Lessons Learned for Bruins?

April 21, 2008 Montreal Canadiens 5 Boston Bruins 0

May 14, 2009 Carolina Hurricanes 3 Boston Bruins 2 (OT)

May 14, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers 4 Boston Bruins 3

The previous three Boston Bruins seasons have all ended similarly: with the Bruins dropping a Game 7 in the playoffs.  They were all painful in their own way, but last season stung the worst.  Up 3-0 in the series at one point and 3-0 in Game 7, the Bruins fell to the Flyers in both the series and the game 4-3.  For almost a year the refrain from the Bruins has been that they have learned from that series last season. 

All that talk will be put to the test tonight.

This year's series with Montreal has been a roller coaster ride for both the teams and fans alike.  The Bruins were written off after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home, yet last night entered Game 6 up 3-2 in the series with most believing they held all of the momentum.  Momentum can be fickle though, and the Bruins now must dig deep in a Game 7 in their building on the second night of back to back games in what becomes the biggest game of the Claude Julien era.

The Bruins carry a lot of baggage into this game, while the Canadiens have to be feeling much more confident knowing they won two Game 7's on the road a year ago in an improbable run to the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Bruins have yet to win a Game 7 in the Julien era.  Zdeno Chara has never won a Game 7 in his career.  Bruins fans have come to expect the worst in recent years regarding this franchise.  An early Montreal lead would only reinforce all of this and cast a definite pall over the proceedings.

On the other hand the Bruins need to remember that they are the better team.  They earned home ice in this series by finishing as the higher seed and it is vital that they come out and set the tone early.  CBC analyst Glenn Healy also told me the other night that he sees back to back games working in the Bruins favor, as Montreal is banged up right now and the Bruins are the deeper team. 

This game ultimately comes down to whether or not the Bruins have learned from history.  They claim that the Philadelphia series served as both a lesson and source of motivation throughout the year, but tonight is their first real opportunity to prove if that truly is the case.  Battling back in a Game 4 on the road in a must-win situation was impressive, but it will be telling if they are able to rise to the occasion on the ultimate "win or go home" stage.

Claude Julien has played a big part in resurrecting this franchise, but tonight he needs to prove that he can get this team to perform in a do or die situation and that they have truly turned a corner from last season.  The Bruins have talked the talk for nearly a year, but tonight they need to walk the walk.  A loss guarantees that this franchise will look much different come October.  

Tonight everyone just wants to see if this team finally looks different in the spring.

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