Well, Bruins fans, it looks like it just might happen. I’ll even venture a guess that it will: The Ottawa Senators will be the Northeast Division champions.
After building a nine-point lead in the conference (and later eight with three games in hand) in late December, the Bruins and their fancy games in hand seem to be headed all the way down to seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. It could happen soon -- as soon as Friday night.
Things need to happen for that to take place, of course. Essentially, the Bruins need to lose games and the Senators need to win games. Based on some very scientific research (watching the Bruins), the B’s certainly look capable of doing their part, while the Senators have found new life playing in front of young goaltender Ben Bishop.
Entering Wednesday, Ottawa, which has played 70 games to the Bruins’ 69, has 81 points on the season, trailing the Bruins (83) by two. They will face the last-place Canadiens twice this week, and should they get three or more points out of those games. If the Bruins fall to the Panthers in Florida Thursday, the Northeast Division will wake up Saturday morning with a new leader.
(And before we go any further, let’s quickly address the “games in hand” argument: If a team does not get points out its games in hand, the games in hand do not matter. It’s hard to catch a team in the standings in the NHL given all the three-point games, but that hasn’t applied to the Bruins in three weeks. They either win or, more often, lose in regulation -- they're 3-6-0 over their last nine games. The Bruins would be hard to catch if they were winning, but they aren’t.)
So what has gone so wrong to even make losing the division a possibility? Here are some nuggets to chew on:
-The Bruins’ goaltending situation isn’t as open-and-shut as people want to think. Don’t like that the B’s have had to play Tim Thomas in 10 straight games? Neither do the B’s, but their options are limited given the circumstances. Like it or not, this team needs points badly, and if Marty Turco isn’t going to give them a chance to win (which he didn’t in the first five minutes Tuesday), they can’t give him Tuukka Rask’s starts. That obviously flies in the face of the “Keep Thomas Fresh” campaign, and Claude Julien was wrong to put Thomas into a lost game rather than resting him, but he did so for a reason. If there was any chance Thomas’ presence could have woken up the Bruins and gotten them back into the game, Julien obviously felt he had to take it. Again, they need points. They also need to rest Thomas and for him to get out of his current funk, and it seems there is no easy way to solve all three problems.
-David Krejci has been fool’s gold over the last couple weeks. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t been as good as his seven goals over his last eight games would indicate. He’s been on the ice for 13 goals against in that span, and though three of them have been power-play goals for opposing teams, that still makes him a minus-2 in the span. That includes the night he notched a hat trick against the Devils.
-For all the talk of the Bruins starting to turn things around by winning two straight last week, perhaps they were better off sticking with the win-one, lose-one plan, because their three-games since beating the Sabres last week have been treacherous. They’ve allowed 15 goals, the most they’ve given up over a three-game stretch this season ... and none of those have been empty-net goals. They’ve spotted teams three-goal leads in the first period in back-to-back games, including four goals against in the first Tuesday in Tampa. They were one a team that got the lead and built to it. Now, they’re a team that gives it up and just hopes the hole doesn’t get bigger.
-To echo a cliché that’s often spoken this time of year, this is the part of the season where teams get into gear. They pick it up, earn the hard points, the whole shebang. That has been the case this season, but not for the Bruins. They are the only team in the league right now with a three-game losing streak.
-It’s certainly a factor, but you can’t blame the Bruins’ woes all on injuries. A hot and cold player during the regular season, a healthy Nathan Horton wouldn’t be the difference between a sub-.500 hockey team and an elite one. They’ll be better once they get him and Rich Peverley back, but the Bruins -- who don’t like making excuses -- couldn’t blame their drowsy efforts on the missing bodies if they wanted to.
So, when Bruins' fans flip on their televisions Thursday night, they won’t be watching just another game. They’ll be watching their beloved team enter must-win territory from puck drop until they either sew up the division or limp into the playoffs as the team that (urinated) away a big division lead, and yes, all those games in hand.
Maybe it’s an overreaction, but the Bruins could use one. They could stand to overreact to how bad the last two-months plus have been. They could stand to come out furious Thursday against the Panthers. If they don’t, they might wake up Saturday to a city overreacting to a seventh-place team.
DJ BEAN
BIO | ARCHIVE | BIG BAD BLOG
In the latest edition of the "It Is What It Is" podcast, Chris Price and CSNNE's Mike Giardi take a look at the Patriots offseason on both sides of the ball, try and get a handle on which new guys will make an impact first, and whether or not the Patriots have altered their style when it comes to drafting and developing wide receivers.
Mike Florio joined the program to discuss the Jets decision to release Tim Tebow, he said the situation is as disaster all around for the Jets and that the problems begins with owner Woody Johnson. Mike also said that he was disappointed with the Pats moving back in the first round.
One of the hardest working men in the biz, Mike Petraglia aka "Trags", sits down with Butch Stearns live in Foxborough to help break down all the latest Pats moves. He discusses his reaction to the trade in Round 1 and the guys those picks produced. Also, the boys talk about the decent trade the Pats made in acquiring LeGarrette Blount from Tampa Bay for Jeff Demps and a 7th rounder.
