It Ain't Over Yet

By Ian Tasso

Editorial. Photos by AP News

And all of a sudden – we have a series again.

With their backs against the wall, the East’s number one seed came out swinging in a do or die game five against the Hurricanes. Four goals and 60 minutes later, the Bruins pulled back to within one game, down 3-2 to the ‘Canes. But it’s not over yet. In fact, it’s only just started.

By not rolling over and dying Sunday night, the Bruins proved one thing – they aren’t ready to call it a season just yet. Phil Kessel, Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and co. made that absolutely clear.

The one thing that isn’t clear however, is whether or not a 4-0 spanking of the ‘Canes at the Garden will be enough to kick-start the engine that propelled them to an NHL East best 53-19 record.

We all know the Bruins have the talent. Kessel, Savard, Lucic, Thomas, Chara, Recci, Ryder – the list goes on. But do they have what it takes? Do they have the heart? Do they have the drive? They sure did in Game five. But game six will present a whole set of new challenges.

For one, they’re not on their home ice. That is a self-explanatory disadvantage. Secondly, unlike game five, you can be sure that the ‘Canes will be ready. And thirdly, and perhaps most unfortunately, only six teams have come back from a 3-1 series deficit in NHL history. Needless to say, history isn’t exactly on their side. But, what the Bruins do have on their side was the ending of that crucial game five.

With time ticking down and the Bruin’s win most definitely in hand, Boston defenseman Aaron Ward was sucker-punched in the face by ‘Cane’s forward Scott Walker. I mean, I’ve seen some dirty hits in my day as a fan, but this was not only wrong, but also completely unnecessary. If there’s anything that irks me, it’s when players – professional players – can’t handle a loss like men. The Bulls did it against the Celtics when they tried to take out Rondo as time ticked off in their game seven loss, and now Carolina pulled it on a Bruins team that was embarrassing them on national TV. It’s classless, and it’s uncalled for. And worst of all for the Hurricanes, it gave a Bruins team that showed they weren’t about to quit something to think about on the plane ride down to Carolina. Not good news if you’re a ‘Canes fan. Even worse news if you’re Scott Walker.

Cam Neeley once said that the one thing he learned after making it to his first Stanley Cup was how hard it really was. Now, that may seem obvious to some of you. But I think the 2009 Bruins are just now figuring out what Cam Neely meant.

The NHL regular season is one thing. The postseason is an entirely different beast. Your best isn’t nearly good enough in the playoffs. What the Bruins needed in the playoffs was somebody to step up – somebody to elevate their game above and beyond the regular season. They didn’t need it against Montreal – they’re so bad, my high-school team could have swamped them. But against Carolina, the B’s needed someone to put on their Ray Borque hat and do the playoff dance.

In game five a few guys did just that – Lucic, Savard, Kessel, and Chara. But it’s a hell of a lot easier to do the dance on your home ice. After their game four loss to Carolina, goalie Tim Thomas called his team out, and they responded. Chara shut down Eric Staal, who had been skating circles around him all series; Kessel buried two past previously unbeatable Cam Ward; and Savvy and Lucic did what they do best – make things happen.

The way it stands right now, is that Boston needs to win to move on. They need to win Tuesday night, and they need to win Thursday night. If they lose, they go home – it’s as simple as that. They may be down 3-2 in a seven game series, but in hockey – every game is a series.

Every shift is a series. Every slap shot, every hit, every save is a series. And all the Bruins have to do is take it shift by shift, hit by hit, and they’ll win. They proved that during the regular season.

But now, their hardest test lies ahead. In a season where the Bruins faced little adversity - making the rest of the NHL look like a pee-wee league - the B’s now have to dig deep, and make it happen. It’s hard, but definitely doable.

In my first ten years as a Boston fan, I learned to expect the worst. My most recent ten years have taught me to expect the best. What have I learned through it all? Absolutely nothing.

Except to expect anything.