Blown leads have been a nagging issue for the Boston Bruins all season. Even when the team was piling up wins at the start, it was still apparent.
The problem seems to have followed the team from the playoffs last year. The B’s record-breaking season ended in the hands of the Florida Panthers after Boston gave up a 3-2 lead in the third period of Game 7, which allowed the Panthers to win it in overtime.
The Bruins currently have 15 blown leads so far this season, with 10 of them coming in the third period.
Since the All-Star break, Boston holds a 4-4-5 record. They had only two regulation wins and played through six straight overtime games in February. Of those six games, four of them went into overtime after they had blown a third-period lead.
The B’s are now 25-1-8 when leading after two periods, which is a drastic difference from the 47-1-2 record they boasted last season. The .735 win percentage ranks 28th out of 32 teams this season and is the worst by any club that is currently in a playoff position.
Not protecting the net front, poor faceoffs and special teams troubles are just a few of the potential factors causing the blown leads.
Boston could potentially address these obstacles by picking up a physical, veteran defenseman by the March 8 trade deadline. The team has been linked to Calgary Flames’ Noah Hanifin, but with his $4.95M cap hit, it looks like Don Sweeney would have to work some magic to get him in a B’s uniform.
If this problem isn’t resolved soon, it looks like Boston’s chances at a playoff run are slowly dwindling. In order to be true Stanley Cup contenders, something will have to change.
But until then, no lead is safe for the Bruins.
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