Saturday, October 12, 2013

Games 3-4: Finishing The Week Strong

The Boston Bruins have looked pretty good in their first two games of this young season. The key word in that sentence is YOUNG. Two games down, 80 to go. 

Although two games is only a small sample size compared to the actual length of the season, we can only judge based on what we have seen thus far. The B's knocked off two strong Eastern Conference opponents at home and did so by only allowing two total goals.

On a somewhat related note, this team will go as far as Tuukka Rask takes them. Sure, the Bruins have great depth up front and on the blue line. At the end of the day, you need a top-five goaltender to be successful in this league and the Bruins have themselves one of those. 

The Black and Gold wrapped up the week against two teams that are on the rise. First, they took on the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night at the TD Garden to conclude the three-game homestand. This Avalanche team is different from years past. They were undefeated heading into this game and they look to make a push in the Western Conference this season.

In this game, the B's did everything but score. They fell 2-0 to the Avalanche with the second goal coming with Rask pulled. Avs goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was outstanding in net, stopping all 39 shots he faced. It was a very entertaining game that featured a few scrums. Colorado is not known for its muscle, but the Bruins lost sight of that and let it hurt them on the scoreboard. It did not help that Zdeno Chara sat out some of this game with a leg injury. He did finish his remaining shifts and looked fine once the contest concluded.

The Bruins were also in action on Saturday afternoon when they traveled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. 

No, Nathan Horton did not play in this game. He is still recovering from shoulder surgery. Patience, B's fans. That time will come soon enough. 

This one was also a very physical match-up for the Bruins. After another stellar performance by Rask, the B's battled and came out with the 3-1 victory. This came on a day where Claude Julien coached his 700th career NHL game. Loui Eriksson scored his first goal as a member of the Black and Gold. Matt Bartkowski made his season debut on the blue line in place of Dougie Hamilton in this game.

After a very successful week to begin the year (3-1-0), the Bruins will play their next game on Monday when they take on the Detroit Red Wings. 

Gold Star: Tuukka Rask...This is why he was paid the big money to remain in Boston long term. He recorded a combined 54 saves through these two games. 

Black Star: Dougie Hamilton...He still cheats up way too much for a defenseman. After coming off a loss, it was no wonder that they turned to Matt Bartkowski to regain some idenity. 

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