Thursday, December 8, 2011

Game Twenty Seven: A New Streak?

Is it time to panic again in Boston? Is it time to start worrying about the Bruins just like fans did in the first month of the season? The Bruins have now lost two games in a row, dropping a tough game to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. The final score was Florida 2, Boston 0.

Even though there is no such thing as a moral victory, the B's should not be disappointed in the way they played on Thursday. They did everything right and they had many more scoring chances than the Panthers. The only thing that they did not do was put the puck in the net. Florida is not a push-over team this season as they lead the Southeast Division with 36 points, surpassing the Bruins for second place in the Eastern Conference.

Tim Thomas and Jose Theodore each played a great game in net. They held their opponent scoreless for over 50 minutes in this game. The only goal allowed in this game came at 17:28 of the third period when Tomas Kopecky beat Thomas for his fourth goal of the season. Shawn Matthias and Dmitry Kulikov had the assists. Kris Versteeg added an empty net goal just under two minutes later.

Bruins forward Daniel Paille left the game in the first period after being charged by Krys Barch. Shawn Thornton put a pretty good beating on him following the hit. This occurred just 45 seconds into Paille's first shift of the game.

Former Bruin Marco Sturm made his return to Boston in a Panthers jersey for this game. The B's held him in check as he only got two shots on Thomas. Also, Tyler Seguin made his return to the line-up after being scratched for Tuesday's game for missing a team meeting.

The Bruins look to turn it around on Saturday night as they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets.

Gold Star: Tim Thomas (28 saves on 29 shots, 1 goal allowed, .966 save percentage)...Even though the entire first line had a great game against Florida, Thomas stood out since the score was so close.

Black Star: Brad Marchand...In a close game like this one, a team needs support from their top two lines. Marchand could not find his rhythm even with the return of Seguin.

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