Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the Olympic break. The Bruins take a four game winning streak into the break, immediately following a 10 game losing streak.
After Sunday's Eastern Conference action, here is where they lie.
1) Washington - 90 pts
2) New Jersey - 77 pts
3) Ottawa - 76 pts
4) Pittsburgh - 76 pts
5) Buffalo - 75 pts
6) Philadelphia - 67 pts
7) Boston - 65 pts
8) Montreal - 64 pts
9) Tampa Bay - 63 pts
10) NY Rangers - 63 pts
11) Atlanta - 62 pts
12) Florida - 58 pts
13) NY Islanders - 58 pts
14) Carolina - 55 pts
15) Toronto - 49 pts
So, as you can see your Boston Bruins are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and will have an up hill battle to make some noise in the playoffs.
Boston will be off until March 2, when they will face-off with the Montreal Canadiens from the TD Garden. As you can see from the standings, the game will be a big one.
One other thing to note here is that the Bruins hold Toronto's first round pick in the 2010 entry level draft. Toronto is at the bottom of the conference presently and hold the league's second worst record, trailing only Edmonton's 44 points.
With NHL ready impact talent sitting in the top three, the Bruins will continue to root against the Leafs over the last twenty plus games.
Boston is about three quarters of the way through their season and it looks like the worst may be behind them. Will the Bruins make a deal before the March 3 trade deadline, or will they ride it out with what they've got?
Will Tim Thomas remain Tuukka Rask's caddy, or will he return to form and reclaim the number one goaltender spot? Will Boston make a move for a top six forward or top four defenseman?
There are many questions awaiting for the Boston Bruins, and some will be answered by March 3. Others will have to wait until April or beyond for a final verdict.
1 comment:
I like what I see lately from the B's. The last few games, the team has looked liked they've returned to last year's form. I'd still like to see a little extra scoring punch, and a depth player on D though.
And I'm sick of the Thomas-hate wagon that's been cruising through Boston. Sorry he's an 'unconventional' goal-tender, but he gets the job done. Were you all Raycroft fans?! Timmy's numbers are not THAT far behind Tuuka's (don't get me wrong, I like Rask too). A couple more blocked shots and a few cleared pucks and he's neck and neck with Tuuka in GAA and Save %. He's also been the type that needs a few a games in a row to get hot. Admittedly, not a quality you want in a #1, but when he's hot, it's worth it. As far as W's go... we all know those go to who gets more pucks in the opposing net and when's the last time you've seen a goalie score for the B's? It's a team game, and the goalie's as much of the D as the D-Men are. Make sure blame's being placed appropriately. It's rare that Timmy lets a bad goal in (it happens, I know) but be sure you're looking at the D and what the offense is generating...
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