Beantown blues

The way things are going in Boston, it’s almost like Patrice Bergeron’s bad luck is contagious.

In the eyes of many, the B’s entered this season as a serious Cup contender, based mostly on the fact they finished with more points than anyone in the East last year and returned with virtually the same lineup.

But a combination of things – from bad breaks to lack of consistent work ethic – have conspired to make Boston much more dark horse than favorite.

Bergeron is one of the best stories in the league, making the Canadian Olympic team from, really, out of the blue after battling through serious concussion issues the past two seasons. He is, however, on the sideline with a broken thumb right now, but should resume his role as the team’s best two-way player in the next couple weeks, well in advance of the Vancouver Games.

Center Marc Savard and banger Milan Lucic have also spent big chunks of time on the sideline, further depleting a forward crew that lost sniper Phil Kessel via trade before the season.

Backup Tuukka Rask has shown signs of brilliance, which is not just nice, but necessary for a team that’s not getting the same kind of play it received from reigning Vezina winner Tim Thomas last year.

Boston probably thought it could afford to slide a little this year and still win the Northeast going away, but the stellar play of Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres has changed all that.

Now, a team that looked ready to take the next step could be out of the playoffs entirely with any kind of stumble down the stretch.

The Hockey News ranks the teams 1-30 each Monday based on a combination of last week’s play and a squad’s overall outlook.

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