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Boston Bruins Fans Shouldn’t Panic Just Yet

By Andrew Thompson

Mar 21, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris (7) reacts after scoring a goal during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris (7) reacts after scoring a goal during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins have lost their last three games, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time for fans of the Black and Gold. Even with a repeat of the last two seasons looming, there is no need to panic just yet.

Let’s face it Bruins fans, we’ve been here before. The Boston Bruins have found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the last two seasons. They’ve been the last team to be eliminated from the postseason those two years, and their most recent series of losses are making it look like a three-peat.

While it’s looking a little ugly for the Black and Gold right now, there shouldn’t be any need for panic. The Boston Bruins chances of making the playoffs are still nearly three-in-four. While the Bruins might not get back the third position in the Atlantic (they lost it when the Maple Leafs beat the Blue Jackets on Wednesday), they’ve got a better than average chance of holding on to the final wild card spot in the East.

The Bruins have nine games left to play in the regular season. At the moment, they’ve got a two point lead over the New York Islanders for the last spot. The only other teams that could compete for that final spot are the Islanders(35.7%), the Lightning(10.8%), the Hurricanes(2.8%), the Flyers(0.1%), and the Panthers(0.2%).

You can check all the statistics on all the other Eastern Conference teams here.

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Let’s break it down a little bit more.

The odds of the Hurricanes, Panthers, or Flyers going on a 10-game run to win a spot in the postseason are astronomical. It’s very likely that all three teams are already out of the running. That just leaves a three-way race for the final spot in the East.

Right now, the Bruins and the Islanders have a head start for that position. The Lightning might be able to pull off a last-minute surprise, but that doesn’t seem likely.

If the Bruins beat the Lightning on Thursday, they regain the third seed in the Atlantic.  If they don’t, then they’ll have to rely a little bit more on other teams to help them succeed.

There are also a few other factors that weren’t around the last two years.

The loss to Toronto (and to a lesser extent against Ottawa) were caused by generous assistance from the refs. It wasn’t bad play per se, but rough calls. Tuukka Rask is also healthy, something he wasn’t in the final weeks of last season.  So are all the key players for Boston. David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Zdeno Chara are all ready to finish out the season.

Only David Pastrnak is injured, and that’s another reason for the fans to be happy.

The Boston Bruins don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the last two years. The B’s will find a way to win most of their final games and gets themselves back in the playoffs.

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