Through 51 games, the Boston Bruins are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division, with a 27-18-6 record for 60 points. They have one of the best road records (16-5-3) in the entire league, they are fourth in the NHL in goals scored with 153, and have the second-ranked power play unit in the league. They have the third-best goal differential (+16) in the Eastern Conference, have gone 6-3-1 in their last ten games, and have one of the best records in the league in shootouts, which is a huge turnaround from previous seasons. They’ve beaten every team in the Atlantic Division, and have a winning record against every team except Montreal (2-3-0). They have also beaten every team in the Metropolitan Division except for Washington (0-2-0), who is the top team in the conference, and Carolina, who they have yet to play this season.
Yet there are many “fans†who take every opportunity to criticize this team. They say that they are not a playoff team, that they are too soft, and that they should scrap this season and trade off players in order to rebuild. They criticize the front office for trading away or walking away from former players, not trading away or re-signing current players, and not making a move yet during the current season. They criticize the coaching staff for having the wrong system, for not getting enough out of the players, and for not developing young prospects quickly or effectively enough. When someone makes a mistake and it costs the team, they are immediately terrible and should be traded or demoted; yet when they make solid plays there is little to no praise. People make ridiculous trade proposals, basically wanting to trade every Bruins player not named Bergeron or Marchand. They even want to fire the head coach who has taken the team to the playoffs in every season he’s been here except one, been to two Stanley Cup finals, and hoisted a trophy just five seasons ago.
