8 games. That’s how long the Boston Bruins losing streak has been going on for. Their latest game against the Detroit Red Wings was a must-win game for them, but they were unable to clear the hurdle yet again. The team is in free fall, and it doesn’t look like anyone has any answers. But to the Bruins’ credit, it was Cam Talbot’s 20-save heroics that shut the door on them this time. However, when it’s your 8th loss in a row, it’s hard to find any silver linings, as Joe Sacco is well aware of.
For some context, this has been their worst skid since a 10-game losing streak in 2010. Those cynical amongst the Bruins faithful may point out that it wouldn’t take much to break the rather ignominious losing streak record. After all, in 2010 the Bruins still had the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and of course, Brad Marchand. Now? They don’t even have that solid core to fall back on during tough times made tougher by Marchand’s departure.
Following the recent 2-1 loss that adds onto their ongoing losing streak, Bruins fans have grown increasingly angry and frustrated while they look for clarity in the team’s turmoil. During what has become a truly challenging season now, head coach Joe Sacco addressed the angry fans and defended the team for their performance at the Little Caesars Arena. “Obviously, it’s frustrating, I feel, for the guys, but we gave a solid effort here tonight. We just fell short,” Sacco said.
All things said, 2-1 is a respectable loss considering the amount of goals they’ve shipped recently, and Sacco remained optimistic. He further added, “We weren’t able to capitalize on a few of our chances there, especially one at the end, but like I said, I think that the effort was solid tonight.” Perhaps the most frustrating missed opportunity was when David Pastrňák set up Morgan Geekie with a slick pass for his 51st assist to make the score 2-1.
But as has been the case this season, the Bruins just could not capitalize further. Pastrňák remains the strongest player for the Bruins this season and their biggest ray of hope. With his 35 goals and 51 assists, he’s 8th in the league for points, but he is just one man on an inconsistent team. The other players need to step up in order to support their star. But while the players have underperformed, what does the coaching situation look like?
