That gives them a .737 winning percentage in such scenarios. That number looks good upon first glance, I admit. Then you take a look at the numbers and realize that it’s the fourth-worst mark in the National Hockey League.
This is somewhat new for the Boston Bruins. They finished with the 10th-best winning percentage in the league when leading after two last season. Fifth in 2013-14. They
did finish 29th in this category in the lockout-abbreviated 2013 season (15-4-4 record) and 26th in the 2009-10 season (22-4-2 record). Those are B’s coach
Claude Julien’s lone ‘down years’ in a near-decade long resume that’s aligned the Bruins as one of the league’s most consistently successful shutdown teams.
One more regulation loss when leading after 40 would give the Bruins five on the year. That would more than what they finished with in both 2013 and 2010, and the season is just 43 games old. Not good.
It’s also a hell of way to shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to grabbing points you need.
Just look at the last three games alone. The Bruins should have found a way to squeak out a regulation win over the Ottawa Senators last Saturday. Instead, they settle for an overtime loss. That’s one point you left on the board. You should have forced overtime against the New York Rangers in that game in which you surrendered the game-winning goal with 1:42 left in the third. There’s another point you left on the board. And last night, you absolutely should have found a way to hang on against the Flyers. That’s two points you left on the board. Add up the ‘should haves’ and you’ve left four points hanging.
I think what made last year so bothersome for so many was that you looked at the B’s roster, what they were capable of, and then realized that they missed out on postseason play by just two points. You then, naturally or perhaps sadomasochistically, pointed to about 10 games that saw the B’s absolutely blow a lead or an opportunity for a win. And you’re starting to get that vibe with this year’s group, too.
While the Black and Gold have the benefit of games in hand on everybody in the Eastern Conference with the exception of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins (who have both played 42 games as well) and Flyers (last night was Philly’s 41st game of the year), they are in the thick of an absolutely insane logjam for the two wild card spots in the East and top two and three spots in their divisions.
Presently, the Bruins are clinging to the second wild card in the East at 47 points, with the New Jersey Devils on their heels at 47 points as well (they’ve played two more games than the Bruins), with the Pens and Sens at 46, and Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes right behind them at 45.
Things fail to get easier for the Black and Gold, either, as they still have two games with the Chicago Blackhawks, the always unforgiving California road trip, and games with the Dallas Stars, Rangers, New York Islanders, and Washington Capitals still on tap. (And lots more games with divisional foes, too.)
In other words, there’s little room for error when the reeling Bruins find themselves protecting a lead.
But from where does the fix come?
Ideally, the Bruins are a team that scores more than two goals a game and lessens the pressure put on either
Jonas Gustavsson or
Tuukka Rask to surrender two goals or fewer. That should change if and when a healthy
David Krejci returns to the lineup. (It’s worth noting that the Bruins were also down top-six winger
David Pastrnak in last night’s loss with what the team is calling an upper-body ailment that will render the 19-year-old Pastrnak ‘day to day’.)
Boston’s defensive game has left something to be desired of late, too, as Julien has been riding his 38-year-old captain with ridiculous minutes for where they are in the season (what other option does he really have?) and repeatedly attempting to thrust somebody like Kevan Miller into a top-pair role. You’re at the halfway point and it appears as if the Bruins are
still searching for their go-to pair when it’s crunch time and the other team is looking for the equalizer or the go-ahead marker. This is both to be expected given the offseason shifting the B’s went with and frustrating given the overall depth of the Boston blue line and their expected strides forward with more minutes and larger roles.
The silver lining in their struggles, of course, is that they are happening in January versus March, where relief is forced to come from within, and with the Black and Gold still in control of their own fate.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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