It’s been a long time since the Bruins sent the Flyers packing. Too long. The euphoria of a return to the Eastern Conference finals has faded during a week without hockey.
Until last Friday, we’d become addicted to the rhythm of the playoffs. We had hockey every other night. Eleven unforgettable games (OK, nine … we can forget about Game 1 and Game 2 against the Canadiens) over 23 days. It was a three-week cycle that, for the most part, allowed us to watch a game, spend a day talking about that game, and then get ready for another game.
But since last Friday, nothing.
And suddenly, the confidence of New England has been eaten away a little bit.
A week ago, we were overjoyed by the news that the Tampa Bay Lightning had knocked off the Washington Capitals in four straight games. No worries about Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green. Bring on the Bolts, the Tampa Trappists who sit back and wait for their opponents to make a mistake.
Now, we sit back and wait for this thing to start. We start to look at the Lightning and worry about their smothering defensive schemes. We look at the highlights of their first two series and wonder how could the Bruins ever score against Dwayne Roloson.
We hear that Patrice Bergeron is feeling “better” but lament the fact that he’s not skating with the team. We worry about the team’s chemistry with lines being juggled in Bergy’s absence. We wonder how Tyler Seguin will handle his first NHL postseason action — in a playoff round the Bruins haven’t reached in 19 years.
This is what happens when we have too much time to think about things. It’s been so long since the B’s have been so close, and we don’t want this crazy ride to end.
Luckily, the Bruins aren’t like us. They’re using this time to rest, not to worry. The team had another day off the ice Wednesday and is using the week off to heal and prepare. Bergeron is getting time to recover, and the men who will replace him are getting time to work with their new linemates.
So don’t worry. The time off is not a bad thing. It’s just a little break in the action. Come Saturday night at the Garden, we’ll be caught up in the madness again. As Jack Edwards put it last Friday, “New England has Stanley Cup fever again.”
Yes, we do. But the time away from the rink has allowed us to cool off. It’s time to drop the puck, and get New England back to that fever pitch again.
