The Boston Bruins are riding high and if we wanted to do any real discussion about playoff positioning, the real question that B’s fans should be asking is if it would be better to start resting guys through this next stretch of games and take the 1st wildcard as a given and face the Sabres, or try to push to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning to get them out of the way quicker.
They certainly shouldn’t be especially worried about this version of the Panthers.
Nobody will mourn them, but it is genuinely crazy how beat to hell Florida is right now. Your Stanley Cup Champions have had their roster cored by what looks like a giant ice cream scoop. I mean…just look at this.
I struggle to think of any combination of these guys you could lose and still not take a major hit performance wise and the Panthers just got all of them posted up in a Florida hospital somewhere.
But yeah, the Panthers are a complete mess this year as a result of their ill-gotten gains and we do not need to feel bad about this at all. I give my eternal condolences to the Springfield Thunderbirds who have come to Amerant Arena to wear that sweater, but the Bruins would like to at least flirt with a 100 point season.
The keys of course will be keeping your head up and on a swivel; the Panthers did a number on Charlie McAvoy last time they met, and I think we can all admit that the referees are at the very least willing to go along with the antics of the Cats if not outright encourage them, so keeping discipline, even when defending yourself, is going to be key; if you’re gonna get that roughing call, make sure a player in a red sweater goes with you, and for god’s sake do not let them believe they can walk over you. They will happily take that bait.
Further, and this is definitely a bigger issue; the B’s defense…needs to actually hold the line. Having no Mason Lohrei is definitely An “something”…though I wouldn’t call it an improvement just yet. They still are making games a good deal closer than they have any right to be, and if there’s still any part of the Panthers of old in this hollow shell of a team, it’s unquestionably that infuriating ability to make you pay for every single mistake you make in your own end. Boston cannot let that happen.
Will Boston manage to keep their game together to whallop on the Cats? Let’s Find out later tonight!