Ups, downs, etc.
It is Wednesday, my dudes.
Unfortunately, @ArtButSports didn’t have a take on the Renaissance painting-esque photo that accompanies this post, but it’s a cool shot nonetheless.
The Bruins had a day to lick their wounds yesterday after limping home from the West Coast, returning with a 1-0-3 mark on the trip.
If you’re an optimist, that’s five points out of a possible eight, which isn’t terrible considering the circumstances.
If you’re more likely to look on the negative side of things, that’s three losses from four in what were winnable games.
Sports giveth, sports taketh away.
The Florida Panthers won on Tuesday night to push the Bruins back into second in the Atlantic by virtue of games played and points percentage.
Florida is 8-2-0 in their last ten, as are the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are in third, eight points behind the Bruins.
This says something about the cushion the Bruins had heading into this skid.
Most interestingly: the Detroit Red Wings have won six in a row and are 7-2-1 in their last ten. They currently sit just two points behind Toronto and three points ahead of Tampa Bay (who have played two more games).
It should be a fun few weeks as things shake out in the Atlantic.
The Bruins will practice today ahead of hosting the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
NHL.com reports, via The Athletic, that Cam Neely has a wishlist ahead of the trade deadline:
Asked by The Athletic what is on his wish list ahead of the Trade Deadline, Bruins president Cam Neely joked, “That’s a big list. That’s a big wish list, that one, based on where we’re at. But we’ll try to figure something out that’s going to give us opportunities to improve upon, for sure.”
Neely mentioned another “stiff defender” and help on offense as potential targets for a team that has performed better than expected this season, but is currently in a slump.
While it’s fun to read all of the speculation, I feel like the majority of Don Sweeney’s deadline deals have been fairly random, or just not ones that were rumored well in advance.
Taylor Hall, Rick Nash, and maybe Hampus Lindholm stand out as “knew they were coming,” but if you think back to last deadline, ol’ Don pulled Dmitry Orlov out of his hat.
Speculation is fun, right?
What’s on tap for today?