Return of The Curse?

Near the end of the game against Montreal things got so boring I started writing this blog in my head. It was boring because the B's were leading by two and had the habs completely shut down. Here is what I had been working on:

Although not their best game of the year this was the Bruin's strongest and most consistent effort so far.

Soon afterward the habs scored two goals to tie the game and went on to win it in overtime. Many are claiming this was another monumental collapse and to a certain extent they are right. But look at the two goals that tied it up. They were both tough goals that the habs couldn't repeat if you gave them ten games to try. The first was a weak shot from the boards that went off a skate and then made a fluke jump over Tim Thomas' stick. The second was the result of two players sliding into Thomas. A skate just barely dislodged the puck from Thomas' leg and it dribbled in. All the while the Bruins were keeping play to the outside forcing low percentage shots just as they were supposed to. When they had the chance they took it to the other zone rather than just sitting back. It's difficult for me to fault them for their play, if not the result.

The overtime was a different story however. The crowd, who had been booing their team earlier on, was now fully pumped and loud. The momentum was all on the habs side. For the Bruins to pull off an OT win under these conditions would have been a major victory. It would have been one of those spunky "oh yeah?" "in-your-face" moments that great teams are made of. But they didn't. What worries me most about the character of this team this season is that they never do.

Ive said for a couple of years now that the players on this B's team don't always seem to get the rivalry with the habs, not in the same way that long time fans do. Maybe its the huge turnover in the faces suiting up in Montreal. Regardless, there have been too many lackluster efforts (like the previous game this season in Montreal) as if somehow the habs are just another team in their division. They should have big red circles on the schedule around every game with the habs knowing that the fans expect these to be the biggest games of the regular season. The hard truth is that historically the habs have owned the Bruins. What happened in this game has happened before too many times. It is the Bruins curse. It has happened in the playoffs. It has happened to great Bruins teams that should have won a cup but ran into the rouge et blanc on the way. Speaking for long time Bruins fans, we're all pretty sick of it. My only solace from this loss is the (weak) hope that the players will play the habs with a chip on their shoulder the rest of the season and perhaps into the playoffs.