The last week or so has been particularly cold in Massachusetts, with snow, extreme winds and sharp dips of the thermometer. But no one it seems is colder now than that professional hockey team that plays over on Boston’s Causeway Street.

This time last year the Boston Bruins were playing great, so well in fact that they were happily ensconced on top of the Eastern Conference, a comfortable perch which they actually spent most of the year. But now, as January 2010 ends it bitter cold end, the Bruins are pathetically tied for 9th place. And much like the premise of that old movie “Groundhog Day” , this team just seems to be reliving the same kind of mistakes and misfortunes day after day, game after game.

The month actually started off well with a thrilling come from behind victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Winter Classic. But it seems like that old Fenway curse, dormant now for the past few years, found themselves a new host with the team that came to play hockey in its hallowed grounds.

The Bruins are now in the midst of a seven game losing streak, their longest once since 1997. And their six-game home losing streak is their longest since 1924-25.
For the month of January, Boston is a dismal 3-9-2. That included two complete blowouts, in which they lost twice, 5-1, respectively to Ottawa and the lowly but slowly surging Carolina Hurricanes. They lost twice to the New York Rangers, twice to Ottawa (although one of their three wins was actually (against the Sens) and twice to the Los Angeles Kings. Miraculously one of the other wins was a squeaker over the powerhouse San Jose Sharks.

You can’t really say the Bruins problem in goaltending although neither Tim Thomas nor Tukka Rask has really done any game stealing. The defense, although pathetic and non-existent at times, has also not really been the main problem, either. That would be goal scoring or rather, serious lack of it.

Through January the Bs have scored 22 measly goals and had 47 goals scored against them. (Ok, maybe the goaltending and defense is a bigger problem than I thought!) But we all know you can have the best keeper in the game and the very best defense possible, but it’s pointless unless you have someone scoring. And that’s just what this team has been lately – pointless, because no one can score.

Last season’s sniper Phil Kessell is long gone to Toronto where he’s in his own kind of hockey purgatory. 2009 trophy winners, Tim Thomas (Vezina) and Zdeno Chara (Norris) definitely won’t be making the short list for this season’s awards, never mind actually winning them. You could also argue that the team has also had numerous injuries to star players at inopportune times. But you’d have a lot of other teams arguing that same point this year.

Interestingly although the Bruins with their 55 points are in 9th place as of Jan. 31st, they have a lot of company down there in the cellar. The Lightning, the Panthers and the Rangers all have 55 points too. The Islanders are one point behind those teams with 54, the Flyers have two more than the Bs with 57, and the Thrashers and the Canadiens each have 56. As mentioned, the Canes are surging slowly but surely. Only the lowly Maple Leafs don’t seem to be worrisome to anyone this year.*

During the two weeks that are left before the Olympic break, the Bruins have 7 games, of which only one, Vancouver, is from the west. First off Boston must face Washington, who of course are having a very nice year for themselves and are currently leading in the East. The Bs also play Montreal twice, and Buffalo, Tampa, and Florida once. The old “four point” game rule will definitely be in effect.

If they got hot, and finally got their act together, Boston could have a very nice run in these two weeks and put some distance between themselves and those other pesky Eastern bottom dwellers. Or they could dig themselves even further into the hole. If that happens, it might be too late to recover any chance of making the 2010 playoffs.

*Update-
Holy Moly! Biggest news of the year by far –
The Leafs just acquired Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Keith Aulie from the Calgary Flames. In exchange, the Flames get Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White. Plus! There’s more! The Leafs dumped non-performers Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake onto the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for disgruntled goalie J.S. Giguere.

How is this all possible??? It’s crazy.

This automatically makes 1) Maple Leaf team officials happy – Phaneuf is a stud defenseman and Giguere is a proven goaltender; 2)fans happy – see reasons above. It might not be a fix enough for this year but still!; and 3) Phil Kessel happy – now the Toronto media will have someone else to fixate on besides him.