We check in with Danny Ainge for our first talk to him since the Celtics season ended last weekend. We talk about the future of the team, KG, Pierce, Doc Rivers and more, as Danny directly answers the rumors being floated by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.
Jackie Mac joins the show to discuss the trade rumors swirling around Paul Pierce, KG, Doc Rivers and the Celtics. She also discusses the future of the Celtics head coach.
Stephen A. joined the program to discuss the trade rumors he has reported regarding a possible trade including Doc Rivers and the Clippers. Stephen A. also told the guys that he has heard that Danny and Doc may be tiring of working together.
Dave O'Brien talked to John Farrell before the end of the Twins series. The Sox skipper said that Big Papi's success is no surprise given his work ethic.
John Farrell postgame press conference
Joe Castiglione and Dave O'Brien talked to David Ortiz after the Red Sox beat the Twins 12-5. Big Papi said that team chemistry is great, that the new guys see the Sox way of doing things.
Dale and DJ roll on with their puck talk and chat some more about the goalie matchup in this series, as well as the lack of a quality power play for both of these teams. In fact, DJ says the Rangers are even worse on the PP than the B’s! The guys also get into the resurgence of Milan Lucic and his deceptive speed and grit. Dale and DJ talk about the similar styles of play for these teams and look forward to Game 2.
Dale and DJ get into the two coaches and their polar opposite styles and demeanor. Both teams play a similar style, but the coaches certainly convey their messages in a different way. Dale isn't buying the Tortorella hype and thinks he's a little overrated. DJ thinks he's a good coach, but isn't a fan of anti-media stance. The guys also talk about Jagr and how he has not lived up to the hype. They weren't expecting him to light it up or be the savior, but DJ says he wasn't prepared for just how slow the aging veteran is. Another big topic for B's fans this season is the play of Tyler Seguin and why he has yet to become the superstar everyone anticipates he will be. This leads to Claude Julien's style and if he does actually have something against the younger players. That Iginla trade shows its ugly head again as well.
WEEI.com's DJ Bean joins Dale in studio for Sports Sunday to discuss the Bruins playoff run. Game 2 is later today and the guys discuss the results of the first game of the series. They get into the construction of the lines for the B's and if they would make any changes. DJ has a few ideas for the lines today. The boys also discuss the two goalies - Tuukka vs Henrik Lundqvist and wonder why people automatically think the Rangers have the edge at goalie. Finally, they get into the legacy and the decisions of Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli.
Shawn joined the program to discuss another overtime win for the Bruins. When asked about Game 7 against Toronto, Thornton said that he would like to keep his specific comments in the dressing room private, but acknowledged that he encouraged Tyler Seguin to up his play and it paid off in overtime.
Barry joined the guys to help breakdown the Bruins overtime win last night in game one. Barry said that he has rarely seen a team dominate as much as the Bruins yet be forced to an overtime.
Boomer joined the program to discuss the tough loss for his beloved Rangers. Boomer told the guys that Lundqvist will be better in game two and predicted a seven game series.
Bruins rookie defenseman Matt Bartkowski has emerged as one of the young stars of the team and he joins Mut and Tom Caron to discuss his role on the team, why he's confident, and the trade that almost sent him to Calgary.
Millar joins the show to discuss the recent Sox slide, Jacoby Ellsbury's lack of power, and hitting in the big leagues.
Andy Brickley joins the show to discuss the Bruins Game 1 win over the Rangers, the play of the three young Bruins defensemen, and the fatigue Jagr has shown on the ice.
We talk all things game one with Jack Edwards of NESN, and get to hear a little from Jack's Finnish protege as well.
We tackle four topics we haven't yet touched upon today.. Joe Thornton and disappointing former Boston athletes, parking in Boston, buying jersey numbers and more...
We talk about the report that Rob Gronkowski may now be a candidate for back surgery with a disc problem. Is Gronk just an injury prone guy? Or is he not rehabbing proberly? Can the Pats build an offense around a guy who is so inconsistently on the field? We discuss.
The Bruins have almost finished raking the Leafs, the Red Sox struggle from the mound, Miami Heat fans show their level of class.
Daily Planet Wednesday May 8th
Today on the Daily Planet the Bruins take a 2-1 series lead, the Red Sox get a run-off win, and we hear about cannibals and bible thieves.
Sounds like a prostate exam to me!
Damn New Yorkers!
Sauce Man stylings!
Buster Olney joins the show to discuss the muddled AL East, the average play of Ellsbury and how that will affect him in free agency, and Tropicana Field.
More from this showLinda explains how the shootout transpired in Watertown during the early morning hours. She saw the first suspect mortally wounded and police beginning the manhunt for the second suspect.
More from this showJeff Bauman, a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing, joined the show to give the guys an update of his condition and a first-hand account of that terrible day. Jeff told the guys how he wrote the description of the bomber as soon as he could. Mr. Bauman added that he is aided every day with the knowledge that he is alive and the terrorist that detonated the bomb is dead.
More from this showBoomer joined the program to discuss the tough loss for his beloved Rangers. Boomer told the guys that Lundqvist will be better in game two and predicted a seven game series.
More from this showDale Arnold joined the program to preview the Bruins Rangers series with John, Gerry and Kirk. Dale thinks the Bruins have the advantage in the series over New York.
More from this show