The Bruins are awful right now. Every team, in every sport, goes through it. It's a long season. But excuses like injuries and such have dried up over the past few weeks and now is a nasty slump that has me hanging off each team's wagon. I'm not a fair weather fan. Trust me. I'm an exuberant follower that has major passion. I've put it all out on the table. I'm giving everything I have as I root and support the club. I can skate, shoot and hit, but clearly they won't let me on the ice. I realize this year is as good as any to give it all for the club.
But this week really got me upset. The club was horrific last week but did win 2 games and entered the week losing 7 of 10. Things got worse though. The team battled the Flyers in Boston in an attempt to save the home stand. A 1-1 tie in the 3rd disappeared as the Flyers scored 3 goals and left the fans and followers angry. They did the same a few weeks ago when the Sharks visited. Again it happened. Change was dire and so the team made some moves on the deadline, acquiring Mark Recchi and Steve Montador for a few solid prospects. The team was going for it.
The new guys joined the club for an easy match up with the lowly Coyotes. But the team played uninspired hockey and lost 2-1. Boos rained down at The Garden as players were benched and lines shifted. The team still fell. The final game of a lost home stand was vs. the Hawks'. I can't tell you much about it as I took part in a personal boycott. The team won 5-3. I wondered if that was the end of the slump. I found out less than 24 hours it was not. The team had a huge match up with the Rangers at MSG. Manny Fernandez was atrocious, much like his performance in the 3rd period vs. the Flyers earlier in the week. The Bruins battled well at times, and a 3-3 tie down the stretch was a good sign. Inevitably, the NYR scored late and won 4-3. A disastrous week officially ended. All we can do is hope the team rights the ship and holds on to the #1 seed, a seed they've held on since early December. Am I panicking? Just a bit. With about 15 games left, the club still has a lead over the Devils and Capitals. But the once unreachable is now reachable for both clubs. It's up to the black and gold to fix things now. The club has, on paper, an easier schedule down this final stretch. This week, the take on the Jackets, Sens, Isles and Pens. It's time to start getting back to the style and game that has put us in the #1 seed spot.
The Celtics are rough of late too. Granted, they have some key injuries. Garnett is still out, as is T. Allen and Scal. Rondo and Davis have ankle sprains but should be back to help the club as they travel to Miami this week and then come home for a game with the Grizzlies before going back on the road to Milwaukee. This week, the team went 2-1. After a pathetic loss to the mediocre Pistons on Sunday, the team went to NJ and won a nail biter with the Nets. They then won a huge game with the Cavs. Both wins were quite impressive. Unfortunately, the team played poor once again during another Sunday matinee, this time with the Magic. The 7 point win for the Magic pulled them within 2 games of the green. Not cool.
Let's try to end this on a positive note! The BC Eagles looked porous this week in the final two regular season games. They lost a close game they should not have lost to NC State to start the week. The final game was with the lowly GT Yellow Jackets, and the club needed a buzzer beater from Sanders to escape with the win. The team ended the regular season at a proper 21-10 record and a solid 9-7 ACC record. Knowing that the March Madness selection committee is a joke, notching their 21st win was just what they needed to avoid getting screwed and overlooked. I've blogged about that topic before and I suggest you go back and read it. Anyhow, the team reached the #6 seed for the ACC tourney which begins Thursday night against Virginia. The standings are below:
1. North Carolina 13-3 27-3
2. Duke 11-5 25-6
3. Wake Forest 10-5 23-5
4. Florida State 10-6 23-8
5. Clemson 9-6 23-6
6. Boston College 9-7 21-10
7. Miami 7-9 18-11
8. Maryland 7-9 18-12
9. Virginia Tech 7-9 17-13
10. NC State 6-10 16-13
11. Virginia 4-12 10-17
12. Georgia Tech 2-14 11-18
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