Claude Julien, Facing Another Potential Collapse, Not Thinking About Job Status
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The walls are closing in on the Boston Bruins in the final days of the regular season, but it remains business as usual for head coach Claude Julien.
After losing in a shootout to Carolina on Tuesday night, dropping the Bruins' home record to 16-17-6, the Bruins are no longer in control of their own fate. They'll need to win their remaining two games and get some help with losses by either Detroit or Philadelphia in order to secure one of the East's final playoff spots.
If they don't, it'll mark the second straight year that the Bruins fall out of the playoffs. And if that happens, it's likely that Julien will be the one who -- rightly or wrongly -- gets the ax.
Despite that potential reality staring him right in the face, Julien said Wednesday that such things simply aren't on his mind.
"I'm not answering those questions," Julien quickly replied when asked about potentially taking the fall for his team. "Every year I get the same thing. So I'm not even thinking about that."
As for "worrying" about the team's ability to bounce back from a tough loss like Tuesday's, Julien is projecting an air of confidence.
"I don't think I'd be a good coach if I was thinking that way. I really wouldn't," he told reporters after practice in Wilmington. "It's about trying to stay positive and trying to get the most out of your team, and thinking that way is not going to help our group. We know where we are, we know what's created, and right now it's about hoping you get a little break tonight or somewhere along the way and worry about yourself. If we get that break and we take care of tomorrow, then there are no issues. If not, then it's going to be harder on us. We understand the situation, and the best way to react to that is to have the right attitude and the right approach."
For many in Boston, the slide of the Bruins brings on a serious case of deja vu. Last year in mid-March, the Bruins were sitting relatively pretty with a 36-22-10 record. But they went on a six-game losing streak, picking up three out of a possible 12 points, and finished the year on a 5-5-4 stretch. The surging Senators went 13-2-2 to end the year, snagging a wild-card spot and dashing the Bruins' playoff hopes.
Now, with the Bruins mired in a 2-7-1 stretch since a mid-March West Coast trip, the same ending seems increasingly likely.
For the Bruins, their best route to the playoffs likely involves a Detroit loss (either Wednesday night vs. Philadelphia or Saturday at the Rangers), as well as a head-to-head Boston win over Detroit on Thursday night. If that happens, then the Bruins can take the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, earning a first-round series against the Lightning.
There's another way the Bruins can make the playoffs, which would involve the Flyers losing at least two of their last four games and the Bruins winning their remaining two.
In any event, the fact that the Bruins need help from elsewhere just to make the postseason doesn't provide Julien with much comfort.
"It's not the ideal situation," Julien said. "I don't think it's what we want. But it's what it is. So you've got to, I guess, accept it, and then do what you can to control your end of it."
The coach did say he'll be intently watching Wednesday night's tilt in Detroit, though he said it's less about the playoff implications as it is preparation for Thursday.
"Well I think I do that all the time when we're about to play a team. That's called pre-scouting," he said. "But no doubt, there's some interest there, mostly for the pre-scout purpose. And then hopefully, cross our fingers that we get a little bit of a break there."
That break -- whichever way it goes -- will ultimately determine much more than just the playoff fate of the team.