By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

If you told me back in October that, come April, the Bruins would be locked in a Battle Royale for the eighth and final playoff spot, I probably would’ve slapped you. After all–distant a memory as it may seem–the Bruins are just one year removed from a dream season that delivered a first-place finish, numerous accolades, and the franchise’s first playoff series victory since 1999. Not much was expected to change this year. If anything, the Bruins were supposed to build off of their success, picked in the preseason by fans and experts alike as a trendy Cup favorite.

April was going to be the time of year when the Bruins, having already clinched a playoff spot, were preparing for the long postseason haul. Six months ago, it wouldn’t have been crazy to assume that the season finale against Washington on April 11 would potentially serve as an exciting, yet meaningless, Eastern Conference Finals preview between two elite teams.

Instead, that contest could be the deciding factor in whether or not the Bruins even make the playoffs–and God forbid that it does come down to that game, for the goal-starved Bruins are ill-equipped to match up with the top dog in the East.

And if they do hold their own against the unstoppable Washington offense?

Well, their reward will very likely be a seven-game opening round series with that same team.

After last night’s 3-2 loss to Buffalo, the Bruins maintain a tenuous hold on eighth place with seven games remaining. The ninth-place Thrashers are nipping at their heels, sitting just two points back. The B’s do have a game in hand on Atlanta, but their remaining schedule is no cakewalk: four of their seven remaining games are against Eastern Conference teams that have already clinched playoff spots.

The other three games come against Florida, Toronto, and Carolina, all of whom sit outside of the playoff picture. Essentially, those three games equate to must-wins–there’s no doubt in my mind that a loss in the “Kesselmania” finale would be a sizable puncture in the Bruins’ endangered lifeboat.

Four of the remaining games come on the road–including two against Washington–but for the Bruins, that may play to their advantage. If you throw out the Winter Classic, they are just 15-16-6 on home ice, and have gone an appalling 3-10-3 at the TD Garden since the New Year. They have scored more than two goals in a home game just three times over that span. Boston remains last in the league in offensive production with 190 goals, tied with Edmonton, the league’s worst team.

The power play emerged from its slumber with three goals against Calgary on Saturday, but aside from that game, the Bruins have been blanked on the man-advantage since losing Marc Savard. With Savard sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Bruins will need to find it within themselves to get creative and utilize the playmaking skills of Patrice
Bergeron and David Krejci.

From this point on, every game will be a playoff game. The Bruins need to quit making excuses for themselves and start executing with the hand they’ve been dealt–the trials and tribulations of the season have been documented enough. Underachievers such as Dennis Wideman, Matt Hunwick, Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder all need to start performing at an adequate level in order for the B’s to put themselves in a position to succeed.

Nothing is going to come easy. All things considered, it’s amazing that the Bruins are even in a position to qualify for the postseason. But even if they do, they’ll be hard-pressed to advance very far unless they can learn how to do two things with more regularity: put the puck in the net, and win a damn home game.

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