We are nearly a month eradicated from the Boston Bruins crushing Recreation 7 defeat at the arms of the Florida Panthers in the first spherical of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it is safe and sound to say that the loss continue to stings very poorly. Just after their historic standard year campaign, the Bruins coughed up a 3-1 lead above Florida, and watched what may possibly be their last likelihood to get Patrice Bergeron another ring vanish in the blink of an eye.
There has been pretty a substantial cloud of gloom encompassing the crew ever because, with regular year award nominations for David Pastrnak, Linus Ullmark, Jim Montgomery, and Bergeron experience meaningless, and for very good motive. This whole campaign, irrespective of all the absurd documents set in the common time, was all about boosting the cup, and at the conclusion of the working day, Boston unsuccessful.
The sting of such a crushing loss in Recreation 7, as properly as the sequence as a full, likely won’t have on off for quite some time. But it is well worth noting that the Bruins initially-round adversary in the Panthers has now long gone on a operate all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, which raises an interesting issue should the Panthers achievement make the Bruins come to feel a little bit better about their initially-round collapse?
What ought to the Bruins and their fans make of the Panthers continued postseason achievements?
We’ve already set up what took place in the Bruins series from the Panthers, but ever considering the fact that then, Florida has been on a tear. They faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Jap Conference semifinals, and promptly extinguished the enjoyment all over the crew soon after they won their to start with playoff series in virtually 20 years by dispatching them 4-1 in the series.
That established up a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Meeting Finals, and Florida created even a lot quicker do the job of them, sweeping them out of the postseason in 4 game titles. It was far more normal tricky-nosed, gritty hockey from Florida, but they constantly identified a way to frustrate Carolina, and very easily set them to relaxation to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
For people keeping monitor at home, the Panthers have absent on an insane 9-1 earn operate due to the fact beating the Bruins, and if you want to observe again to their initial-spherical series, that report jumps up to 12-1, as Florida gained the last three game titles in opposition to Boston to mail them packing. There is no staff in the NHL hotter than the Panthers, and they have a definitely excellent shot of somehow winning the full factor this postseason.
From a Bruins point of view, this is a particularly bewildering condition. On just one hand, the B’s are out of the playoffs, so who cares. They experienced a 3-1 series guide in opposition to the cheapest seed in the Japanese playoff bracket, and were unable to capitalize on a handful of chances to put them away.
But Florida has just saved on winning, uncomfortable the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes on their way to the playoffs. The Bruins could have choked against them, but for the most part, they have seemed to be the only staff able of beating the Panthers in the postseason so far. Did they only operate into the incorrect crew at the mistaken time?
The Panthers achievements is a little bit of a double-edged sword, simply because when you want to feel greater about how tough they are playing groups correct now, it also just can make the Bruins reduction sting even additional. Experienced Boston just managed to put Florida absent, they most likely could have found themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers are participating in nicely, but the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes offered really very little resistance to them in their two most recent collection.
The other difficulty with this is that the Bruins most likely gave the Panthers the juice they necessary to put jointly this crazy operate. Boston experienced Florida on the ropes after taking a 3-1 collection direct, but the reality that they had been ready to triumph over that deficit from the finest workforce in frequent time heritage could have built them invincible. Did Toronto and Carolina truly stand a chance in opposition to this workforce?
It’s complex to evaluate the state of the Bruins regardless, and when you account for the Panthers postseason good results right after beating them, factors get even murkier. In the grand scheme of points, it’s finally a meaningless tidbit, and whilst it’s a little bit comforting to take into account that Boston may perhaps have performed the completely wrong group at the improper time, their good results demonstrates what the B’s threw away when they shed this sequence. The sting is however present for Bruins followers, and the Panthers magical operate does not do substantially of everything to alter that.