Injuries Piling up for Slumping Bruins
On Feb. 11, I wrote about how well the Boston Bruins were playing at the time. They had just come off a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers and were winners of four straight. Since then, the black and gold have gone 2-4 including 7-2 and 6-2 losses against the New York Islanders and Rangers, respectively. As the great Michael Scott once said, “Well, well, well. How the turntables.”
For starters, the Bruins have already been hit by the injury bug. At Madison Square Garden on Friday night, the Bruins were without the services of Jeremy Lauzon, Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk, David Krejci and Ondrej Kase. The loss of three starting defensemen has not made it easy on goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Just ask Halak’s stick.
Since their victory over the Rangers on Feb. 10, the Bruins have given up 23 goals which is good for the eighth-most in the NHL during that span. They have also surrendered 3.83 goals per game – the third-most of any team in the league.
The offense has certainly struggled at times as well without their starting second-line center. In their last six games, the Bruins rank 21st in goals scored with 16, which is boosted by their 7-goal performance over the Philadelphia Flyers at Lake Tahoe. Meanwhile, their power play hasn’t been nearly as lethal as Bruins fans have come to know over the past few seasons. At 5-on-4, the B’s rank 20th in the league over that same timeframe, converting at a rate of just 17.7%.
Slumps like these have not been uncommon to Bruins teams over the last few years. Just take a look at the 2019-20 regular season. After losing four straight games in early November, the Bruins rattled off wins in nine of their next 10 games. It takes time for teams to find their rhythm which is why Bruins fans need not worry (too much) about the team’s recent struggles.
Another reason to stay positive is that the Bruins will have a plethora of home games in the near future. Already 18 games into a 56-game season, the Bruins have played just five contests at TD Garden (though they’ve technically played six home games. Thanks, Lake Tahoe.) This means that after tomorrow’s tilt against the Rangers at MSG, 13 of their next 18 will be played at TD Garden. And, since Governor Charlie Baker announced that a limited number of fans would be allowed at Fenway Park and TD Garden starting March 22, only five of those 13 home games will be played in an empty arena.
All that being said, the Bruins will need to pull it together in a hurry. Their lead in the East Division standings has all but disappeared. The first-place Bruins and fifth-place Pittsburgh Penguins are separated by just three points. With only four teams from each division qualifying for the playoffs, one of the Bruins, Washington Capitals, Islanders, Flyers or Penguins will be on the outside looking in. Hopefully, for the Bruins, they can get healthy, return to their early-season form and once again be in the hunt for the greatest trophy in all of sports come playoff time.
