The remaining games ARE this year's playoffs for the Bruins. It's awfully difficult to have solid confidence, given the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of this season. Would it be surprising to see them go on a 7-1-1 tear and get in -- or go 3-4-2 and "climb" above Florida/Dallas in draft position? Either is a completely believable possibility for this team.
The core group knows what it ultimately takes to win hockey games, a level of commitment and warrior-like tenacity that leads to separated shoulders, broken ribs, punctured lungs…whatever it takes, with still no guarantee of victory. These guys have proven their willingness and ability to play at that level, though it’s impossible to do so through a regular season -- there would be nobody left standing by the time playoffs started. The question then becomes, at what level do they play? What is enough to win games in November or February, while preserving the body and mind enough to have the strength and will to win in May and June? I think this is what has caused problems for the Bruins at times in recent seasons, knowing when to push into the red – and being able to do so as a team when necessary.
Now they find themselves in a bad position, after a season of struggling to find “good enough” while dealing with key injuries and working in young players that have not yet proven – or had the opportunity to prove – that they understand what it takes, that they have the capacity to flip that switch and find that level of vicious dedication. Their season is now the equivalent of Game 7 versus Toronto, halfway through the 3rd. It’s now or never, last chance to really gel as a TEAM, a single determined unit relentlessly driving opponents into the ground.
There is a good reason why we keep hearing that the Bruins would be a scary matchup in the playoffs. They just need to get there. It starts with these next two games. Win them, against those top teams, and suddenly the believability is there. Krejci returning will make a big difference. Maybe Hamilton comes back sooner than later, and Connolly provides a belated boost. Winning in the playoffs – and in this case, simply getting there – not only requires skill, depth, and determination, it also requires some lucky breaks, and the Bruins are due a few of those.
After watching the past decade and a half of championship teams, I know better than to count these guys out before it’s literally over. Frustrating as it has been, they have my belief to the end. This season is not finished yet.
