I’m not in the greatest mood today, so I doubt this is going to be nice. However, if you got the Star Wars refence in the title; congrats. So the Bruins won last night in Columbus but let’s be honest, it was a game they shouldn’t have won. They stole that fucking game from the Blue Jackets and high tailed it out of Columbus before all five Blue Jackets fans began a protest. Even during that game, it took fucking miracles to prevent Columbus from scoring. Between Rask making Superman-type saves and Tomas Kaberle playing back-up goalie, the Bruins still had to go to a shootout to beat Columbus. Days of Y’Orr laid out the statistics out for everyone on the losing streak compared to the 7 game winning streak they were on prior to the game against Pittsburgh. Although Boston won last night, they only scored 2 goals (goal number 3 was because they won the shootout) which is their average per game while losing.
It’s a sad state of affairs in Boston lately. Last night the Bruins killed six penalties and had one power play that last a whole five seconds. A lot of people are getting ready to jump on the officiating, but the discipline by Boston needs to be better. Case in point, Bergeron’s interference call on the power play was a stupid mistake on his part. Sure, Calvert dove twice which allowed Columbus to get on the power play, but even if you take those two penalties out of the equation, Boston still have to kill four of them.
After the jump, I rant like a lunatic some more…
It’s not just their discipline that’s an issue. Everything they’re doing for the past five games is an issue. Their goaltending has struggled, their offense has struggled, their power play is non-existent and their defense should dress in orange and direct traffic on the Zakim Bridge. If the Bruins continue to play like this, it’s a one and done series in May and Peter Chiarelli is coming on TV to tell us how the Bruins are the only team to make it to the first round of the playoffs in the last five years…or some bullshit like that.
I hate to keep going back to comparing the winning streak and losing streak (I’m counting the win against Columbus in with the “streak” because it should have been a loss), but it boggles the mind. The Bruins offense averaged almost four goals per game when they were winning and now they’re averaging two. The defense barely allowed two goals per game, now its four. What the fuck changed? Is it because the talent of the opponents increased? Possibly, but that doesn’t give credence when you beat the Islanders 6-3 then lose to then two weeks later 4-2. Between the embarrassment of the Islanders game and the clusterfuck in Montreal, it’s been a bad week to cheer for the black and gold.
Where’s the big and bad black and gold that was supposedly back? All I’ve seen the past two weeks is a team thats been getting out hustled, out played, out hit (Max Pacioretty aside), out shot and basically clowned in every way possible. It’s a disgrace if you think about it.
So I ask you, good reader, where the hell does it come from? Do we blame the players? The coach? The GM? The owner? Does the culture of the Boston Bruins need to change? A lot of people were calling for Claude’s head before the winning streak, but then the Bruins ripped off 7 straight and not a peep was spoken. Once they started losing again, it was “Fire Claude.” “Julien sucks.” “He looks like Bill Dautrive!”.
As Boston fans, we’ve been through the years where Ray Bourque was crying to management to spend money so they can win a Stanley Cup. Instead, Bourque puts in 20+ years of service and wins a cup in Colorado while Boston flounders to one of the shittiest teams in the NHL. Don’t get me started on the pre-strike shit either. The way Jacobs handled signing contracts was disgusting. This is all beside the point though. With the current crop of players, coaches and management – why are they not winning hockey games (or at least playing to win games). Are they tired? Did Julien lose them? I don’t think that’s it, but its always a possibility right.
Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe we need to protest. Who the fuck knows.
– Random Thoughts –
– If Brad Marchand doesn’t get 4 games for his elbow to RJ Umburger, the NHL needs to seriously look at their discipline policy. A lot of people have been saying that Bruins fans are biased because we called Marchand’s elbow dirty but not Chara’s hit on Pac. Look, there’s a difference between a legal and illegal hit. Marchand’s hit was illegal but non-violent while Chara’s hit was legal and violent. So because Chara performed a legal hit in the eyes on the NHL, we should suspend him on injury? If that’s the case, where’s the suspension on the guy who sliced Richard Zednick’s neck with his skate? It was legal and unintentional, but it caused injury. So for those calling Bruins fans biased – shut your noise hole.
– I have a big issue with this whole Pac thing as it is. People went apeshit because he broke his neck and had a concussion. Now he’s at the movies and going to well lit hockey arenas to watch games? A week after it happened? Suspicious to say the least.
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