A team is most vulnerable immediately after they score a goal. The same can be said if a team is on a winning streak. They are susceptible to suffer a loss after an emotional winning streak due to exhaustion, injuries, or fatigue. This is what is happening in Boston right now. The Bruins are on a four game losing streak after winning six straight.
Tonight, the Bruins were in action against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is an organization that slowly fading with ticket sales and fan attendance. Columbus has just two wins in their last nine games. Their stand out player is Rick Nash, who leads the team in points (60), goals (29), and assists (31). He has been a bright spot for the team this season and they will need him as they try to chase a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Michael Ryder was the healthy scratch for the Bruins tonight, a surprising decision since Ryder has played over 100 consecutive games for Boston. Claude Julien says the reason for this is because he is "a streaky player who scores goals." No disrespect coach, but the entire team is on a streak right now, not just one player. Steve Kampfer returned to the line up tonight after missing several games with a mild concussion.
For a team that was in desperate need for a win, the Bruins did not come out looking to play. Within the first minute of the first period, they got called for a too many men penalty. As the period progressed, their heads started to get back into the game. Nathan Horton had a great opportunity for a goal but he could not find the puck under his skates. However, it was Columbus that answered first when Grant Clitsome put the Blue Jackets on top 1-0 and that was how the period would end. What stood out about this period was that when the puck was in the offensive zone, the defense was stepping up to help with the scoring chances.
The second period was an improvement for the Bruins. David Krejci scored for Boston to pull the teams even at one. It was Krejci's 11th of the season and it was assisted by Johnny Boychuk and Zdeno Chara. In this period, Matt Calvert (CBJ) went down very easily to draw two penalties against Shawn Thornton and Dennis Seidenberg of the Bruins. Boston overcame the controversial calls and did not allow a goal on either power play. Even though Columbus out shot Boston 23 to 17 through two periods, the teams were tied at one after 40 minutes.
As the third period got under way, the energy from the Bruins was very visible. The fourth line for Boston (Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton, Daniel Paille) had the Blue Jackets on their toes with some fast breaks and solid scoring opportunities. That energy quickly faded when Columbus put together some shots of their own. Scottie Upshall scored his 20th of the season to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead. That was Upshall's third goal against Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask for his career.
The Bruins had to go on the penalty kill but that did not stop Rich Peverley. He scored a short handed goal for Boston after a turn over just outside the neutral zone to tie the game again. The Bruins now have eight short handed goals for the season. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at two. Even though the Bruins have the four game losing streak two of those losses came in overtime, so this scenario was familiar to them. After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout.
Here was the shootout line up for both teams:
Boston:
Tyler Seguin
Patrice Bergeron
Columbus:
Rick Nash
Fedor Tyutin
Scottie Upshall
Seguin had the only goal in the shootout and since Columbus elected to shoot first and went 0 for 3, Boston did not need to send out a third shooter. Bruins win 3-2 in a shootout.
Gold Star: Tuukka Rask (34 saves on 36 shots, 2 goals allowed, .944 save percentage)
Black Star: Chris Kelly...he only has two points since being aquired by Boston. If he was not so effective on the penalty kill, he might have been the one sitting tonight instead of Michael Ryder.
With the win the Bruins have 87 points and extend the lead in the Northeast Divsion by four points over Montreal.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Game 68: A New Streak
The Bruins are on yet another streak. Although this time around, they are now riding a four game losing streak with a loss tonight in New York to the Islanders. This was a team that was a victim on the Bruins recent six game win streak.
Nathan Horton scored the first goal of the game yet again when Milan Lucic and David Krejci set up Horton for the shot. This was Horton's 20th of the season. Zdeno Chara put in a power play goal later on in the game to put the Bruins on top 2-0.
Bruins fans witnessed history repeat itself on back-to-back nights when Boston once again blew a two goal lead. The Islanders scored three unanswered goals in the final two periods. They later added an empty night goal to ice the game. The final score was Islanders 4, Bruins 2.
Gold Star: David Krejci (2 assists, even, 50% face-offs won)
Black Star: Matt Bartkowski...he was only on the ice for eight shifts for just under five minutes of playing time. In that time he ends up in the penalty box. Why bother dressing six defensemen?
