Game Night: Boston Bruins At Florida Panthers

By S. Michael Gebhardt

Game Info

PUCK DROP:   7:30 P.M.

TV/RADIO:  NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Tonight the Boston Bruins invade Sunrise Florida to take on the stumbling Florida Panthers.  Coming off a lackluster performance  against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night where they lost 4-2.  The Bruins haven’t been playing their game for a full 60 minutes for a few games now.  In the last 3 games since losing to the Vancouver Canucks, the Bruins haven’t put together a solid effort and play thier style of hockey consistenly.  It does coincide with the Brad Marchand suspension, but that’s a convenient excuse.  One thing about the Bruins under Claude Julien is that they don’t make convenient excuses.  Tonight they’ll also be without Rich Peverley who is out with a personal issue.

So what is it, that’s got the Bruins playing so mediocre (for them)?  Well, it could be that they’re in the middle of January in a long NHL regular season, they had just come off the most emotional game of the year, and they just aren’t able to sustain their unbeatable level they were at.  At some point they were going to come back to earth.  Honestly, this would be the time to have a stretch of so-so games.  They aren’t going up against any of the Eastern Conferences heavy hitters.  Even a game against the Montreal Canadiens couldn’t wake them up.  Mostly because they’re not very good and their whole organization is in shambles. Since Vancouver, the B’s have played the Winnipeg Jets, the Habs, and the Carolina Hurricanes.  After tonight they go on to play the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New Jersey Devils before a showdown with the Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers.  That will be a stretch of 6 games against 2nd and 3rd tier teams.