It's been an up-and-down season for the B's, but with more of an emphasis on the ups than the downs. Boston will enter the playoffs as the Northeast Division champions, an accolade they racked up a week ago. They also just eclipsed the 100-point mark.
At times this season, they've looked incredibly impressive. Their most impressive stretch of hockey probably came during a seven-game winning streak, a streak that was highlighted by a 6-0 road trip that took them all over Canada.
However, as good as the Bruins have looked at times, they've looked equally as poor at others. That's not to say that they haven't been a good team this season, but if you had a dollar for every time you heard the phrase "60-minute effort" uttered by Claude Julien, you'd be able to lock down a pretty good seat at the Garden for the playoffs.
The Bruins still struggle at times to find that consistency that playoff teams so desperately covet. They sometimes slip back into the type of play that cost them in last year's playoffs, most notably a recent collapse against an albeit desperate Rangers team last week at Madison Square Garden.
They've done some things incredibly well. Their goal differential, thanks to Julien's defense-first attitude and the play of Tuukka Rask and more notably, Tim Thomas, is at the top of the league. They've shown an ability to stick up for themselves and their teammates throughout the season. When they've had to answer the bell in emotionally charged games, more often than not, they have.
But there are still some things that need to be ironed out before the playoffs. The February addition of Tomas Kaberle was supposed to amend the struggles of the power-play unit, but the B's continue to go into prolonged slumps on the man-advantage.
Still, they will enter the playoffs as one of the three best teams in the Eastern Conference, a testament to their play over the past 82 games. It was a good regular season for the B's, but just how good was it?
What grade would you give the Bruins' regular season? Share your thoughts below.
Saturday, April 9: Do you think Tyler Seguin will see any game action during the playoffs?
What grade would you give the Bruins' regular season?Market Research
