Crunch Time

by Joe Ballway
Editorial. Photos by AP News

If you had told me back in October that, come April, the Bruins would be locked in a Battle Royale for one of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots, I probably would have slapped you for speaking such nonsense. 

After all--distant a memory as it may seem--the Bruins are just one year removed from a dream season that delivered a first-place finish, numerous accolades, and the franchise’s first playoff series victory since 1999. Not much was expected to change this year. If anything, the Bruins were supposed to build off of their success, picked in the preseason by fans and experts alike as a trendy Cup favorite.

April was going to be the time of year when the Bruins, having already clinched a playoff spot, were preparing for the long postseason haul. Six months ago, it wouldn’t have been crazy to anticipate the season finale against Washington on April 11 as a potential Conference Finals preview between two elite teams.

Instead, that contest could be the deciding factor in whether or not the Bruins even make the playoffs--and God forbid that it does come down to that game, for the goal-starved Bruins are ill-equipped to match up with the new top dog in the East.

And if they do hold their own against the unstoppable Washington offense?

Well, their reward could very possibly be a seven-game opening round series with that same team.

After Tuesday’s 1-0 win over the Devils, the Bruins maintain a tenuous hold on seventh place with six games remaining, locked in a three-way tie with Montreal and Philadelphia at 82 points apiece. The ninth-place Thrashers are nipping at their heels, sitting just two points back with 80. The B’s do have a game in hand on Atlanta, but their remaining schedule is no cakewalk: tee of their six games are against either Buffalo or Washington, the top two teams in the conference.

The other three games come against Florida, Toronto, and Carolina, all of whom sit outside of the playoff picture. Essentially, those three games equate to must-wins. There’s no doubt in my mind that a loss in the “Kesselmania” finale would be a sizable puncture in the Bruins’ endangered lifeboat.

Three of those remaining contests come on the road--including both games against Washington--but for the Bruins, that may play to their advantage. If you throw out the Winter Classic, they are just 15-16-6 on home ice, and have gone an appalling 3-10-3 at the TD Garden since the New Year. They have scored more than two goals in a home game just three times over that span, and they remain last in the league in total offensive production with 191 goals.

A major factor in the Bruins' anemic offense has been the lack of power-play production. The power play emerged from its slumber with three goals against Calgary on Saturday, but aside from that game, the Bruins have been blanked on the man-advantage since losing Marc Savard nearly a month ago. 

With Savard sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Bruins will need to find it within themselves to get creative and utilize the playmaking skills of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. If they can't cure what's ailing their power play, they’ll have little chance of survival should they qualify for the postseason.

It may sound like a cliche, but from this point on, every game will be a playoff game. The Bruins need to quit making excuses for themselves and start consistently executing with the hand they've been dealt--the trials and tribulations of the season have been documented enough.

Underachievers such as Dennis Wideman, Matt Hunwick, Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder all need to start performing at an adequate level in order for the B’s to put themselves in a position to succeed. One of the things that made this team so potent last year was the fact that offensive contributions were so widespread. 

This year, too many players have become irrelevant on a seemingly nightly basis, leaving a substantial amount of responsibility on a small number of shoulders.

Of course, nothing is going to come easy. Nothing has been easy all season. All things considered, it’s amazing that the Bruins are even in a position to qualify for the postseason at this point. But even if they do, they’ll be hard-pressed to advance very far unless they can learn how to do two things with more regularity: put the puck in the net, and win a damn home game.