Boston Bruins: Time To Sit Carl Soderberg.
This certainly was an up and down weekend for the Boston Bruins. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0, but were beaten by the Washington Capitals by the same score. Last night’s loss puts the Bruins back in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are once again five points out of a guaranteed playoff spot.
The Bruins still aren’t out of the woods. While the Florida Panthers are falling back in the rear view mirror, the Ottawa Senators are closing in on the Caps and B’s with a vengeance. Ottawa is only five points behind the Bruins themselves. Is there anything the Bruins can do to get themselves ready for the final push?
The Bruins need to sit Carl Soderberg. Right now the Bruins third line center is trying to hard to get everything done, and not doing anything. He hasn’t scored a goal for the Black and Gold in two months. (He last scored against the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 17th). It’s time to give the big Swede a night off to shake the cobwebs off and get a different perspective of the game from the ninth level. Soderberg’s production was crucial for the Bruins during their big slump mid-season. It was the third line that had picked up the slack for the Black and Gold, and they’ll need him to do it again in the post-season.
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It certainly helped Daniel Paille when Bruins bench boss Claude Julien chose to scratch the fourth line winger. Paille had only a single goal for most of the season before Julien sat him. It certainly was the catalyst for Paille’s recent production. Paille has put in four goals since his return to the line up, and his shot percentage increased by an order of magnitude.
The Bruins need every point right now if they want to move up in the standings. The Capitals are playing a lot of Jekyll-and-Hyde hockey right now. They bring an A game some nights, and others you wonder if the Buffalo Bills had stolen their uniforms. The Bruins are only two points behind them, and it is certainly feasible that the Bruins can walk into the seventh seed in the East.
The Capitals aren’t the only other team that’s capable of helping out the Bruins right now. The Detroit Red Wings have also had their struggles of late. They were shellacked by the Philadelphia Flyers in a stunning 7-2 rout. They’re just five points ahead of Boston themselves. If they continue playing such aberrant hockey, the sixth seed could become available to the Black and Gold.
So, let’s give the big Swedish one-eyed Yeti a game or two off. The Bruins need his production, and it’s time he had some time to clear his head.