After their 19-game point streak came to an end, the Boston Bruins have been on a bit of a slide over the last week. The Bruins went 0-3 on their recent road trip but luckily haven’t seen their positioning within the Atlantic Division standings change.
The losing streak began on March 10th with a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by a 7-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and capped off by a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Bruins have been battling injuries seemingly all season long, but that list is starting to really pile up now.
Matt Grzelcyk got good news. Aiming for a return sometime on next trip.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 13, 2019
Jake DeBrusk skated today in Boston, progressing well.
Tuukka Rask starts tomorrow.
David Pastrnak, Marcus Johansson, and Kevan Miller are other important pieces missing from the lineup at the moment. Luckily for the Bruins, a playoff berth is seemingly a sure thing barring a catastrophic collapse. Despite having a playoff spot basically locked down, the Bruins are still battling with the Toronto Maple Leafs to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins need to be healthy prior to the postseason if they hope to have a chance of getting past the Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning. Luckily, the Bruins have been able to deal with these injuries by focusing on who is in the lineup, rather than who is out.
Getting Pastrnak back will be the biggest boost for the Bruins, as the 22-year-old winger is still the second-highest scorer on the team with 66 points in just 56 games. It will also give head coach Bruce Cassidy a chance to play around with his lineup a bit, as Pastrnak can play on either of the top two lines.
While a losing streak is never great, the Bruins have put themselves in a position where they can afford it. The injuries have caught up to them at the moment, but help is on the horizon.
And, good morning.@JDebrusk | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/ZjPb1f0Fn3
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 16, 2019
With key players missing at various parts of the season, the Bruins have been able to succeed with whoever they have in the lineup. Being healthy is key to a long playoff run and the Bruins finally seem to be trending in the right direction. Seeing three consecutive losses on the lineup without any context would be worrying, but considering how well the Bruins have played all season long combined with the long list of injuries all season long but especially right now, it seems too early to truly be concerned.
The Bruins return to TD Garden on Saturday to play the Blue Jackets with a chance to end their recent skid.