The Boston Bruins had an excellent start to December, apart from a 6-2-0 run that placed Boston tied for first place in the Atlantic Division heading into Minnesota, the final leg of a three-game road trip before a five-game home stand ahead of the NHL's Christmas pause.
In those six games, the Bruins went 1-4-1, only scoring two goals or fewer in four of those six games. Defensively, things collapsed in the net. Most recently, Boston dropped consecutive 6-2 defeats to the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.
As a result, the Bruins woke up this morning 12th in the Eastern Conference and sixth in the division, and by points percentage, they sit 14th in the conference and seventh in the division.
Tonight, the Bruins and Buffalo Sabres meet Saturday night in Buffalo. If the Bruins lose that, the Sabres pass them in the standings while still holding two games in hand.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are four points back of Boston, but also hold two games in hand. If things continue to spiral, it's not difficult to see where it could lead.
After the game in Buffalo, the Bruins head to the Pacific Northwest. They'll visit the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken before finally returning home on January 8th, where they'll conclude January with nine home games out of their final 12 in the month.
That home stand will be vital, but this five game trip is even more so. If the Bruins continue to be ice-cold and win just one or two games, they will drop to .500 or below.
There's also the world Boston re-discovers its form on this trip. The Flames and Canucks sit 32nd and 31st in the NHL. The Kraken are just outside a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Only the Oilers will be heavily favored against the Bruins, and the Bruins have shown the ability to contain an elite offense.
If they're able to go 3-1-1 or better on this trip, the outlook dramatically improves. They can use it as a springboard for that long home stretch, leading almost right into the Olympic Break in February.
Of their first five opponents when Boston returns home, only one team (Detroit) occupies a playoff spot. It's an extremely doable stretch for the Bruins in their next 10 games. If they're able to squeeze seven wins from 10 games, they'll have to like where they are.
Anything worse than 5-3-2 and it will be hard to gain ground in the playoff race, likely staying where they are, if not outright dropping in the standings.
There are 39 days until the Bruins' last game ahead of that Olympic pause. In those 39 days, Boston plays a grueling 17 games, with 15 of those games coming in the next 32 days.
The fate of the season will almost certainly come down to this stretch, where teams will need to decide whether they're buyers or sellers at this trade deadline.
It all begins tonight in Buffalo, with a key divisional matchup to set the groundwork for a five-game road trip, with the Bruins desperately in need of a win, currently riding a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).