BOSTON – There have been many good characteristics from the Bruins in their 12 games since the coaching change, but one of the biggest and best attributes is the team’s staunch refusal to drop into a losing streak.
Three times the B’s have lost games, with this week’s defeat in Ottawa registering as the most disappointing, but each time they’ve bounced back strongly with a win to completely sidestep a losing streak.
The latest was the most convincing as the Bruins scored four goals in the first period en route to a complete 6-1 demolition job of the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden. The victory pushed the Bruins to four points ahead of the Maple Leafs for the final Atlantic Division playoff spot and three points ahead of the final wild-card team in the New York Islanders.
The Bruins know they simply can’t afford to lose consecutive games at this point in the season and instead should be playing with a little swagger after winning nine of 12 games with Bruce Cassidy behind the bench.
“We’ve asked them to respond and keep looking forward and playing. I think if you look at our response from the game in Ottawa, it was a good one and it’s a credit to them. They wanted to get back in the win column and it showed,” said Cassidy. “I think this team is capable. I’m talking about the group now. They’re very capable of winning every night. Every time we’ve faced off we’ve been in every game. I think the Anaheim game could have gone either way and you know, I don’t want to revisit every one [of the games], but I want them to feel that way.
“When they go out there, they can win every night. You know, we’ve talked about playing to our standard and when we do, we feel like we can beat any team in the league. So I don’t want the guys to be cocky, but I do want them to be confident. You have to be.”
A big part of avoiding the losing streaks has been Boston’s performance on home ice where they’ve taken six of seven games since the coaching change and have outscored opponents by a 28-12 margin in those games. It’s a complete reversal of fortune for the Black and Gold on so many levels and continues to show why the Bruins are surging forward and looking every bit the consistent playoff team they’ve had the talent to be this season.
Boston Bruins
“That’s a big thing right now, uh, especially with how tight the race is to the finish. We can’t lose multiple games in a row, that’s a big key, having bounce back games and guys showing up right now,” said Brad Marchand, who scored a pair of goals on Wednesday night to continue his all-out offensive assault on the rest of the NHL. “That’s what we need going down the stretch with 15 games or so left and we need to make sure we’re consistent down the stretch and we’re not losing multiple games [in a row].”