It’s official. The Bruins have gone from one of the East’s elite to the outside looking in. The Bruins are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference and would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. Fortunately, the season is not ending today and the B’s have 31 games left to right the ship. It is all about getting hot going into the playoffs and, if the Bruins can get healthy and finally establish some chemistry and fluidity, I think they can still get in and do some damage. Carolina showed last year how important getting hot before the playoffs is.
Nothing from the past 2-3 weeks makes me very optimistic though, especially Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the worst team in the NHL. The only positive to come from yesterday was them helping Carolina pick up two points. Maybe they were simply trying to help Carolina pass Toronto so that they get a better draft pick this offseason. Yeah, that’s it.
The Bruins have now lost their last five games, and 9 of their last 11. Their next game is Friday night in Buffalo, where Marc Savard may finally return. If he does, it’s not a moment too soon. Hopefully, the long layoff will allow players to rest and readjust, and maybe even allow Chiarelli and the front office to explore some other options and potentially shake things up.