Above-average temperatures across New England signal not just a more than welcomed return to spring but also playoff hockey. Which, as of today, the Boston Bruins are primed to qualify for. Their 82 points is tied for second most in the league with the Florida Panthers. Who they ironically are jockeying for the division crown. So why is the feeling around a team with the second-best record, points-wise, akin to a black cloud?
Well, since returning from the All-Star break, the Bruins boast a 3-3-5 record, have sacrificed a third-period lead in four of their last six games, and have failed to record a regulation win since the eighth of February.
So when Charlie McAvoy responded to the question of how his team can secure the extra point “win, got to find a way to win today” in advance of their most recent overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, it perfectly embodied a struggle his squad has been enduring. No phony cliché about working together or taking it shift by shift. Direct and to the point. But the result didn’t follow.
Sure, the Bruins have an incredibly impressive win-to-loss record- 34-12. But during overtime/shootout, things get iffy. Currently, their 14 losses is tied for the most in the league with the 62 point New York Islanders. By contrast, the Panthers, whom Boston is currently looking up at, have four. A perfect science? No, but it is undeniably a good benchmark.
If we are to be fair, back-to-back victories over the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers last week were the feel-good moments of the month.
However, all of that seemed to slip away when a third-period lead was lost against the Vancouver Canucks, and late-game heroics from Charlie Coyle in Seattle amounted to little more than a shoulda-coulda-woulda.
At times, the experience of watching a Bruins game has become predictable. A lead heading into the final frame is almost certain to crumble. Dare to venture into overtime? Do so at your own peril.
With the market set too high for what Boston can afford, there is little promise of reinforcements coming on the first light of the fifth day in the form of a trade deadline acquisition. Here is to hoping the navigation of their first rough patch without the leadership of days gone is nearly over.
