By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
The Boston Bruins are one game into their last extended road trip of the regular season. But on Thursday night, the Bruins did not set the tone as they would have wanted to.
Against a Florida Panthers team missing a plethora of players, Boston got off to a sleepy start, falling behind 2-0 before the opening frame’s halfway point. The fourth line, as they have all year, brought terrific energy to try to get the top guys going. As Sean Kuraly, Tanner Jeannot, and Mark Kastelic did their best to flip the momentum.
Boston woke up in the third period but were unable to solve Sergei Bobrovsky. And despite missing many key skaters and being well out of the playoff push, the Panthers snagged two points away from the Bruins.
As the final horn sounded, David Pastrnak slapped the puck against the boards in irritation. It was a very frustrating outcome and performance to start off a massive four-game road trip.
Florida was the only team on this road slate well out of the playoff hunt. As the next three teams Boston will be battling on this trip, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes, are all fighting hard each game to either secure a top division seed or grab a wild card spot.
It is unfortunate that Boston dropped the only game on this trip against a team not in full-on desperation mode. As the Bruins are in a good spot to make the playoffs, but they are certainly not shoo-ins in either.
Boston is currently the top wild card in the Eastern Conference, with 94 points. But four teams have 88 points. The Bruins cannot afford to slip much more on this road trip, given how tight the standings are.
One aspect they must improve in over their back-to-back this weekend is that Boston must be better after the opening puck drop. Too often in recent road games, the Bruins have gotten off to sluggish starts in the initial period.
What has masked that problem is that they have been able to grind third period comebacks, most notably that wild shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last Sunday. But obviously, Boston cannot bank on constantly scrapping together late come-from-behind wins. Especially against talented teams playing for a lot these last couple of weeks, the Bruins must establish better starts to avoid needing such pressure-packed, desperate offensive pushes late in games.
The Bruins have dramatically improved their road play of late, but they cannot afford to slip back into those bad habits at this critical juncture of the season. Boston must set the tone early in these crucial games. While they have a six-point playoff cushion, they need to remind themselves of what helped them establish that position in the first place.
The Bruins will be in for a back-to-back this weekend, as Boston will be in Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning today before flying to Philadelphia to battle the Flyers on Easter Sunday. If you want to see the Black and Gold in person at TD Garden or on the road before the season ends, consider using this official StubHub Ticket-affiliated link here for the most competitive concert and sporting event tickets in the North American region.
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