bruins lose 4th straight game

While the Bruins may be sitting atop the League in points, and may have only registered 11 regulation-time losses all season, the fact remains that they have lost four straight games, most recently, last night to Nashville.

As previously posted, I missed the game against Philly, but watched the Sharks come back to win, and watched highlights of the 1-0 loss to New Jersey and the 3-2 loss to Nashville. I find it is hard to really assess how dire the situation is, frankly. All four of these teams are either at the top of their game (SJ or NJ) or on a bit of a run recently (Philly is streaky and Nashville are starting to put it together). Is there shame in being beaten by these clubs?

I don’t know if that is even the right question to ask.

A few weeks ago, I was posting about how the Bruins were winning games – sometimes against clubs at the top of their division, sometimes against clubs outside the playoff picture – without really deserving the win. A lucky bounce, a phenomenal save (or ten) at just the right time, or a particularly soft goalie on any given night became the difference maker for a Bruins club that really was not playing that well. Sloppy passes, poor execution, scrambly play, lackluster defensive coverage, etc., were the norm.

For several games in a row I pointed out how the B’s were scored on inside the first or last minutes of a period (sometimes both!), or how they had consistently coughed up the first goal of the game for weeks on end.

None of this seemed to matter in Bruins Nation, beyond being quietly disconcerting, because the Bruins were still winning. In fact, they had a spectacular record despite the above statistics.

But now the season has come into the home stretch. Most clubs have less than 30 games remaining, and are ramping up, as the Bruins are beginning to show some weaknesses. By losing by a single goal against Nashville, New Jersey and Philadelphia, the B’s have shown that they are competing on par with their adversaries in each game – but the difference of one goal IS that first-goal-against, or goal in the last minute of a period.

In a reversal of fortunes, in last night’s game, the Bruins erased a two goal deficit against the Predators, and were able to score the tying goal inside the final 2 minutes of the game. I would like to think that this latest run of losses, coupled with the fight-til-the-end attitude shown in last night’s match, are enough to jumpstart the Bruins out of their recent complacency.

However, for a team that was recently 15 points ahead of everyone in the League, boasting the numbers that they do, the B’s should not require any jumpstart at all.

What will it take to be reassured that this Bruins team is playing to its potential and will make appropriate noise when the post-season rolls around?

It starts with some wins.