Bruins Not Where they Expected

 The Bruins started off their season home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 8th, 2014. This game ended in a win for the B’s as they defeated the Flyers 2-1. Both teams were full strength without any injury reserves. This game would hopefully set the tone for the Bruins season and their quest for a spot into the playoffs. Although they had a strong start in opening night, their next three games left them short of getting the W.

Thursday October 9th started a 3 game losing streak for the black and gold. These losses came against Detroit, Washington, and Columbia. The streak was ended on October 15th when they secured a road win of 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. With wins and loses coming and going for the B’s they showed a steady win percentage with a 5 game winning streak which started October 30th. The Bruins topped the Buffalo Sabres to start this streak with a 3-2 overtime win. This was also followed by wins against the Senators, Oilers, Panthers, and Devils, all which were home games for the Bruins.

After the impressing 5 game win streak, the Bruins (15-13-2 at the time) just could not seem to make a clear break from .500. After losing their Captain, Zdeno Chara, on October 23rd due to a knee injury, they had a gap in the defense that they just could not seem to fill. 19 games were played without their captain and veteran defensemen and even though that put a damper in the defense, they made adjustments. With the announcement made that he would return and be cleared to play against Chicago on December 11th, coach Claude Julien had high hopes for the team with the veteran to fortify the line. Unfortunately even with the return of Chara, the B’s still have been unable to find the spark they need to come out on top. Along side the Chara injury, one of the B’s two-way key forwards, David Krejci, was out due to yet another injury. He is plays an important role when starting up the Bruins offensive line. Whenever they seemed to be coming up short on the offensive end, Claude Julien is always able to turn to Krejci to start things up. The Bruins fell to the Blackhawks in an upsetting 3-2 home loss. Now they are on a 2 game losing streak with December 13th’s unsettling 3-2 shootout loss against the Senators. Hopefully the Bruins can find the drive to win against the Predators on the 16th.