The Bruins are slumping for the first time this season
BOSTON -- It has been mostly smooth sailing for the Boston Bruins, who will hit the NHL All-Star break later this week as the best team in hockey. Their dominance over the last three months has built Boston quite the cushion atop the standings.
But there is no denying that, for the first time this season, the Bruins are in a bit of a slump. The team has hit a slight bump in the road over the last week, losing three straight.
It's the first time all season that the Bruins have dropped three straight. They hadn't lost two straight until Saturday night, with the only "slump" suffered up to that point coming in late December, when the team lost two in a three-game stretch -- one of which was a shootout loss.
But Boston suffered its third straight loss Sunday night with a 4-1 defeat to the Hurricanes in Carolina. It capped off a difficult three-games-in-four-nights stretch in which the Bruins also suffered losses to the Panthers in Florida and Lightning in Tampa. Sunday night's defeat came right off the heels of Saturday night's overtime loss to the Panthers.
On Sunday, the Bruins looked like a team that had just played an overtime game less than 24 hours prior, falling behind 1-0 midway through the first period. They never recovered, falling behind 3-0 in the third period before Taylor Hall tallied Boston's only goal of the night.
In a matchup between the two best teams in the league, the Bruins did not look like the club that sits on the throne above everyone else. The Hurricanes scored two of their goals off Bruins turnovers. Boston was also 0-for-6 on the power play on Sunday, and went scoreless in 12 tries with a man advantage during this three-game skid. It's hard to win when a team can't execute with an extra skater.
The Bruins don't seem too worried about this mini slump. They've lost three straight, but all three were road matches against the other top teams in the league. Unfortunately for their sake, all three are potential postseason opponents for Boston.
While they've been making their share of mistakes over the last week, the Bruins are chalking up this slight sag to fatigue. And it has been clear as day that this team could use a little bit of a break at the moment.
"I think you can't deny that," Patrice Bergeron said after Sunday's loss. "That being said, we have to be pros and make sure you bring it every night. Back-to-back on the road, lots of hockey -- it's part of it. That being said, it's nothing that other teams aren't seeing. It's part of the schedule we all have, so we have to be better."
"I just think we need a little bit of a rest," head coach Jim Montgomery added. "I'm not worried about our power play. Our players are too talented and too competitive."
At least the Bruins will get a little breather with an off day on Monday before hitting the practice ice again on Tuesday. After that, they'll head to Toronto for their final game ahead of the break, and won't play again until Feb. 11.
The Bruins haven't played great during this three-game hiccup, but there is no need to panic. They remain the top of the class in the NHL at 38-7-6, and have a nine-point cushion on the Hurricanes for the most in the league. They should get Jake DeBrusk back in the lineup when they return from the All-Star break, putting them at full strength once again.
The Bruins are in a bit of a slump, but they are in no way losing their grip on the league. They're simply a team that can use a bit of a breather after coming out of the gates at such a breakneck speed.
