What can we take away from this recent trek? Not much we didn’t already know. The road trip basically epitomized the Bruins’ season of inconsistency with major highs, major lows and, of course, a major injury.
The trip started off on a high note, as the Bruins earned their first win over the Islanders in the finale of the season series between the two. It was a textbook road game, and Tim Thomas earned his second straight win with 37 saves, appearing to be back in a groove.
But then the injury bug hit hard again, as Marc Savard was left concussed by a blindsided hit (courtesy of Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke) that went unpunished by the referees — and by the ever-inconsistent Colin Campbell. The Bruins, despite another solid road game, lost 2-1 and had their win streak halted at two.
Obviously rattled after watching their star center get carried off the ice on a stretcher, the Bruins had a spirited but shaky outing in Toronto two nights later, losing 4-3 in overtime. Thomas looked shaky but did keep his team in the game late, stopping numerous odd-man rushes and helping his team steal a point in the third period.
But the roller-coaster ride that was this road trip took an upswing again in Philadelphia, as the Bruins put forth one of their best efforts this season, trouncing the Flyers 5-1. They also found their physical game again, dropping the gloves and plastering Flyers players to the boards all night. Tuukka Rask returned between the pipes and was splendid in a 31-save performance.
Just when it appeared this team had found its edge and would defend itself — despite what media and fans believed after the lack of response to Cooke's hit on Savard — the Bruins came out flat against Montreal last Saturday night and were pushed around by the smaller and speedier Habs. They lost 3-2 after failing to recover from a 2-0 deficit after one period.
But more indicative of the Bruins' struggles was the lack of response to a hit from behind on Marco Sturm by Andrei Markov. Sturm got up to find himself surrounded by all five Habs on the ice and had to fend for himself before his teammates came to his rescue.
In an almost identical game that saw the Bruins fall behind by three goals in the opening frame, the Bruins lost 3-2 to the Devils on Monday, wasting one of the three games they had in hand on the Habs, who still lead Boston by four points in the Eastern Conference standings. Thomas was shelled, allowing three goals on 12 shots in 20 minutes. Entering the second, he was pulled in favor of Rask, who got the job done with two shutout periods and 16 saves — but to no avail.
On Tuesday, the B’s closed out the trip on another giant upswing, beating the Hurricanes 5-2 and returning the favor to the club that embarrassed them 5-1 on Jan. 24. The B’s defense played a major role on offense, accounting for three points. Johnny Boychuk's goal was of the highlight variety. Rask was solid again with 30 saves.
So what can we take away from all of this? There were certainly reminders that this team, through all its struggles and injuries, can still play a complete game — as witnessed in Carolina and Philadelphia. But they B's are a Jekyll and Hyde bunch, as witnessed in the other five games of the trip. We also still know that Thomas hasn’t quite found his Vezina-level stuff yet, and that Rask is the man for the final 13 games.
One of the biggest positives, however, is that the Bruins have a Peter Pan on their team in Mark Recchi, who tied Guy Lafleur with his 560th career goal on Tuesday and looks younger every game. The B's also finally seem to have a line that's clicking with Recchi, Patrice Bergeron and Sturm. In addition, the Bruins offense has combined for 17 goals in their last five games, helping to fill the void left by Savard.
But the most glaring lesson of the trip? This team has yet to come together in terms of loyalty and physicality. Obviously, they have a prime opportunity to get better in this area when they welcome Cooke and the Penguins to the TD Garden on Thursday in what has become one of the most anticipated regular-season games of the year.
Will the Bruins answer the call on Thursday, and for the final 13 games of the season?
