Last year it took the Boston Bruins exactly one home game to mark their first home win, and four tries to earn their second. This year it took five games on home ice until they saw their first victory, and through seven games at the TD Garden so far, they are a lackluster 1-5-1. With Detroit, San Jose, Minnesota, and Toronto upcoming, there is a very real chance we could be carving our turkey later this month and the Bruins are still in search of home win number two.
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Right now the Boston Celtics are the winningest team while playing at the TD Garden. It only took them four tries at home to get two wins. NHL teams used to fear coming into Boston, now they might be looking forward to it.
Three times this season, including last night against Colorado, the Bruins have blown two goal leads. They have been outscored at home 29-22. In three of the home losses, they’ve mustered only two goals. In the other three, they’ve exploded for three goals apiece in regulation time. Hardly the offensive output that upper management had in mind in the off-season when acquiring Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes.
One encouraging sign in the latest home loss was the return of defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. It was his first game played in over six months, and not only did he take 20 shifts, but he led both teams in hits with six. If the veteran defenseman can get back to form, it will only shore up a defense that is in desperate need of help.
Seidenberg’s return is a step in the right direction, and he brought about the right level of physicality that Don Sweeney wants to see his team emit. One lack of any such physicality came in the second period when Gabriel Landeskog took a cheap shot at Brad Marchand, catching him head high and sending him spinning like a top. It would have been nice to see Jimmy Hayes or Zdeno Chara take matters into their own hands, but all that happened was Marchand giving Landeskog a right hand smash to the face. Still no word from NHL brass as to whether or not Landeskog gets suspended.