This time last week, the Boston Bruins were on a three-game slide and the sky was falling down. Charlie Jacobs was tasked with poking the bear and called out his club for their poor first-half performance.
One week later, the bear has responded and everything is right in Bruins nation. At least for now.
The Black and Gold are riding a three-game win streak after Saturday’s victory in Philadelphia against the Flyers. Boston finds themselves in the final wild card position in the Eastern Conference with 50 points, one clear of the Florida Panthers who have three games in hand. The overall effort from the club has improved since the son of owner Jeremy Jacobs called out the Bruins for “unacceptable” performances and made it clear that no one’s job was safe in the organization.
Since then, two-goal games from All-Star Patrice Bergeron against the Penguins, Milan Lucic against the Devils, and 2014 first-round pick David Pastrnak in Philadelphia have resulted in victories that, at least for now, have fans believing Boston has turned a corner entering the second half of the season. It is a step in the right direction, but for a consistently inconsistent team like the 2014-15 Bruins, the challenge will be to maintain their recent form. Goaltender Tuukka Rask stole the show in Pittsburgh with his 37 save performance that saw Boston go for long stretches of play without a shot on goal. Bergeron’s two goal performance, including the game-winner in overtime, gave the Bruins two points they hardly deserved based on their overall effort.
Thursday’s game against New Jersey was a complete 60-minute performance that saw Boston’s defense limit the league’s oldest team to 14 shots while generating 43 on former Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider. The six-foot-four-inch Lucic scored twice after tallying two assists in Pittsburgh. The Saturday afternoon clash with the Broad Street Bullies proved to be Pastrnak’s coming out party. Playing alongside fellow Czech David Krejci and Brad Marchand, Boston’s number 88 scored his first two goals in the NHL to carry the Bruins to victory. It was a performance that should convince the front office to keep Pastrnak around for the rest of the season after showing great chemistry with his linemates.
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The real challenge for the Bruins lies ahead with their final five games before the All-Star break. It begins on Tuesday night when the Eastern-leading Tampa Bay Lightning come to TD Garden for the first of four meetings this season. The league’s most prolific offense this season, averaging 3.23 goals/game, is led by the 22 goals from captain Steven Stamkos. The Bolts have won seven of their last eight games with strong goaltending from six-foot-seven-inch Ben Bishop and offensive contributions from Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat among others. If the Bruins have any hope of contending for another Atlantic Division title, they will have to overcome a formidable Tampa team led by second-year coach John Cooper.
Boston’s next test comes on Thursday night when the New York Rangers come to town in an Original Six battle. The Blueshirts have overcome early season struggles and are riding a five-game winning streak as of Sunday. The Bruins will face a revitalized Rick Nash whose 26 goals are tied for the league lead. The former captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets faced criticism for his playoff performance last year, but has played his way into MVP consideration by carrying the load for the league’s fourth-best offense (3.13 goals/game). Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has found his stride during New York’s recent run, winning 11 of his last 12 starts. “The King” has been a thorn in Boston’s side throughout his 10-year career going 21-10-2 with a 1.85 goals against average and six shutouts against the Black and Gold.
Puck Prose
Saturday night sees the Columbus Blue Jackets visit Boston. It appears the club may catch a break with the Jackets at the weekend, but this is the same team who embarrassed the Bruins two weeks ago. Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen are two of the game’s rising stars leading the Jackets offense. The league’s second-best power play resides in the Buckeye State even though the team currently sits 11 points outside of the final wild card spot. Boston will look to avenge a heavy 6-2 defeat in Columbus on December 27 while the Jackets will hope to kickstart their own second half march towards the postseason.
A back-to-back road trip in Dallas and Colorado will conclude the five-game gauntlet for Boston. Old friend Tyler Seguin has been the brightest Star for Dallas this season with 26 goals. The former second-overall pick in 2010 is driving the fifth-best offense in the NHL at just over three goals per game. Dallas’ recent form has them within striking distance of a playoff spot in a highly competitive Western Conference. Jarome Iginla welcomes Boston to Denver the next night to square off with the Avalanche who sit four points out of the final wild card spot in the West after seven wins from their past 10 games. Patrick Roy‘s club is balanced on offense with four players in double-figures for goals this season, including Erik Johnson‘s 12 markers from the blue line. Two tough Western Conference games in the space of 26 hours will wrap up Boston’s first-half of the season.
A three-game win streak is the first step to resurrecting Boston’s playoff aspirations. The next five games will show the fans whether or not they should buy a second-half surge the Bruins will be keen to sell.