The Big, Bad, Banged up Bruins Never Give up
What this Bruins team is doing is pretty special.
They’re banged up, they’ve lost some of their best players left and right and they’re still finding ways to get points and win games.
The black and gold are without Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara – just to name a few. They also lost Rick Nash and Adam McQuaid this week, so it hasn’t been easy.
I was apprehensive going into Saturday night’s game against the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning – and why wouldn’t I be?
But as the game went on, I saw how truly special this team is. Tuukka Rask was brilliant, stopping 23 shots and earned his third shutout of the season and handed Tampa Bay their first shutout of the season.
The last time the Lightning was shutout? April 4, 2017 against Rask and the Bruins.
This game had a playoff vibe – not for the fact that it could potentially be a playoff matchup – but because Bruins fans watched their team give a full 60-minute effort. They watched Backes leave the game after suffering a cut to his leg that left him with 18 stitches.
If you look at the list of injured players, one would think the Bruins would start to slip in the standings and begin to implode.
But with a coach like Bruce Cassidy, young studs like David Pastrnak and Danton Heinen stepping up and Harvard University star Ryan Donato looking like he’s been in the NHL for more than just one game, this team is proving it can accomplish anything.
They’re showing continuous grit, heart and will.
It’s obvious they’re missing McAvoy and Chara on defense – since their departure, the team is giving up more goals to their opponents. But the offense isn’t afraid to answer back.
Fans saw that in Boston’s very exciting 6-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. It looked as if the B’s were going to take a loss until the third period where they scored five unanswered goals for the win.
Games like that proved why you never give up on this team. They looked terrible at the beginning of the season, but they’ve completely turned their season around and formed an identity of the team that never quits.
The playoffs are less than a month away and Boston will slowly start getting back their injured players. They’re three points behind the Lightning for first place in the league and could easily catch them.
But what’s even more amazing about this team? During what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Boston Bruins could potentially finish with the most points in the league.
Buckle up, the playoffs are going to be one hell of a run – for the team and for the fans.
-Lauren Campbell (@lalalalaurrrren)