If you take a quick scan around the Internet, you'll find that the Bruins are getting a good deal of respect from north of the border. TSN, in its weekly NHL power rankings, lists the Bruins as the cream of the crop and even sees them getting better in the weeks to come.
"The Bruins could be really dangerous once they start reaping the expected rewards of Tomas Kaberle's presence on the power play," TSN's Scott Cullen explained.
Take a look at Sportsnet.ca, and you won't see the Bruins atop the rankings, but you will see them at No. 2, trailing only Vancouver.
In both Canadian outlets' rankings, the B's rule the Eastern Conference, landing four spots ahead of Philadelphia in TSN's and two spots ahead of the Flyers in Sportsnet's.
Back home, though, things aren't so friendly.
ESPN ranks the Bruins sixth, actually dropping them down a spot after the Bruins finished off a 7-0-1 stretch. ESPN's Pierre LeBrun pointed to Tuesday's big matchup with the Canadiens as an important meeting for the Bruins. The last time the two teams met, LeBrun called several Bruins players "gutless" for fighting certain members of the Canadiens (only to later delete that tweet), so another fight-filled contest might drop the B's even lower on ESPN's rankings.
CBSSports.com has the Bruins atop the Eastern Conference but fourth overall, trailing Vancouver, San Jose and Chicago. (Interestingly enough, the streaking Devils rank fifth, despite their 30-31-4 record.) FoxSports.com's rankings have the Bruins at fifth, and Sports Illustrated has the B's sixth, but neither have been updated in the past week. Locally, CSNNE.com's rankings have the Bruins at No. 2, behind the Canucks.
All of this comes with the simple caveat that power rankings, of course, don't ultimately mean anything.
Yet with all the Canadian love, maybe it's a good thing for the Bruins that they're in Montreal on Tuesday night.
