Teams making the 2012 Playoffs and how far they will go -NHL Special Part 3
Boston Bruins
All eyes are on Boston this time of year as spectators anticipate the Bruins to make another run for the Stanley Cup being the defending champions and wanting to be like Detroit Red Wings winning back-to-back championships.
But will it be possible for Boston to retain the Stanley Cup title during the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs is the question.
Making it into the postseason is definitely not a concern for the Bruins team, rather, it is all about making another run for the cup. If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, Boston would be going up against one of their Canadian rivals, the Ottawa Senators,
certainly an exciting series to watch.
While many fans might think that Boston just does not have what it takes to recapture the top position this summer, they should be thinking twice before saying anything like that since Bruins are not doing bad at all this time of year when the season is
a few games from coming to an end officially.
Boston might not be able to capture the top spot in the Eastern Conference by the end of the regular season, but knowing how the playoffs is a whole different level of competitiveness, nothing can be said basically about any team making an entrance.
Going up against Ottawa in the quarterfinals would not be as hard for Bruins as it might look seeing how they won in four of the five meetings so far with Senators with only one win and another scheduled for their second final match of the year.
New York Rangers could pose a threat for Boston later on in the playoffs if the two teams are to meet up. Rangers have won all three matchups between the two this season and have one more in April to set the score straight against the Stanley Cup defenders,
but Bruins will be hoping that New York is eliminated far before that.
One issue that Boston could have in the postseason is how they would be planning on resting their veteran goalie, Tim Thomas, with the backup Tuukka Rask out indefinitely due to injury. Bruins currently have Marty Turco on the line-up as well but he is reported
not to be playoff eligible due to having been signed after the February trade deadline date.
Reviewing the Bruins season performance, Boston was on top of the league during the opening weeks. They had a slow start in October of 2011, but bounced back to win 12 of 13 matchups in the following month of November.
They slowed down again during the midseason break, which was widely expected, but are once again, beginning to show signs of a major comeback.
Tim Thomas, the man that led Boston to the cup last time, played all 25 playoff games for the Bruins and can be expected to do it yet again that is if he manages to stay healthy in their postseason competition. One thing can be said for sure and that is
since Boston is known to be a defensive team and if Thomas goes out at any point due to any issue, Bruins can say goodbye to any hopes of reigning as the Stanley Cup champions for another year.
Following Boston is highly recommended and with a healthy Tim Thomas on board, there is no telling how far they might go.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: