Bruins slowly getting over the suspension attention

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Perhaps it was inevitable the Bruins were headed for a rough patch after their emotional loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

Above and beyond dropping the score-settling Stanley Cup Finals rematch to the hated Canucks, the Bruins lost Brad Marchand for five games on a clipping call.

That had been preceded by a one-game suspension for Milan Lucic on a boarding call against the Flyers. And it was followed by a three-game suspension for boarding by Andrew Ference that just recently concluded.

It was almost like one long sit-down with Brendan Shanahan and the player safety department broken up into three different parts, and it gave off the feeling that the league was watching the Bruins like they were a bad Rockwell song from the 1980s.

The Bruins lead the NHL in the unenviable category of nine games lost to suspensions this season, and an argument could be made the Bscarrying the reputation of a team that plays on the edge, earned while beating up Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Finals -- no longer get the benefit of the doubt on 5050 calls by the referees.

Marchand, Lucic and Ference are among the biggest emotional catalysts for the Black and Gold, and certainly were during last years Cup run.

While the players say they won't change their ways due to a little league attention, the suspensions certainly had their effect on the team. The Bruins were outhit in eight of their last 11 games by the opposing teams, and that's something that almost never happens to theBlack and Gold. In fact in the three games against the Rangers, Flyers and Capitals two weeks ago the B's were outhit by a margin of 96-52.That's not hard to play against hockey, and thatdainty approach to the gamecertainly wasn'tanything resembling Bruins hockey. One of the reasons the Bruins didnt seem to be playing with the same aggressiveness and tenacity during a 5-5-1 stretch was the heavy NHL schedule wearing down on them.But thats only part of a complicated story.

There also a sense of curbed physicality and tentativeness that replaced the B's normal swagger as the biggest, meanest, strongest club on the block. Now Lucic, Ference and Marchand have to be concerned about getting whacked by the league as repeat offenders, and Lucic admitted its something thats given him pause since his return.

In Lucics own words, the Bruins seemed to be playing with the working knowledge that the microscope is on them.

Thats not really conducive to playing their brand of hockey, and would explain why the Bs seem to be on their heels at times. Once the players begin questioning whether what theyre doing will be eyed suspiciously by the league, it takes some of the starch right out of their game.

Ive still tried getting in there forechecking and finishing my checks, but definitely you have to be aware of when the microscope is on you. Youre always aware of that, said Lucic. The suspensions might have something to do with the struggles.

Lets be honest: Theyve come down pretty hard on us. Especially with the five- and the three-game suspensions . . . I mean, the Devils' Patrik Elias was a more blatant hit from behind on Montreal's Mike Blunden last week than mine or Ference was, and that was just a fine.

One thing that started to emerge again against the Capitals on Sunday afternoon was the air of intimidating physicality that had been missing from Bostons game. The Bruins went from a team that was pushed around by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday to one that was once again doing the shoving on Sunday.

Thats a key to Bostons success and it should be back to business as usual for the Black and Gold now that theyre getting removed further from their supplemental discipline binge in January.

As time goes on maybe, well start playing more relaxed and really get into that physicality, said Lucic. But for right now I think were just being aware of whats going on. I dont want to say its affecting us, but a lot has happened in a short time.

We dont want to lose key guys for long periods of time, so theres definitely heightened awareness about the rule changes. We want to be going about things the right way.

Its only human nature that some level of hesitation entered Bostons game after getting slapped one too many times. But its also within the Bruins nature to become the ones doing the slapping againbefore too long.

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