Not much to write about tonight. Very disappointing streak of games the Bruins are putting together. They need to get some momentum heading into the last couple of weeks of the season. Although that is probably the best time to catch fire: heading into the playoffs.
Nathan Horton scored the first goal of the game yet again when Milan Lucic and David Krejci set up Horton for the shot. This was Horton's 20th of the season. Zdeno Chara put in a power play goal later on in the game to put the Bruins on top 2-0.
Bruins fans witnessed history repeat itself on back-to-back nights when Boston once again blew a two goal lead. The Islanders scored three unanswered goals in the final two periods. They later added an empty night goal to ice the game. The final score was Islanders 4, Bruins 2.
Gold Star: David Krejci (2 assists, even, 50% face-offs won)
Black Star: Matt Bartkowski...he was only on the ice for eight shifts for just under five minutes of playing time. In that time he ends up in the penalty box. Why bother dressing six defensemen?
Not much to write about tonight. Very disappointing streak of games the Bruins are putting together. They need to get some momentum heading into the last couple of weeks of the season. Although that is probably the best time to catch fire: heading into the playoffs.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Game 67: Divisional Opponents Are Always A Challenge
Before we get to the game, one thing needs to be said about the backlash revolving around the "Chara hit" that took place two nights ago in Montreal. Zdeno Chara was not suspended for the hit on Canadiens' forward Max Pacioretty in Tuesday's game. Chara was given a 10 minute game misconduct and a 5 minutes interference major for the hit. Pacioretty suffered a major concussion and broken vertebrae. Now police officials are investigating the hit and Air Canada threatens to pull their sponsorship. A bit of an over-reaction on a hit that did not result in a suspension.
Anyway, the Bruins took on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at the TD Garden. Buffalo has won the last three meetings with the Bruins and they have climbed their way into the playoff picture. As far as for Boston, they are one game removed from that controversial loss against the Canadiens. This was a perfect opportunity for the Bruins to try and bounce back and regain some momentum heading into a 4 game road trip beginning on Friday.
Nathan Horton gave the Bruins an early lead when he scored his 19th of the season. Milan Lucic and David Krejci had the assists. It was nice to see some great production out of this first line tonight because that will be crucial down the stretch. When the second period started, the Bruins picked up where they left off. Mark Recchi scored his 12th of the season to give Boston a two goal lead. That lead was short lived as Tyler Ennis and Thomas Vanek from Buffalo each scored to pull even at two.
It is unfortunate sometimes when the officials take the players out of their game with inconsistent calls. Some questionable calls by the referees tonight went against the Bruins, particularly the tripping call against Tomas Kaberle and the hooking call against Johnny Boychuk. All that is asked by the players, coaches, and fans is consistency. 18 total penalties for both teams including six total fighting majors.
The third period got off to a fast start as both teams had great scoring opportunities that resulted from great puck movement. Gregory Campbell put the Bruins back on top by scoring his 10th of the season. It was his first point in nine games. Since Campbell had a fight earlier in the game, he was an assist shy of accumulating the Gordie Howe hat-trick (a player must score a goal, record an assist, and have a fighting major). The game was sent into overtime when Tim Connolly (BUF) scored a power play goal to pull the teams even at three.
In overtime, Rich Peverley (BOS) had the chance to win the game when he skated through the defense and fired a shot that hit the post. Seconds later, the Sabres counter-attacked and scored the game-winning goal. The goal scorer was Brad Boyes, former Boston Bruin who was traded out of Boston for Dennis Wideman. Talk about a regretful trade.
Gold Star: Zdeno Chara (2 assists, +2 rating, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits)...going beyond the stats, Chara played very well despite the controversy surrounding the lack of suspension on the Pacioretty hit.
Black Star: Patrice Bergeron...he has had some below-average games lately, but he should be able to bounce back.
When leading by two goals, the Bruins have 3 overtime losses this season. All three have come against the Sabres. They Bruins may have another potential first round match up problem with his team. However the Bruins defeated Buffalo last year in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Anyway, the Bruins took on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at the TD Garden. Buffalo has won the last three meetings with the Bruins and they have climbed their way into the playoff picture. As far as for Boston, they are one game removed from that controversial loss against the Canadiens. This was a perfect opportunity for the Bruins to try and bounce back and regain some momentum heading into a 4 game road trip beginning on Friday.
