A Few Thoughts As I Pray The Wheels Don't Come Flying Off

Ok, so I'm officially worried. The Bruins come into tonight's matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes having lost a season-high four games in a row, though they were able to eek out an OT point in two of those games. They have not convincingly beaten an opponent since they beat the Flyers on 2/5, and you could make the argument that the last real huge win was against these same Hurricanes on 1/10. So, they've slowed down, and though they have a stranglehold on the division and a healthy lead in the Conference, I'm still worried.

First, they were beaten by the Sharks last week, granted on a couple of lucky bounces and an empty-netter, but still. They started strong and faded, which is a recurring theme of late. The Bruins come out of the gate and lead into the third, and then they wilt under the pressure. The last few games they've even had to work to get the point. In their last game it took the empty net and the extra attacker to score they tying goal against Nashville. They haven't been quite right since the rash of injuries started last month, and even though they have Kessel and Looch and Patrice back, they haven't clicked, and they've lost Ryder for a few weeks. Without him Krejci looks lost, and even the goaltending has looked suspect at times. Defensively they're more or less sound (3 goals over the last 2 games on the road gives the offense a chance to win the game...the offense is just anemic right now). The power play blows complete ass right now, so much so that Julien is juggling everyone around, but whatever. I'm not panicky quite yet, as I'm still confident they'll win an opening playoff round (if they make the playoffs), but my pipe dream for an appearance (or even maybe a win) in the Stanley Cup Finals is quickly evaporating. If this team, as it's constituted and playing now, meets the Devils in the playoffs, New Jersey is advancing. That's a fact. I'll cover my potential playoff opponents in a future blog entry, sometime closer to the actual playoffs (if the Bruins make the playoffs), but for now I'll wait.

Tonight's game is more or less must-win, at least as far as my confidence goes. A convincing 2-goal win will right the ship, and prove to me that the Bruins have learned from their mistakes over the last month. A loss, and I start to wonder about whether this young team has the balls to win a tough game come springtime (if the Bruins make the playoffs).

Anyway, I'll try and post a reaction later tonight once the game has actually been played. At the moment, I'd like to shift gears a bit and give you some reading material. That is, if my blog isn't enough for you ;)

uniwatchblog.com

This is one of my dailies, one of the blogs I have to check every day. As a Card-Carrying Member of Uni Watch, I finally found a place where people care as much as I do about the fact that the Red Sox have altered their road grey uniforms, or the fact that single-digit numbers look terrible when worn by a pitcher. Paul Lukas does a fantastic job keeping the daily site updated and interesting, and I'd love to break out my distressingly large jersey collection one of these days to attend a get-together.

io9.com

A recent find of mine, this blog is technically a sci-fi blog, but they have updates, spoilers, and pop-culture content from a surprisingly large number of movies, books, TV shows and the like. Definately worth a look, especially if you're wondering how the hell Battlestar Galactica is going to explain where it's going with all this, like I am.

cracked.com

Once a bad Mad Magazine knock-off, now my number one source for funny historical lists and pop-culture commentary. With articles like "Most badass last words ever" and other easily-digestible tidbits, another good afternoon time-waster

icethetics.info

Another uni- and logo-ecntric blog, this one deals with hockey and all its aethetic goodness. They recently critiqued all the new third jerseys that the NHL debuted this year (i disagree with how low they placed the Bruins 3rd, btw). If you're looking for a more hockey-centric version of uniwatch, icethetics is the way to go.

Ok. Now it's time to watch the Bruins-Hurricanes game. Hopefully some short analysis to follow.

-M