Just past the halfway point of the regular season, the Boston Bruins finally snapped their dismal six-game winless streak with a win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. This is the type of slump-busting win over a division rival that could right the Bruins' ship and set the tone for the rest of the season. The Bruins have a problem, though: the race in the Atlantic Division is airtight.
Too Close for Comfort
The overtime win on Saturday put the Bruins in third place for just a few hours until the Tampa Bay Lightning lost in overtime to the New Jersey Devils, with the Lightning picking up a point in the loss. The Bruins and the Lightning are now at 47 points apiece, with the Lightning having five games in hand on the Bruins, reclaiming the third spot in the Atlantic. This bumped the B’s down to the first wildcard spot, which is a dangerous place for them to be at this point in the season.
The Bruins have played more games than any team in the Atlantic Division, at 45 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one game behind them, but nine points ahead and in first place. Just five points in the Atlantic division separates third place from seventh place. All the missed point opportunities during the recent six-game winless streak put the Bruins in a situation where they were falling down the standings, just by having played so many more games than the rest of the teams in the hunt.
The Atlantic race is no longer a four-way competition between the Lightning, Panthers, Maple Leafs, and Bruins. Nearly every team, minus the Buffalo Sabres (37 points), is making their case to be a part of the top three spots this season.
Hot on the Bruins' Heels
The Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings are just mere points away from jumping the Bruins in the standings. The Canadiens (44 points) are enjoying a 7-2-1 run right now with much success from captain Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield, and a franchise-record-breaking rookie season from defenseman Lane Hutson. Canadiens forward Patrik Laine, who has only been healthy for less than half the season, but he has been lethal with nine goals and two assists in 14 games.
The Senators (43 points) have been hot and cold as of late, going 4-5-1 in their last ten games after putting up a 9-3-1 record in December. The Sens lost their starting goalie, Linus Ullmark, to a back injury on December 22 and his return time has been listed as week-to-week since then. Ullmark went 12-7-2 with a .915 SV% and a 2.38 GAA with three shutouts before being injured. The Senators broke their own losing streak of four games on Saturday afternoon with a 5-0 shutout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Detroit Red Wings (42 points) have been in the position opposite of the Bruins, as they are in the midst of a six game win streak. Ever since the Red Wings hired head coach Todd McLellan on December 26, they have been on a tear. The team has scored no less than three goals in each of the six games during this win streak. They are a hungry and high-energy squad with the underrated 22 year old forward, Lucas Raymond, leading the team with 44 points in 41 games. In hindsight, the Bruins should have given McLellan a call, but the DNA of the B’s and the Red Wings locker rooms are so different, that he may have not have had the same effect he is having in Detroit right now.
The Bruins will look to build on their effort in Florida over their next two games against the Lightning on Tuesday and then the Senators on Saturday. These are crucial divisional wins the Bruins need. If they come out of the next couple of games 0-2, they may be outside of the playoff race looking in, which they can’t afford with their disadvantage in games played.