Nathan Horton gave the Bruins an early lead when he scored his 19th of the season. Milan Lucic and David Krejci had the assists. It was nice to see some great production out of this first line tonight because that will be crucial down the stretch. When the second period started, the Bruins picked up where they left off. Mark Recchi scored his 12th of the season to give Boston a two goal lead. That lead was short lived as Tyler Ennis and Thomas Vanek from Buffalo each scored to pull even at two.
It is unfortunate sometimes when the officials take the players out of their game with inconsistent calls. Some questionable calls by the referees tonight went against the Bruins, particularly the tripping call against Tomas Kaberle and the hooking call against Johnny Boychuk. All that is asked by the players, coaches, and fans is consistency. 18 total penalties for both teams including six total fighting majors.
The third period got off to a fast start as both teams had great scoring opportunities that resulted from great puck movement. Gregory Campbell put the Bruins back on top by scoring his 10th of the season. It was his first point in nine games. Since Campbell had a fight earlier in the game, he was an assist shy of accumulating the Gordie Howe hat-trick (a player must score a goal, record an assist, and have a fighting major). The game was sent into overtime when Tim Connolly (BUF) scored a power play goal to pull the teams even at three.
In overtime, Rich Peverley (BOS) had the chance to win the game when he skated through the defense and fired a shot that hit the post. Seconds later, the Sabres counter-attacked and scored the game-winning goal. The goal scorer was Brad Boyes, former Boston Bruin who was traded out of Boston for Dennis Wideman. Talk about a regretful trade.
Gold Star: Zdeno Chara (2 assists, +2 rating, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits)...going beyond the stats, Chara played very well despite the controversy surrounding the lack of suspension on the Pacioretty hit.
Black Star: Patrice Bergeron...he has had some below-average games lately, but he should be able to bounce back.
When leading by two goals, the Bruins have 3 overtime losses this season. All three have come against the Sabres. They Bruins may have another potential first round match up problem with his team. However the Bruins defeated Buffalo last year in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Game 66: Round Two
Are we ready for round two? Well, actually this is more like round five since it is the 5th occurrence of "The Rivalry" this season. We all remember what happened the last time these two teams faced each other; gloves and sticks were scattered all over the ice, 14 goals were scored, 182 combined penalty minutes were tallied, and goalies matched up as dance partners for a tango of their own...just another day at the office for the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens.
Coming into the game, Montreal trailed Boston by five points in the Northeast Division standings. The Canadiens also have a 20-8-6 home record, good for second in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have yet to win a game at the Bell Centre, home of the Canadiens, this season. It was going to be a challenge for the Bruins tonight especially since Montreal came into this game with a four game win streak.
Regardless of all of the cheap tactics that both teams pull behind the play or behind the referee's back, the key for the Bruins was to play smart, plain and simple. Montreal's skilled players, if you want to call them that, are very small in size. Milan Lucic, Zdeno Chara, Adam McQauid, and other Bruins needed to give the hits and use their size against players like Mike Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, and Tomas Plekanec who are all under 5'-11". When a goaltender is the best player for a team (Carey Price for Montreal), take advantage of it.
The first period turned out to be one of expectation. The physical play was on display for both teams. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk attempted to unload on P.K. Subban and instead was met by Ryan White, who was just called up recently because he is known for his fighting. Coincidence? Either way, White earned himself 17 minutes worth of penalties on that one stoppage of play (2 minute instigator minor, 5 minute fighting major, 10 minute misconduct). It did not jump start the Bruins at all even though the Bruins led the Canadiens in both shots and scoring chances. However, Lars Eller (MTL) scored two goals and gave the Habs a 2-0 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes.
The second period was a disappointing one for Boston. The Bruins went 0-4 on the power play with 5 shots on goal. They were losing all of the battles in the neutral zone and that cannot happen if you expect to beat a team like Montreal. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (BOS) allowed two more goals in this period. Mike Gionta scored his 24th of the season and James Wisniewski scored his 8th of the season. Both were power play goals. You bet that the Habs' fans were chanting "Oh Lay" at that point of the game.
