The Boston Bruins Have Hit Rock Bottom

NESN’s play-by-play man Jack Edwards couldn’t have said it any better at the conclusion of the Bruins embarrassing 5-1 loss to the bottom feeding Carolina Hurricanes.

“The Bruins have hit rock bottom!”

Bruins coach, Claude Julien stated in a post game interview with NESN's Naoko Funayama, "Every mistake is going in our net."

"We are lucky to have four days to work things out and get healthy bodies back."

"The battle part of our game needs to get better."

Julien definitely wanted his team to battle more as he was seen berating his players during the second period in their loss to last place Carolina.

Boston is 1-7-1 in their last nine games. They have slipped from fifth place in the Eastern Conference to ninth and out of the playoffs elite eight. By the time the Bruins take the ice on Friday night against Buffalo, they could be sitting near the bottom of the conference.

Boston is a shell of the team that went to the second round of the playoffs last season.

The Sports Illustrated hockey writers must have been dismissed from their posts after picking this underachieving and listless squad as a Stanley Cup contender. They couldn’t even compete for the Calder Cup at this point.

Boston better turn things around in the next 31 games or they may be left out in the playoff cold. Missing the postseason would be the ultimate sin in the Hub of Hockey after the promise of last season.

After an encouraging west coast swing where Boston stole 3 out of 6 points, the Bruins have been D.O.A. (dead on arrival) ever since. People, myself included, thought the win versus San Jose would be a turning point for the team. I was foolish enough to compare this well fought theft from the Sharks to the Jason Varitek/A-Rod brawl in the 2004 Red Sox season.

That event ignited the Sox. They ended up beating Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera that night. This was the defining moment of the Red Sox season which catapulted them to a World Championship. Their first in 86 years.

This win had the polar opposite effect. The Bruins blew a two-goal lead versus LA before losing in a shootout. They returned to the comfy confines of the TD Garden on MLK day, only to get run over by Ottawa 5-1.

The Bruins looked like they had massive jet-lag from travelling cross-country and playing three games in four days. Boston’s players were continuing to drop like flies. Byron Bitz, Marco Sturm, and Steve Begin have joined fellow teammates Marc Savard and Andrew Ference on the shelf.  Perhaps these were reasons to give the Bruins a mulligan on their lackluster effort against the Sens.

Perhaps the stumbling and bumbling Columbus Blue Jackets was just what the doctor ordered. The Jackets (what the heck is a Blue Jacket anyway) were fluttering near the bottom of the Western Conference.

Well that’s why they play the games.

The Bruins were tied 2-2 late in that game when Milan Lucic was called for a phantom high stick. Columbus scored on the power play and another loss was tagged on the Black and Gold. Instant replay showed that it was a fellow teammate that gouged the Columbus player, but no excuse.

They shouldn't have been in that situation anyway. Maybe a revenge game versus Ottawa this past Saturday would light a fire under the Bruins.

Nope. Even the Winter Classic jerseys couldn’t bring any magic for the home team. The Bruins lost a tight knit game 2-1 and the Bruins had their fourth straight loss.

 The Bruins limped into Carolina and left limping. They got blasted 5-1 by the worst team in the league. They got pummeled by a squad that can’t even fill their arena after going to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Boston has four days to get players healthy and try to correct their numerous short comings before they face Buffalo on Friday.

Savard should return which will help the offense, but he is not the end all be all. They need players like Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler to step up offensively. After Chara and Morris, the defense is inconsistent and offensively impaired. Rask and Thomas can make spectacular highlight reel saves but they also let in their share of softies.

Perhaps Bruins’ Vice President Cam Neely may have to bring back his “Sea Bass” character from “Dumb and Dumber” fame. He can skate on the ice with his flannel and his trucker hat and kick some of the Bruins’ tails.

Something needs to be done to shake up this team. Either by a Sea Bass butt whooping or by Peter Chiarelli making a trade, something has to change. The front office and coaching staff can ill afford to wait and see.

The Bruins only have 31 games to turn their season around.

Great teams overcome injuries and bad patches.

Only time will tell who the Boston Bruins truly are.

Contenders or pretenders?