Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
The Boston Bruins may have gone into the All-Star break with a gutpunch of a shootout loss, but there seems to be a profound sense of optimism around the Black and Gold. Say that, oh I don’t know, three weeks ago.
With points in all but one of their last 10 games played (6-1-3), the Bruins find themselves just four points away from the third-place Detroit Red Wings, and seven from the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning. Boston’s 57 points are also enough for a seven-point lead on the Florida Panthers (though the ‘Cats have four games in hand) for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Little by little, it seems as if the Bruins are getting where they want to be. And it couldn’t come at a better time.
When you look at this run that the B’s have gone on as of late, there’s one common factor: They’re beating good teams. Beginning with Dec. 29’s win over the Detroit Red Wings, the Bruins have handled the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lightning, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and grabbed a point in Colorado.
It’s the manner in which the Bruins have either won or stolen a point that’s noteworthy, too.
The Bruins beat the Red Wings in the midst of the Wings’ three-game point streak. They sunk the Penguins in a building where they’ve been virtually unbeatable in all season. Tampa Bay rolled into the Hub with wins in three of their last four. The Rangers entered their matchup against the Bruins with wins in 13 of their last 15 games played. The Stars took to the ice on Tuesday night with 12 wins in their last 19 games played, and points in all but five of those games over that stretch. And even Colorado, a hot-and-cold team since the puck dropped on their season in Oct., came into play with wins in five of their last seven home games.
Boston’s grown to embrace the challenges that have been thrown their rather rather than sulk when things haven’t gone their way, and they’re better off for it.
“Every team’s getting up to play against you and you always have to expect the other team’s best night in night out. Unfortunately, on our part, we haven’t brought our best enough this season and I think that’s why we’ve found ourselves in the standings where we are,… Milan Lucic said. “We also see what we are capable of if we are playing the right way, like we did in that five-game win streak. Like I said, the main focus should be going back to playing that way, the way we did against the Rangers, the Lightning, and the Penguins. We just got to be more consistent in our game and that’ll allow us to be the team we want to be.…
Their struggles still appear in spurts, but a return to what’s made them so great for so long is what’s really brought the Black and Gold back into the race for a spot in the Top 3 of the Atlantic.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask, the $7 million man and one of Boston’s many early season scapegoats, has dialed it up to another level in Jan., with five wins and a .946 save percentage in nine starts this month. Even in Rask’s four losses, one regulation and three overtime/shootout defeats, he’s been strong, posting a .938 save percentage behind a strong 120-of-128 showing over that stretch.
For what it’s worth, the Bruins have combined for just six goals in those four losses, too, with two one-goal efforts. And all four of those losses have come to teams currently on the outside of the league’s playoff picture.
In front of Rask, the return of Zdeno Chara has without question been the backbone of the Bruins’ recent success. And when I say that, I mean a real return to form. Chara, 37, was not himself for probably the first three weeks or so into his return, and that was painfully apparent. But now, the towering captain has shown his worth, all while Dougie Hamilton has grown into an immediate, top-tier two-way defender for the Bruins. Defenseman Torey Krug has also provided a pulse to the backend with a dynamic offensive flair that’s put the undersized puck-mover on a 43-point pace.
There’s simply more structure within the B’s game. And they’ll need even more of it, too.
Of the Bruins’ final 34 games of the year, 20 will come against teams currently in the playoffs. 21 if you wanna count the Los Angeles Kings, who sit a single point out of the second wild card out West.
“We’ve just showed that when we’re playing well, and with the group that we have here, I think we’re as good as any team in this league,… Boston coach Claude Julien said. “That’s never been a doubt. I think the biggest thing, the biggest challenge was to find our game; it took us a while and now we’re starting to find it, so now it’s important for us to keep it and understand the importance of this second half here.…
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com