Towards the end of the period, Zdeno Chara hit Max Pacioretty clean right into the metal upright the supports the glass around the boards. He was served a 10 minute game misconduct and a 5 minute interference major on the hit. Pacioretty was motionless for several minutes until he was carted off the ice. In all likelihood, the NHL will review the hit and the Bruins might take another blow to that already weakened blue line.
It was obvious that the injury to Pacioretty got to the minds of both teams because the third period was generally slow and it went by fast. Milan Lucic scored for Boston as he broke up the shut out held by Carey Price (MTL). That goal was his 29th of the season and that leads the team. Brad Marchand (BOS) had an opportunity on a penalty shot, but it was stopped by Price. The final score was 4-1 in favor of Montreal. They are now three points behind Boston and they are on a five game winning streak.
Gold Star: David Krejci (1 assist, 4 shots on goal, even)
Black Star: Tuukka Rask...it was just one of those nights. He let in a couple of softies and failed to clear the puck on several occasions. Although he is not fully to blame for this loss.
During the period, it was announced that Max Pacioretty was reported to have feeling and motion in all four limbs and he was conscious after being taken to a local hospital. The severity of his injury is still unknown.
Coming into the game, Montreal trailed Boston by five points in the Northeast Division standings. The Canadiens also have a 20-8-6 home record, good for second in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have yet to win a game at the Bell Centre, home of the Canadiens, this season. It was going to be a challenge for the Bruins tonight especially since Montreal came into this game with a four game win streak.
Regardless of all of the cheap tactics that both teams pull behind the play or behind the referee's back, the key for the Bruins was to play smart, plain and simple. Montreal's skilled players, if you want to call them that, are very small in size. Milan Lucic, Zdeno Chara, Adam McQauid, and other Bruins needed to give the hits and use their size against players like Mike Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, and Tomas Plekanec who are all under 5'-11". When a goaltender is the best player for a team (Carey Price for Montreal), take advantage of it.
The first period turned out to be one of expectation. The physical play was on display for both teams. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk attempted to unload on P.K. Subban and instead was met by Ryan White, who was just called up recently because he is known for his fighting. Coincidence? Either way, White earned himself 17 minutes worth of penalties on that one stoppage of play (2 minute instigator minor, 5 minute fighting major, 10 minute misconduct). It did not jump start the Bruins at all even though the Bruins led the Canadiens in both shots and scoring chances. However, Lars Eller (MTL) scored two goals and gave the Habs a 2-0 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes.
The second period was a disappointing one for Boston. The Bruins went 0-4 on the power play with 5 shots on goal. They were losing all of the battles in the neutral zone and that cannot happen if you expect to beat a team like Montreal. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (BOS) allowed two more goals in this period. Mike Gionta scored his 24th of the season and James Wisniewski scored his 8th of the season. Both were power play goals. You bet that the Habs' fans were chanting "Oh Lay" at that point of the game.
Towards the end of the period, Zdeno Chara hit Max Pacioretty clean right into the metal upright the supports the glass around the boards. He was served a 10 minute game misconduct and a 5 minute interference major on the hit. Pacioretty was motionless for several minutes until he was carted off the ice. In all likelihood, the NHL will review the hit and the Bruins might take another blow to that already weakened blue line.
It was obvious that the injury to Pacioretty got to the minds of both teams because the third period was generally slow and it went by fast. Milan Lucic scored for Boston as he broke up the shut out held by Carey Price (MTL). That goal was his 29th of the season and that leads the team. Brad Marchand (BOS) had an opportunity on a penalty shot, but it was stopped by Price. The final score was 4-1 in favor of Montreal. They are now three points behind Boston and they are on a five game winning streak.
Gold Star: David Krejci (1 assist, 4 shots on goal, even)
Black Star: Tuukka Rask...it was just one of those nights. He let in a couple of softies and failed to clear the puck on several occasions. Although he is not fully to blame for this loss.
During the period, it was announced that Max Pacioretty was reported to have feeling and motion in all four limbs and he was conscious after being taken to a local hospital. The severity of his injury is still unknown.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Game 65: It Had To End Sooner Or Later
Yes that is right. The Bruins fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in overtime by a final score of 3-2. Patrice Bergeron was out of the line up tonight due to personal reasons, but he is scheduled to be back in the line up on Tuesday against the Canadiens. Steve Kampfer was also out tonight with a mild concussion and he is scheduled to miss a week.
