Bruins fight back, but come up short

A blog by Iron Horse

Blackhawks hold off the Bruins


In what looked to be a bloodbath, thrashing, desecration, whatever adjective you want to use to describe the first 2 periods of that game (minus the last 20 seconds of the 2nd period). The Bruins came back from 6-0 to make it a 6-4 game, which looks good on paper but the real thing I took from this game was the fight. For the first time since a late November game against the Rangers where the Bruins surged back at home and stole a game from New York I saw the fight. Like that game 7 against Toronto in 2013, game 7 against Tampa in 2011, they battled.


Something this team has SERIOUSLY been lacking all year, the Bruins have needed to show more of all year. Some people would argue that’s what they did against St. Louis but I think it’s totally different battling from behind rather than holding on to a lead for dear life, which if you watch that Blues game is exactly what we did after we went up. 


It really hurts not getting a point out of this one but driving home from work listening to 98.5 I heard a great point from the talk going on that I had been thinking about. The Bruins and the Red Wings are really the only teams fringing on the edge of playoff contention left in hockey. When you look at the strength of schedule though it favors the Bruins. 3 games left for each squad on the year. Detroit 3 away games, vs @PHI, @BOS, & @NYR. Boston 3 home games, vs CAR, DET, & OTT. Now just looking back at last year alone this was where we fell off losing our 9 of our last 14, missing the playoffs by 2 points. Boston clearly has the favored schedule where all their all home games, not too mention Detroit’s opponents are all playoff bound (minus us for now), and the Flyers and Rangers have been playing some of their best hockey. Meanwhile Carolina and Ottawa are on the outside looking in.


Now I will be at this game on Thursday between Boston and Detroit fully expecting to see Boston show up and here’s why. Detroit plays Wednesday night @ 8pm EST in Philadelphia before traveling to Boston to play the very next night. The Bruins play Tuesday against a Carolina team that beat them in the Garden just after the trade deadline. Every game is very important for these 2 teams now obviously, but the Bruins should have more motivation to go all out knowing that they play 2 days after. Whereas Detroit may want to play their game on Wednesday but it isn’t the same win or die circumstances that surround Thursday's marquee matchup in the Garden. While yes each team would like to win out the last 3, whomever wins Thursdays game will hold the advantage in the season series therefore in the case of a tie will move on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 


The last interesting piece to this is that while the season series right now is 2-1-0 in favor of the Bruins. One of the games they won which was at the Joe this year, was in OT. The winning goal scorer you ask? East Longmeadow’s own, Frank Vatrano. Yes that’s right big Fenway Frank came up huge in the Bruins 3-2 win that fateful night November 25th, and I think the key to this game on Thursday will come from the play of the younger guys on the team, both forwards and D men alike.


Go Bruins!