Even With Win In St. Louis, Bruins Lose Control Of Playoff Destiny
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- As the final week of the NHL regular season commences, the Boston Bruins find themselves out of a playoff spot. They sit one point behind the Detroit Red Wings, who have the same amount of games remaining (three) and come to the TD Garden for a potentially decisive showdown with the Black & Gold.
As the Bruins' bitter loss to the lowly New Jersey Devils proved, the Bruins could lose control of their playoff destiny - and, by extension, a playoff spot - even with a win against either the St. Louis Blues or Chicago Blackhawks. Despite an inconsistent 60-minute effort in both contests, the Bruins held on by the skin of their teeth in a 6-5 win over the Blues that, ironically, showed how the Bruins have both won and lost games in 2015-16.
The Bruins defense still can't survive a period without getting caught out of position or committing sloppy turnovers that lead to odd-man rushes, and Tuukka Rask still particularly struggles to bail them out in those spots.
They still can't clear opponents from the front of the net, or really cover them well at all. Paul Stastny's game-tying goal in the second period was simply too easy to finish.
On offense, they still struggle to consistently bury quality scoring chances. As I've said previously, all the puck possession in the world means little to your team if you can't do the second part.
As a result of the Bruins' glaring flaws continuing to bleed through to the ice, even when they play well or eke out wins against quality opponents, the rest of their regular season remains a must-win. The Red Wings' other two games, at home against the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers and on the road against the New York Rangers, are decidedly tougher wins than the Bruins' home games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators, but the Bruins remain one of the league's worst home teams at 16-17-5, 28th in the league.
In a wholly unpredictable season, Thursday's potentially season-defining matchup between the Bruins and Red Wings remains impossible to predict.
Whatever the Bruins end up doing in their final three games, they have little to no control over their playoff seeding. The only way for the Bruins to guarantee a spot over Detroit is to win the rest of their games, including a win over Detroit that does not come down to a shootout. The Bruins' battle to avoid a second straight season outside of the playoffs begins, however, with Carolina Tuesday night, in a must-win game that never should have been one in the first place.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