With the B's blue line looking a little thin right now, Boston had to call up Matt Bartkowski from Providence. This is his third game up with the Bruins this season and all three of come against the Penguins. The defensive pairings tonight play very solid. It was the lack of offense that was the problem for Boston tonight.
The first period was a scoreless one in the goals column, but not so much in the penalty minutes column. Two fights occurred in the first period (Shawn Thornton vs. Mike Rupp and Nathan Horton vs. Craig Adams), hoping to generate some energy for some goal scoring to take place, but that did not happen in the first period.
Zdeno Chara (BOS) got things going in the second period when he scored his 11th of the season. That lead was short lived however when Jordan Staal and Dustin Jeffrey from Pittsburgh scored within 70 seconds of each other to put the Penguins on top 2-1. It was not until late in the third period where David Krejci popped in the game-tying goal after some great triangle movement of the puck with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton.
The game was sent to overtime when Jeffrey (PIT) scored his second of the game as he snuck a puck under Tim Thomas (BOS) to win the game. The deciding factor in this game was the take-aways. The Penguins led the Bruins in take-aways for the game 13-9. When you take the puck away from the opposing team and create turnovers, you will win the game.
Gold Star: David Krejci (1 goal, 1 assist, +1 rating, 5 shots on goal, 2 hits, 1 take-away, 47% face offs won)
Black Star: Michael Ryder...maybe playing without Rich Peverley affected his play tonight since Peverley had to center the second line in Bergeron's absence. He had a -2 rating for the night and forced Dennis Seidenberg to make a tough pass which caused a turnover and led to the winning goal in overtime.
With the B's blue line looking a little thin right now, Boston had to call up Matt Bartkowski from Providence. This is his third game up with the Bruins this season and all three of come against the Penguins. The defensive pairings tonight play very solid. It was the lack of offense that was the problem for Boston tonight.
The first period was a scoreless one in the goals column, but not so much in the penalty minutes column. Two fights occurred in the first period (Shawn Thornton vs. Mike Rupp and Nathan Horton vs. Craig Adams), hoping to generate some energy for some goal scoring to take place, but that did not happen in the first period.
Zdeno Chara (BOS) got things going in the second period when he scored his 11th of the season. That lead was short lived however when Jordan Staal and Dustin Jeffrey from Pittsburgh scored within 70 seconds of each other to put the Penguins on top 2-1. It was not until late in the third period where David Krejci popped in the game-tying goal after some great triangle movement of the puck with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton.
The game was sent to overtime when Jeffrey (PIT) scored his second of the game as he snuck a puck under Tim Thomas (BOS) to win the game. The deciding factor in this game was the take-aways. The Penguins led the Bruins in take-aways for the game 13-9. When you take the puck away from the opposing team and create turnovers, you will win the game.
Gold Star: David Krejci (1 goal, 1 assist, +1 rating, 5 shots on goal, 2 hits, 1 take-away, 47% face offs won)
Black Star: Michael Ryder...maybe playing without Rich Peverley affected his play tonight since Peverley had to center the second line in Bergeron's absence. He had a -2 rating for the night and forced Dennis Seidenberg to make a tough pass which caused a turnover and led to the winning goal in overtime.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Game 64: 2nd Place Showdown
The Bruins returned home tonight after being away from the TD Garden for over two weeks. With less than 20 games remaining in the regular season, every game is going to be critical as positioning for playoff standings will be on the mind for the B's. Coming into tonight's game, the Bruins were tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 81 points, good for second place in the East. Their opponent tonight: the Lightning. Perfect timing.
The Bruins have a 15-12-3 home record this season, which is not terrible. However, they need to start making the Garden a tough place to play as the season winds down. When you have two Hart Memorial Trophy candidates coming into the Garden tonight (Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis), any home ice advantage would help. The key for the Bruins tonight was to stay out of the penalty box. Stamkos leads the league with 16 power play goals and St. Louis leads the league with 27 power play assists. Talk about a difference maker.
