Arguably, the Boston Bruins just completed the most difficult part of their schedule in terms of competition and distance traveled. The West Coast road trip that covered California and Arizona is in the books.
The bad news is that the B's only salvaged two points out of a possible eight. We all think that since they won the final game of the four-game swing that everything is sweet and peachy.
Come on, guys. You are better than that. Unacceptable.
The Black and Gold returned home for a couple games this week against some stingy opponents. On Thursday night, the Bruins welcomed the Chicago Blackhawks into the TD Garden.
If you are playing with house money, then picking Chicago to win the Stanley Cup this year would be a safe bet. The Blackhawks are scorching hot right now and are clicking in all three phases of the game. With Brad Richards and Kris Versteeg proving to be excellent acquisitions in recent seasons, the 'Hawks are loaded and equipped to win it all.
As for the Bruins, Zdeno Chara returned to the lineup after missing several weeks with a knee injury. On the other hand, David Krejci is extremely close to returning to the lineup. In a strange note, Simon Gagne is on personal leave from the team, forcing him to miss this "Original Six" matchup.
Now, for game action.
In the first period, the 'Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after dominating the neutral zone. The Bruins started to battle back as the game progressed--they tried to utilize their "pack it in" game plan more than ever to try and stabilize the superb speed and skill possessed by Chicago.
Boston definitely played the more physical game against Chicago on this night. As a team you can record as many hits as you want, but it does not reflect on the scoreboard. The Bruins did crawl back after coming within one goal (which incidentally lit some fire and sparked the team), but the early hole was too much. The Blackhawks won this game by a score of 3-2 to compile their eighth-straight victory.
The Bruins will play their next game on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators.
Gold Star: Patrice Bergeron...He led the team in shots on goal and recorded an assist; just another busy night at the office.
Black Star: Dennis Seidenberg...This was a rare down game for the gritty blue liner. He did not communicate with his teammates well, leaving them vulnerable.
Statement From Gagne
Game Twenty-Nine Box Score
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