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Boston Bruins: Woes At Home

By Andrew Thompson

Jan 21, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Max Talbot (25) skates off the ice as the Vancouver Canucks congratulate each other after their 4-2 win at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Max Talbot (25) skates off the ice as the Vancouver Canucks congratulate each other after their 4-2 win at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins have worked awfully hard to dig themselves out of the hole they found themselves in at the beginning of the season.  They’ve climbed up in the standings, and have found themselves once again back in the playoff hunt. Still, even halfway through the season, there seems to be two sides to the Bruins. There is the solid performance of the road Bruins, currently tied for third in the league for most away wins. Then there is the anemic home showing of the Black and Gold, going just 10-12-2 while at the TD Garden.

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The Bruins know they’ve been less than stellar at home. Their inability to lose at home has kept them from hanging on to an automatic spot in the playoffs. At the moment, the Bruins have been able to hang on to a wild card slot, but it seems that it’s due more to other teams (especially the Montreal Canadiens) free fall than the Bruins consistent play.

“I think we’ve established our away record, but we’ve got to definitely improve our homestand,” said Bruins captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara. “It’s not good enough right now. We all know that on the road we, for whatever reason, play full 60-minute games, and at home, we have trouble maintaining that. So that’s got to be definitely one area that we have to improve, and it starts with all the little things — winning faceoffs, changes, you name it. We’ve got to improve our whole 60-minute game and respect the gameplan.”

That game plan has worked for them in the past. Rushing the net. Consistent three-zone, two-way hockey. The Bruins know they can do it. The B’s can bring that kind of success in other people’s houses, but just haven’t found a way to bring in their own.

It could be due to a lot of young players are on the team. The Bruins are playing a lot of younger players, and while some of them are finally finding their stride (like Ryan Spooner), others are having woefully inconsistent games. Their lack of production have left a lot of the scoring to just a half-dozen players, and that’s not enough to get the job done.

“I think it’s just a part of the process,” said Chara of their Jekyll and Hyde hockey. “I think it’s part of maturing as a team and trying to figure it out sooner than later. It’s one of those things that you go through ups and downs in the season, and it’s been obviously an issue that we’ve had the first half of the season.

“When you’re at home, you have other things to do besides practicing, but I think that’s part of being a professional. You have to separate those things, and when you come to the rink, you have to be ready to play, perform and work hard, and put all those other things on the side.”

Hopefully, Chara and the rest of the Bruins will be able to put those things aside as they welcome the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets to the TD Garden.

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