Boston Bruins: Repeating Past Mistakes
The Boston Bruins had a ten point playoff cushion just a few weeks ago. The B’s looked comfortable atop the Atlantic Division and were looking to have a great spot going into the postseason. Now, things look remarkably different. The Black and Gold have dropped the last four games, and their cushion has melted down to three points. The Bruins need points, and they need them quickly if they wish to avoid last season’s fate.
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The Bruins are picking the worst possible time to host their longest losing streak of the season. Tampa Bay and Florida have once again passed Boston. The Detroit Red Wings are closing in fast on the Black and Gold. The fans are getting anxious, and the last thing they want is a repeat of last year. Still, the players themselves still feel confident. Brad Marchand still feels like the Bruins will be able to make the playoffs.
“I think in these last nine games we have to realize that we don’t want to be in a position like we were last year where we go into the last game of the year banking on another team losing,” said the Bruins leading scorer. “So the big thing to do is to really bear down, lay it on the line and give it our all for those next nine games. If we do that and put ourselves in a good spot then we’ll be happy.”
Last season, Boston’s ‘Little Ball of Hate’ called out members of the team for not pulling their weight. He felt that the ‘passengers’ on the team had killed the Bruins chances in the final weeks of the 2014-15 season. This time around, he feels like the Black and Gold have the right players in the locker room.
“It is [different],” said Marchand when asked about the comparisons of this season and the last one. “We have guys that want to be good for this team, and they’re preparing the right way. They’re playing hard and working hard every night, and that’s all you can ask for. As long as guys are coming to battle for the team, playing for the team and sacrificing their bodies, then you can’t complain.
“That’s what we have guys doing this year. It’s been good. As long as we keep doing that, we’re going to be in a good spot.”
The Boston Bruins had to wait till the very last game of the regular season last year. Even then, they weren’t masters of their own fate. The B’s found out during the second intermission that they wouldn’t be moving on to the playoffs. That failure caused Peter Chiarelli to lose his job, and it led to several of the players being cast adrift in the offseason.
If the Bruins fail to reach the playoffs again, the locker room (not to mention the front office) could look radically different come next September.