If the last few Boston Bruins games are any indication, the Black and Gold are in for the fight of their lives as the de facto second half of the NHL season continues on toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
So … “bring it on” are the words we as onlookers can — and should — collectively picture coming out of the mouths of Messrs. Marchand, Pastrnak, Swayman, Ullmark, Montgomery, McAvoy, et al.
The latest outing — Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning — was a highly encouraging sign that the Bruins are quite capable of shaking off their latest mini slump and leaving it in the distant past.
The fact that Boston, after fighting back from a 2-0 deficit, wound up losing what was a thrilling game is just another reminder that nothing comes easy in the NHL. (See: Florida Panthers first-round series, 2022-23).
It’s these types of intense skirmishes that will become way more common as the regular season heads toward the finish line. Last week’s flat losses to the Calgary Flames (4-1) and Washington Capitals (3-0) had the boo birds out at the TD Garden, and the faithful’s concern is completely justified. More of those kinds of stinkers and lack of spark would cast serious doubt on the Bruins’ ability to contend for the Holy Grail.
Those losses also took a lot of the shine off of what was a highly charged 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks (in between the two defeats), the very team that was tied atop the league with Boston at the the All-Star break and is on top all alone now.
Sure, a win over the Lightning would have been some tasty tonic, but at least the Bruins (32-11-10) had their mojo back.
Now it’s a matter of keeping that fight, fight, fight attitude going (the one they’ve had most of the season), starting with Thursday’s encounter against the Seattle Kraken, the fifth of a seven-game home stand.
Maintaining consistency as the team moves toward the March 8 trade deadline may entail coach Jim Montgomery finding the optimum chemistry in the four lines. He’s experimented quite a bit. For some, a bit too much.
Montgomery doesn’t appear worried, though.
“I think since Christmas, we have really found our identity,” he said in a 985sportshub.com Tuesday article.
