Boston has always been an unrelenting city when it comes to its sports franchises. We as fans can be the harshest of critics, but that keeps our athletes on edge.
The four major franchises in this city should be grateful, though. Why would an athlete want to play in a pretentious town where championships mean very little to them? Everyone should want to display their craft in Beantown.
With that being said, the Boston Bruins should not take anything that they have been reading in the media personal. However, they should pay SOME attention to it. They need to turn things around....but we can also be a little patient.
Once David Krejci notches a few games under his belt and the rest of the offensive plays with some consistency, the B's can flip the switch and start playing better hockey. This pattern is reciprocal.
The first big test for this team came this week when they embarked on their first three-game road trip of the year. The Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres were on tap over the past four nights.
Earlier in the week, the team announced that they had officially signed veteran forward Simon Gagne to a one-year deal. Could that have been the boost up front that the Bruins have been looking for? Also, Jordan Caron and Bobby Robins were both sent down to Providence. They need goals, not fights.
The Bruins came to play on Wednesday night. They out-shot the Red Wings 24-12 through the first two periods, and they were perfect on the penalty kill during that time. Tuukka Rask, who made his return in net, came up with some big saves when the team needed him to. Things were looking good, but the Wings tied the game at two in the third period. Ironically enough, the B's offense woke up in the shootout to take the full two points in Detroit. It was not pretty, but it was Boston's second win of the year.
On Thursday night, the team rekindled its historic rivalry with the Habs in their first meeting of the year. In this game, the goals came aplenty. The Bruins and Habs decided to forego the physical antics and concerned themselves with scoring. Montreal did end up winning this game by a score of 6-4, chasing Rask from his net after the fifth goal. Despite Gregory Campbell making his season debut, the Bruins should have been happy with the goal output and disappointed with the ugly loss in a hostile environment.
The Sabres were up on Saturday to conclude this road trip. The Bruins were clicking on all cylinders in this game for the first time all year. They blasted home four goals, were solid in the defensive zone, and Niklas Svedberg recorded his first-career NHL shutout. The B's finished the road trip with a 2-1-0 record, so not a bad way to turn things around.
R-E-L-A-X
The Bruins will return home on Tuesday night when they take on the San Jose Sharks.
Gold Star (combined): David Krejci...He certainly has been racking up the points ever since he made his season debut (one goal and three assists). This was exactly what the team was looking for.
Black Star (combined): Adam McQuaid...Ouch. This was a tough trip for the rugged blue liner. He was awful in his own zone and was sloppy with the puck. That is never a good combination for a defenseman.
Game Five Box Score
Game Six Box Score
Game Seven Box Score
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