By Matthew Tanner (Resident Bruins Expert) – Email
Even though the Chilliwack Bruins have dropped their last four games, they still control their destiny. With the playoffs just around the corner, it is crucial that the Bruins right the ship, and fast. As it stands, the Bruins sit outside the playoff picture, three points behind the eighth place Kamloops Blazers, who hold down the final playoff spot, and a mere two points ahead of the last place Seattle Thunderbirds.
The bad news for the Bruins goes further than just the four-game losing streak. The Bruins are still reeling from injuries. Chilliwack has been playing the last few weeks with a severely depleted back end. In fact, they have been dressing only four defencemen on most nights. Forward Curt Gogol has been converted over to defence to try and help fill in the gaps left by the injuries of Jesse Pauls, Zach Habscheid, Jeff Einhorn, and the suspension of Brandon Manning. Not helping the situation is the ability of the Kamloops Blazers, whom the Bruins are chasing, to pick up points against teams that are much higher in the standing than they are.
Now we can get to the good news. The Bruins will finally get their captain and top defenceman Brandon Manning back from suspension. Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Seattle was the seventh and final game of the suspension. This mean number 28 will be in the line-up Friday in Vancouver to face the Giants. With Manning back, the Bruins can stop running a risky five-forward power play. More good news for the Bruins has been the play of offensive wonder Ryan Howse and goaltender Lucas Gore. Howse has netted 12 goals in the last eight games for a current total of 44 goals on the season. This puts him just a single marker short of the current goal-scoring leader Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs. The Bruins puck stopper Lucas Gore has been busy and impressive in the last few games. And when I say he has been busy, I mean he has been busy. In the last two games Lucas Gore has faced a total of 129 shots.
Now if this isn’t enough for you to start believing that Chilliwack can pull it off, there is one more tiny detail that may push you over the threshold into optimism. The Bruins have a total of three games in hand on the Blazers. In addition to this, the Bruins will have a chance to take on their rivals from Kamloops one last time this season, in Chilliwack, on March 5.
This playoff race looks like it will come right down to the very last game of the season. So buckle up, and get ready for a ride. The Bruins have a home-and-home series this weekend with the Vancouver Giants – let’s hope the turnaround starts there.
