Kalman: Final 40 Minutes in LA Prove Bruins Can Overcome California 0-Fer, Make Playoffs
BOSTON (CBS) -- Even when you set low expectations for the Bruins this season, there's the risk they won't meet them.
When the Bruins departed for their three-game California road trip after going 5-0-2, it seemed like two out of six points against the powers of the Pacific Division would suffice to help the Bruins stay on track for a return to the playoffs.
After a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles on Saturday, the Bruins finished their trip 0-3-0 and completed their season series 0-6-0 against teams from the Golden State. Safe to say they won't be playing Beach Boys greatest hits on the charter flight home Sunday.
The Bruins' loss, combined with Tampa Bay's win in Arizona, put Boston third in the Atlantic Division with 86 points. They're one behind the Lightning, three behind Florida for first place and, more importantly, three points ahead of Detroit for third place (with the Red Wings holding one game in hand).
Had they met expectations and earned two points on the trip, even by reaching a couple overtimes or shootouts, they'd be more comfortable with a five-point lead on the Red Wings, who are the only team the Bruins really have to worry about right now in the Eastern Conference race. Instead the Bruins are in a dicey situation with nine games remaining to earn enough points to make the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.
But all is not lost just because the Bruins couldn't improve their standing while on the West Coast. They gradually made improvements as the road trip went along. The 3-2 score in San Jose wasn't indicative of how much they were outplayed by the Sharks. They didn't take care of the puck and were too reliant on Tuukka Rask to keep them in the game.
Then they sleepwalked through most of their 4-0 loss in Anaheim. They got behind by two goals early, were sloppy with the puck again, and didn't pay the price they needed to pay to solve Ducks goaltender Frederik Anderson.
Down 2-0 after the first period in Los Angeles, the Bruins could've called it quits and started planning their in-flight meals for the return trip home. Instead they gave the Pacific Division leaders all they could handle. After being on the wrong end of the Corsi For battle 25-13 in the first period, Boston had 24 shot attempts 5-on-5 to the Kings' 18 over the course of periods two and three, according to war-on-ice.com. The Bruins also had 11 shots on net during four power plays and a couple chances from dangerous areas (by Patrice Bergeron and Matt Beleskey) in the final minute during a 6-on-5, but were thwarted on both. A bounce here or there and they at least would've tied the score and earned one point.
There are no points in the NHL standings for moral victories (although if it would increase revenues and ratings the League will obviously try to put a points value on them in the future), but the Bruins can take solace in the fact that they won't see another California team until the Stanley Cup finals (of a year to be determined).
If the Bruins play the way they played in the final 40 minutes in Los Angeles, they'll be able to take care of their final nine opponents and get into the postseason. Regardless of where those nine foes currently rank in the standings or how they're playing, here's one way to measure the degree of difficulty in the Bruins' remaining schedule.
Boston is 14-3-3 this season against the nine opponents they face down the stretch. That's 31 out of 40 points, or 78 percent. If they earn 78 percent of the 18 remaining available points, they'll have 100 and be playing a first-round series in mid-April.
Expectations were low for the Bruins on their way out to the Left Coast. The bar will be raised once they're back East with the Red Wings nipping at their heels. Hopefully their California troubles taught them some lessons and they can duplicate how they played in the latter two periods against Los Angeles, or just get back to playing the way they did before they went West, in order to meet those expectations and keep playing beyond the regular season.
