Nov 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Milan Lucic (17) celebrates a goal during the third period against the Dallas Stars at TD Banknorth Garden. The Dallas Stars won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, the Bruins had a very strong luck streak. They were able to find ways to win, and when they couldn’t they just did. Lucky bounces, missed penalties, and various little things that gave the Bruins an edge. They rode that wave of success all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This year however, things seemed to have changed for the Black and Gold.
This season, the Bruins have earned the wrath of the hockey gods. The only forward line that seems to be producing for the Bruins is the top one. The Bruins second line of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron have only four goals between the two of them. The Bruins have also had a lot of horrible luck when it comes to blown calls. The Dallas Stars openly committed a delay of game penalty. The penalty was so obvious that the minder for the penalty box had the door open for the Stars to send a player in. All four refs on the ice totally missed it. It didn’t help that the Bruins committed another late game double minor to give the Stars a chance to get back in it.
The Bruins were able to keep it tied and take it to a shootout. There is where the Hockey Gods had a good laugh at our expense. Which two members of the Dallas team score on Tuukka Rask? Yup, Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley. I wasn’t a fan of the trade of Peverley. He had a solid work ethic. While we all knew he would never be a Seguin-caliber player, he came in every day and made an effort to contribute. That kind of attitude is what the Bruins needed. Players like Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley brought that to the team, and both were sent packing.
Will the Bruins pull themselves out of this slump? Sure, they’ve been through them before and we’ve gone through those rough times together. It just seems with this last rough patch, that the Hockey Gods are having a laugh at the Bruins and all us fans.