Bruins rise modestly into playoffs

They fly under the radar just like the sport they play. With the exception of the Bobby Orr-Phil Esposito-Big Bad Bruins days, the Boston Bruins have always taken a back seat to the Red Sox and the Celtics.

Now you can add the New England Patriots to that list.

And the Boston Celtics’ remarkable turnaround, thanks to the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, has shoved the Bruins under the back seat.

But the Bruins are a nice story in their own right. It’s a story about perseverance and resilience.

They were picked by most major hockey publications to miss the Eastern Conference playoffs. Then their best player, center Patrice Bergeron, suffered a concussion on a vicious hit into the glass by Philadelphia’s Randy Jones just 10 games into the season. Bergeron has just been cleared to play this week.

And veteran goalie Manny Fernandez, brought in to provide depth and stability to the most important position on the ice, played just four games before a knee injury shelved him for the season.

Injuries have ravaged this team, but here they are, returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.

Their leading scorer, Marc Savard, missed the last seven games with a broken bone in his back courtesy of a crosscheck delivered by Montreal’s Steve Begin. However, it appears as though he may return for game one in Montreal on Thursday night.

Sniper Glen Murray has played in only 63 of 82 games. Hard-nosed defenseman Andrew Alberts, the former Boston College star, missed 47 games with a concussion before returning recently.

Second leading goal scorer Chuck Kobasew, another former BC Eagle, is out after getting hit with a Zdeno Chara slap shot.

Only three Bruins have played in all 82 games and just five have appeared in at least 78.

First-year coach Claude Julien has plugged in the likes of 22-year-old Finnish center Petteri Nokelainen, 21-year-old centers Vladimir Sobotka and David Krejci and 19-year-old Milan Lucic to fill the voids left by the injured forwards, and they have been pleasant surprises.

They have played with grit and determination, and they also have some skill. Their development has given the Bruins some noteworthy depth up front.

I like the matchup with the Canadiens.

Sure, Montreal has won all eight games this season and outscored Boston 39-16 in doing so.

Sure the Bruins haven’t won a playoff series in seven years.

Sure, Montreal has won the last three series between the teams and owns a 23-7 edge in all-time playoff series.

But the Bruins have absolutely nothing to lose. They haven’t even led a game against the Canadiens this season. All the pressure is on Montreal, which hasn’t won the Cup since 1993.

That doesn’t sit well with their proud fans, who are used to winning Cups.

The Bruins have been involved in playoff-type games over the last month just to get into them. They are battle-tested.

They will have to slow down the speedier Canadiens by gapping properly and not giving them any time to make plays.

They will have to take the body without taking penalties.

And goalie Tim Thomas will have to be on top of his game.

Don’t be surprised if it goes seven games.

lmahoney@bangordailynews.net

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