Boston Bruins: A Look Ahead at the Next Five Home-Games

The shortest month of the calendar year has proven to be one of the longest months for the Bruins so far.  With only 28 days in February, the Bruins will have played in 13—eight away games including four of those games being back-to-back.

During this month (5-4-2), we have seen the B’s go through their longest losing streak of the season (0-2-2), more injuries, and having to read more armchair managers’ blogs on what the Bruins need to do by the trade deadline.

Thankfully, this month is coming to an end. Boston just kicked-off game-one of a six-game home-stand on Tuesday with a dominating win over the Florida Panthers. Sweet revenge for the 41-shot shutout last Saturday.

This six-game series at home should bring the out the very best of the Bruins. Boston has a healthy lineup back in place and the teams they are facing are all in the playoff mix. 

Tuesday, Feb. 24

The Bruins utter domination over the Florida Panthers was a must-win. Florida has posted 14-points in the month of February so far—tied with Buffalo in the Eastern Conference for 7th place with 68-points. Only five points separate the fifth-place Canadiens (71) and the 10th place Penguins (68). A first-round preview of the Bruins vs. Panthers? Perhaps.

Tonight, vs. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are just 5-5 this month, but are coming off their second straight win on Tuesday, against the Buffalo Sabres. Anaheim is in a four-way-tie (65) with the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference—all in a heated battle for that all-important playoff berth. With only 21-23 games remaining in the 2008-09 season, just 11-points separate the fifth place Vancouver Canucks (68) and the last place Colorado Avalanche (57). Anything can happen, so expect the Ducks to bring it to the Bruins tonight.

Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. Washington Capitals

Alexander “The Great” Ovechkin and co. return to Boston. The Caps are 7-3-1 this month and continue to be one of the hottest teams in the East. The line of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin is scary good. The trio has combined for 11 points and 39 shots-on-goal in their last three games and shows no signs of slowing down.

The Capitals are the cream of the crop in the Southeast Division with a 13-point cushion over the Florida Panthers. They also have a two-point lead for second place in the East (81) over the New Jersey Devils (79), and are tightening the gap with the top-seed Bruins (90). Washington also leads the series, 2-1, in their three meetings against the Bruins this season. All 82 games count equally, but this final regular season matchup seems to mean a lot more.

Tuesday, Mar. 03 vs. Philadelphia Flyers

There is no love-lost between the Killer B’s and the Broad Street Bullies. The series is split at one-game-a-piece, and this will be their third matchup against each other in less than four weeks.  The Flyers (75) have been playing some great hockey as of late. Their 7-3-0 record in February includes their most recent back-to-back wins over the Capitals and Los Angles Kings. Just four-points behind the Atlantic Division leaders New Jersey Devils (79), Philly stands alone in fourth place in the East.

Thursday, Mar. 05 vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Wayne Gretzky and the Coyotes just can’t seem to get thing going in Phoenix. The Coyotes are second-to-last in the Western Conference (59), 3-7-0 in February; yet six points back from the 6th place Blue Jackets. The goaltending duo of Ilya Bryzgalov and Mikael Tellqvist has allowed 35 goals in their last 10 games played. Stranger things have happened, but expect the Coyotes to miss the playoffs again this year for the sixth straight season.

(Side note: The Coyotes are in serious financial troubles, like the rest of the country. An estimated $200-million loss since 2001 and an expected $30-million more this season. Commissioner Gary Bettman seriously has to look into moving this franchise back to Winnipeg.)

Saturday, Mar. 07 vs. Chicago Blackhawks:

To close out the home-stretch, Boston plays host to the young and talented, Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago is 7-4-0 this month and is locked-in at the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Their goaltending has been fantastic all year long, with Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin splitting the time between the pipes. The Bruins won the only contest against the Hawks this season—a 2-1 shootout victory back on Nov. 12.

(Welcome back, Kris Versteeg. Two years ago, this sensational left-winger was traded from Boston to Chicago in exchange for Brandon Bochenski.)

Mark also writes about the Bruins at Examiner.com You can also listen to him on Saturday's at 2:25pm est, on 1250/900 AM in N.H., or at WGAMRadio.com