Are the Bruins Back?
Boston fans are feeling hungry again. Earlier this decade they were laying claim to being “Title Town, USA.” And they certainly got used to some winning. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. But since then they have lost some pop, including Manny Ramirez. They are currently a .500 team. The Boston Celtics were last year’s NBA champs and looked good early this season. But now Kevin Garnett is out and they are struggling just to stay even with the Chicago Bulls. The New England Patriots won three Super Bowls earlier in the decade. They were cruising to another two years ago until the NY Giants snuck it away in the last minute.
Last year quarterback Tom Brady went down, and the team didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Their return to greatness is certainly no guarantee. That leaves Boston-area fans with one solid hope for a title this year. The Boston Bruins had a great regular season. They tied San Jose for most wins with 53. And they showed terrific firepower with 274 goals. They were the top-rated offense in the NHL.
Usually a team that is offense-minded does well because it plays at a faster pace, and doesn’t mind winning a shootout. But the Bruins also gave up the fewest goals in the league. That is serious domination.
The Bruins have jumped to a 3-0 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs simply look overmatched. There is little doubt Boston will cruise to the next round.
There they will face the winner of the all-Pennsylvania series. The Philadelphia Flyers have pulled ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2 games to 1. But this series sets up two very closely matched teams against each other. The two teams had nearly identical records. This series could easily go to a seventh game. By that time, the Bruins will probably be watching and waiting, not too worried about either opponent.
Boston has a star-studded lineup. Alexei Kovalev led the squad with 65 points. Andrei Markov was right behind with 64. Saku Koivu had an excellent year with 41 goals. Alex Tanguay and Andrei Kostitsyn poured in 41 points. Goalie Carey Price went 52-23, with a measely 2.83 GAA. He had plenty of help from a squad that is big and plays tough.
Although the team won’t admit it, their fans are probably looking right past the winner of the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series. Their next opponents would most likely be either the Washington Capitals or the New Jersey Devils. Both teams had excellent regular season performances, finishing second and third in the Eastern Conference.
Both teams can score almost as well as the Bruins. But it’s on the defensive side that Boston is likely to overwhelm them. Their would-be Eastern rivals aren’t nearly as efficient at keeping the net clear as Boston is.
In fact, no Eastern team seems, on paper, to be a real match-up for the Bruins. That means that eager fans are probably looking ahead to the most likely Stanley Cup Finals: Boston vs. the San Jose Sharks.
Both Boston and San Jose still have to finish three series in their own conferences to get there. And there is nothing automatic about that.
But they were the two best teams in the league, and nothing we’ve seen in the playoffs so far indicates that anyone is going to stop them.
Certainly San Jose will have its challenges, particularly if it meets up with Detroit. The Red Wings are last year’s champs, and aren’t going to go away quietly. Playoff experience counts for a lot, and this is a team that knows how to win.
Chicago is another dangerous. But maybe the most serious challenge for the Sharks is that they still have to prove to themselves and the world that they can win in the postseason.
If they can do that, we may be looking at a Cup Final that matches the two top regular-season teams. Even if Detroit or Chicago can stop that train, the best bet here is that the Boston Bruins simply don’t care.
They have a date with destiny. They have the best shot at keeping Boston’s Title Town reputation alive. It looks like a bad idea right now to bet against them.
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Tags: Boston Bruins, NHL
