The Boston Bruins: On a Steady Seven-Game Decline

After a disheartening Bruins' loss the last night, courtesy of the San Jose Sharks, I finally decided to chat with my best friend who just so happens to reside in California. He’s originally from Boston; a Bruin fan first, Shark fan second.

We seem to argue and debate about everything. Very rarely do we ever agree on anything, and this conversation was no different: Are the B’s in a funk?

My “homer-ism” immediately kicked in. I start to laugh it off as I mentioned that the B’s are still 4-1-2 in their last seven games, and are still the number one team in the league with 85 points.

He replies with a few interesting shots back, mentioning a few key players and their recent fall in production. So I decided to close out our chat session and dig a little deeper on this topic. And as much as it pain-stakes me to admit it, I think he’s right.

The Bruins last seven-game record (4-1-2) indicates that they are almost identical with their previous seven contests, having gone 5-1-1. While the overall team record is one thing, the players' and teams’ stats are a whole different ballgame.

The first of the seven games was a much easier schedule for Boston than their last seven, so let’s get that out of the way right now.  In three home games, four away, the Bruins faced the Washington Capitals twice, Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes once each, and three bottom-feeders in the Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, and New York Islanders.

To start off the last seven contests, (welcome back Phil Kessel) the B’s faced an onslaught of talent, and an extremely hot New Jersey Devils team. The Devils won their seventh in a row on Jan. 29 by beating Boston, 2-1, at the TD Banknorth Garden.

The six games after that loss were an equal split of home/away games, one of those being against the underachieving Ottawa Senators. The Black and Gold struggled on the road against—at the time—40-point Sens, yet eventually won during the shootout on Feb. 5, 4-3.

A two-game series with the Philadelphia Flyers, one each versus the Canadiens, New York Rangers and most recently, San Jose Sharks, to finish off the struggling series.

Now, for some staggering team statistics.

From Jan. 10—Jan. 27 the Bruins combined for a plus-four, 21 goals-for (GF) and 12 goals-against (GA). 10 power-play goals (PPG) in 30 power-play opportunities (PPO) while only giving up four short-handed goals on 28 penalty-kills.

Zdeno Chara had eight points, three PPG and registered a plus-10 during that span.

Jan. 29—Feb.  10.

Minus-six

18 GF (-3, than the previous seven)

18 GA (+6)

Two PPG on 30-PPA (-8 on the same attempts)

Six short-handed goals allowed on 19 times short-handed. (+6 allowed in nine less attempts)

Zdeno Chara: Two-points (-6) minus-two (-12) and zero PPG (-3)

It’s apparent that the long season is starting to show. 55 games played in only 126 calendar days is bound to take its toll, even on professional athletes, including the top team in the NHL.

Five games down, seven more to go in the shortest, yet longest month of the year for the B's.

The recent struggles have many of the Bruin fans screaming for a trade, but history shows that GM Peter Chiarelli isn’t so quick to jump and make panic decisions come the trade deadline time. He has helped build this remarkable team that is on its way to a historic-like season.

On the other hand, with this Stanley Cup contending team here in Boston, and its surplus of young talent and possible trade-bait, I think it’s something worth investigating. After all, it’s been a long time since Boston has been buzzing about its Bruins.