Bruins drawing bad vibes from 2004 Yankees
By Michael Parente
Bruins drawing bad vibes from 2004 Yankees
Three nights ago, they were one awkward deflection away from sending Philadelphia home for the summer. Now, following a lethargic performance Monday in which they could’ve finished off the Flyers at home, the Boston Bruins find themselves packing their bags for an impromptu trip back to Philadelphia for Game 6 Wednesday night.
Worried yet?
You should be.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRegardless of the apparent shift in momentum (the Flyers trailed this Eastern Conference semifinal series three games to none and were on the brink of elimination Friday night before winning in overtime to force a fifth game), I’d rather be in Boston’s shoes since it still leads the series, 3-2, heading into Game 6.
At the same time, I remember Mariano Rivera using the same logic in 2004 before the Yankees headed back to New York for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series after wasting two golden opportunities to finish off Boston at Fenway Park.
Turns out he was wrong. Three outs away from elimination, the Red Sox rallied to win Game 4 to avoid the sweep, won in similar fashion the following night, and won back-to-back games in New York to become the first team in baseball history to overcome a three-games-to-none deficit.
On the surface, this is where any and all comparisons between the 2004 Yankees and 2010 Bruins should stop, because only a fool would try to draw a parallel between baseball and hockey.
Sounds like my cue.
The way I see it, it takes a demoralizing loss to trigger an epic collapse. In 2004, the Yankees not only led the ALCS three games to none, but also had a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning of Game 4 with Rivera – the greatest closer in postseason history – on the mound.
Somehow, the Red Sox rallied and won in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 12th. The Yankees never recovered. You could argue there’s no momentum in baseball because you change pitchers each game. I wouldn’t necessarily disagree, but I’ve seen the other side of that argument, too, and I find it hard to believe the Yankees weren’t mentally fried by the time Game 7 rolled around.
The Yankees knew the series should’ve never gotten that far. In addition to their 4-3 lead in the ninth inning of Game 4, they also held a two-run lead in the eighth inning the following night. The Bruins are facing the same harsh reality. One goal in overtime Friday – one fluky, redirected slap shot past Brian Boucher – would’ve ended the series. Instead, their seemingly insurmountable lead has shrunk to one game.
To make matters worse, the Fliers completely out-classed and out-hustled the Bruins on Monday, possibly bringing whatever momentum they swiped in Boston back to Philadelphia for Wednesday night. And they did it with a backup goalie finishing the second half of the game after Boucher left midway through the second period with a knee injury. Confidence-booster? We’ll see.
Having said all that, I’d still put my money on the Bruins to win this series based solely on mathematics. Only two teams have rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series in the NHL playoffs and the Bruins are 16-0 in their storied history when leading a series 3-0. History is still on Boston’s side, but the Fliers have the momentum – and a home game looming on the horizon.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.