Can Boston Bruins lift the Stanley Cup once again - NHL Special
Boston Bruins lifted the Stanley Cup last year in a snow capped Vancouver as riots broke out around the city after defeating Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in the final game.
The Bruins won that series after winning the last two games as they overturned a 3-2 Canucks lead to lift the Stanley Cup trophy with a 4-3 series win.
That event though is now firmly in the past.
Boston started the 2011-12 season slow, so slow that they managed to create a new record as the defending Champions with the worst start to a National Hockey League (NHL) season after ending October 2011 with a 3-7-0 record.
Since then though things have looked up for the defending champions with brilliant performances and they currently lie second in the Eastern Conference with 83-points.
The question now is does this team have the potential for another big season?
In their current form, it certainly seems unlikely that Boston can put up another winning season as the offence struggles for goals while the defence looks completely inept at stopping the opposition.
The Bruins have slid greatly in March and have essentially lost the race with New York Rangers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Three big losses to Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and an embarrassing surrender against the Tampa Bay Lightning have seen the Bruins trail New York by a massive 12 points.
With just three wins in eight games, it seems that Bruins are losing their touch and even though they are guaranteed to reach the playoffs, it is difficult to see them moving further forward than the Conference Semi-Finals.
However, the team boasts players who have the potential to change all that.
Rookie centre, Tyler Seguin, is one of the best draft picks ever made and has continued to deliver massive performances for the defending champions.
Seguin is just 20 years old and is already the highest scorer for Boston with 24 goals and 33 assists. His form entering into the playoffs will be the key if the Bruins want to progress toward another Stanley Cup Final.
The offence boasts some big names for the Bruins and if they can once again regain their scoring ability their chances of lifting a second straight Stanley Cup will dramatically improve.
Critics wrote off Boston last season as well.
Boston went down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup finals to the Vancouver Canucks but fought back to tie the seven-game series at 2-2 with two huge defeats of the Canadians.
The Bruins won game three, 8-1, and followed it up by a 4-0 shutout in the very next game. The Canucks won the next game at home ice by a 1-0 margin and Boston once again came from behind to level the series with a 5-2 victory in game six.
The Canucks were still favourites after winning all three games on their home ice and with the final itself at the Rogers Centre, Vancouver were favourites to win.
However, Boston pulled off a wonderful performance shutting out the mighty Canucks 4-0 and lifting the Stanley Cup.
Those heroics are unlikely to be repeated this year with goaltender, Tim Thomas, who was one of the best players in the Stanley Cup winning run struggling for form.
The problems and adversity is huge but Boston has the personnel to surprise everyone.
Stanley Cup may look out of their reach but the Bruins will provide some great entertainment in their playoff run.
(The views expressed in this article do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com)
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