The Bruins have 60 wins.
They’re screwed. It’s O-V-A. Over.
Neglect the Stanley Cup, they’ll be lucky to get earlier the Florida Panthers or Pittsburgh Pizzutis inside the first spherical.
The 2023 Bruins are the 2007 Patriots, 1971 Bruins, and 2011 Purple Sox all rolled into one.
Minus the rooster and beer.
The Sword of Damocles is a plastic spork in comparison with the Previous Testomony catastrophe that awaits this workers.
With each victory, with each degree, with each flirtation with historic previous, or one different doc, their doom grows further certain.
Fuel up the hearse.
Hades or bust!
Sadly, we don’t have a sarcasm font. Let’s be clear. Not one of the above is true. No less than from this angle. Absurdity, meet absurdity.
The 4 Icemen of The Bruins Apocalypse, nonetheless, proceed to expertise every single day.
We’ve prolonged blown earlier the exit sign that be taught: “Get pleasure from The Experience — Subsequent Proper.”
The Bruins clinched their fourth Presidents’ Trophy, set a membership doc with 58 wins, and tied the membership mark for a lot of components in a season with a 2-1 win in opposition to Columbus Thursday at TD Backyard.
How did they rejoice? Let’s look at in with Patrice Bergeron: “In fact, you’re proud,” he talked about, sooner than shortly together with; “You will have your eyes set on one thing greater. We all know there’s a number of work in entrance of us.” They haven’t misplaced since.
The players acknowledge this at every various. Don’t anticipate a jug of spiked Kool-Help to be handed throughout the locker room within the occasion that they don’t win all of it, each. These things is hundreds harder than it appears in your show.
Boston has been caught in a Bear Entice. The additional worthwhile – and points have steadily improved as a result of the Winter Traditional – the upper the expectations.
Or requires.
Or fear.
The Bruins have obtained just one Stanley Cup before now 51 years. If that doesn’t sober you up, it might be time to affix AA. Would you pretty they win 40 video video games as a substitute of 60?
Cynicism stays an integral strand in our DNA. Our fathers, and their fathers sooner than them, had been burned too many events by elevated expectations whatever the workers or season. Very similar to opposable thumbs, this attribute developed from mere various proper right into a physique half.
Our youngsters have largely been spared that future due to the “Rating of Success ©” that dominated the first 20 years of this century.
The Bruins, nonetheless, keep in a 2003-like purgatory attributable to what occurred or didn’t happen in 2019. That banner obtained away. A Recreation 7 loss at home to the St. Louis Blues, the an identical workers endlessly bronzed by Bobby Orr in 1970.
4 years. Nonetheless stings.
Had the Bruins obtained Recreation 7 in opposition to the Blues, we’d have been spared the malaise that has dented this joyride for the earlier seven months.
The Cup stays half empty.
It’s so harmful that David Pastrnak’s pursuit of 60 goals has morphed into one factor akin to a wrestle crime. By no means ideas his incapability to get once more on safety. Serving to any participant pursue an individual goal violates every rule of Hockeydom. Or so goes the screed. Surprise if these self similar tips apply in Foxboro as a result of the Patriots put collectively to sacrifice one different season on the altar of Don Shula’s 347 wins.
Simply wait until Pastrnak will get ripped for “making all that cash however by no means being adequate to attain 60 objectives.”
Give it about 8 months.
The Bruins have 5 video video games remaining. They need three further wins and eight further components to set new NHL info in each class. They’re the fourth NHL workers with a minimal of 60 victories in a season. Among the many others, solely the 1976-77 Canadiens (60 wins) obtained the Cup. The 1995-96 Purple Wings (62) obtained iced inside the Western Convention and the 2018-19 Lightning (62) had been swept in Spherical 1.
Even the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (nonetheless the best single-season workers of all time it doesn’t matter what happens this spring) couldn’t win the Stanley Cup in April. They did it on Could 14 on the rodent-infested, obstructed-view laden, you-can-still-smell-the-cigarette-smoke, Boston Backyard. The Habs closed out a four-game sweep with a 2-1 OT victory. Boston obtained outscored 16-6 inside the sequence. The Inexperienced Line was nonetheless 38 minutes late after Recreation 4.
What may derail this Bruins put together other than historic previous?
Goaltending. The Bruins don’t have Tuukka Rask to kick spherical within the occasion that they fizzle inside the postseason. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have combined for a 2.12 GAA and have collectively stopped 92.9% of opposing images. Will they get the yips in the midst of the postseason? The playoffs can do uncommon points to goaltenders. In every directions.
Success. The Bruins haven’t confronted extreme stress in months. May they arrive out flat inside the first spherical (see the 2018-19 Lightning)? Onerous to look at given their experience.
Stability. Bergeron and Pastrnak always draw the iron of opposing defenses. Boston’s depth has powered this regular-season, 18-wheeler. Can it protect points rolling until Father’s Day? The ultimate week or so should have calmed some nerves.
Pace and toughness. Or lack thereof. That’s Boston’s largest tactical concern. These shortcomings lastly doomed the Bruins 2019, along with Rask being Rask. The workers has stacked its safety and forwards to be playoff-ready. Has Don Sweeney accomplished ample this season to restore the potholes?
Accidents. The good unknown. The Bruins should be complete when the postseason begins. Bergeron should have his properly being once more. The an identical holds for Taylor Corridor.
The Highway to the Stanley Cup is the toughest postseason grind in sport. As many as 28 video video games over 4 grueling sequence. Sixteen wins.
And so they nonetheless shake fingers when it’s over.
Within the meantime, try to not give up sooner than they do.
Invoice Speros (@BillSperos & @RealOBF) could also be reached at [email protected]