An interesting statistic coming into this game: the Bruins were a +47 as a team and the Lightning were even at 0. So it is against anybody's better judgment for the Bruins to just shoot the puck? After all the Lightning have a 3.0 goals against average and that ranks them 25th in the league. They give up a lot of goals and the Bruins needed to take advantage of that tonight.
The fans saw Daniel Paille return to the line up as Tyler Seguin got the healthy scratch for this game. This game got off to a really fast start for both teams. Each team had several scoring opportunities. Even though Tampa Bay out shot the Bruins 10-8 in the first period, Boston clearly had more quality chances. The puck hit the post on both ends of the ice, but goaltenders Tim Thomas (BOS) and Mike Smith (TB) held both team scoreless through the first 20 minutes. Smith would like to forget the last time he traveled to Boston since the Bruins put up 8 goals that night, a game in which Smith was pulled.
Eric Brewer from Tampa Bay got things started quickly in the second period when he scored the first goal of the game and his ninth of the season. Just over two minutes later, Steve Kampfer tied the game up at one. It was Kampfer's first goal in the last 18 games. The physicality and the chippy play picked up in this period. A couple of questionable tactics from Lightning players caused Gregory Campbell and Mark Recchi to send their tempers flying. Shawn Thornton was licking his lips to fight with Steve Downie but that never took place. Instead, Milan Lucic dropped the gloves with Eric Brewer and won that scrap pretty decisively. Oh yes, the score was tied at one after two.
NESN play-by-play commentator Jack Edwards pointed out something that holds water: Tampa Bay loves to take dives and cause tempers to flare. It's a shame that a team like the Bruins will fight through all of the hits and the chippy play. But when a team like the Lightning takes the easy way out by diving, it is a disgrace. It is a shame that players like that exist in the NHL.
It was nice to see the cooler heads prevail in the third period. The Bruins clearly dominated the entire period and held the puck more than 50% of the time. Lucic scored his 28th goal of the season after shooting the puck over six bodies in front of the Tampa Bay goal. On that goal, David Krejci recorded his 200th career point by picking up the assist along with Nathan Horton. The Bruins held on to win this important game by a score of 2-1.
Gold Star: Tomas Kaberle...he finished with a + 1 for the night, but he is not being recognized for what he puts up on the stat sheet. His play tonight was nothing short of perfect. Just watching him move the puck and create lanes for passes is unlike anything anyone has ever seen. He will be vital in the Bruins playoff run, particularly on the power play.
Black Star: Shawn Thornton...it was exciting to see him wanting to drop the gloves. But fans forget to realize that it was because of him that Tampa Bay brought the puck into the B's zone and scored their goal. Instead of trying to take his head off, he should have played some defense. Take it easy in those situations Shawn.
That is seven in a row for the Bruins. They will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Garden on Saturday night. They will see Alexei Kovalev in a Penguins' jersey for the first time. He is a great player, but he is no Sidney Crosby.
The Bruins have a 15-12-3 home record this season, which is not terrible. However, they need to start making the Garden a tough place to play as the season winds down. When you have two Hart Memorial Trophy candidates coming into the Garden tonight (Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis), any home ice advantage would help. The key for the Bruins tonight was to stay out of the penalty box. Stamkos leads the league with 16 power play goals and St. Louis leads the league with 27 power play assists. Talk about a difference maker.
An interesting statistic coming into this game: the Bruins were a +47 as a team and the Lightning were even at 0. So it is against anybody's better judgment for the Bruins to just shoot the puck? After all the Lightning have a 3.0 goals against average and that ranks them 25th in the league. They give up a lot of goals and the Bruins needed to take advantage of that tonight.
The fans saw Daniel Paille return to the line up as Tyler Seguin got the healthy scratch for this game. This game got off to a really fast start for both teams. Each team had several scoring opportunities. Even though Tampa Bay out shot the Bruins 10-8 in the first period, Boston clearly had more quality chances. The puck hit the post on both ends of the ice, but goaltenders Tim Thomas (BOS) and Mike Smith (TB) held both team scoreless through the first 20 minutes. Smith would like to forget the last time he traveled to Boston since the Bruins put up 8 goals that night, a game in which Smith was pulled.
Eric Brewer from Tampa Bay got things started quickly in the second period when he scored the first goal of the game and his ninth of the season. Just over two minutes later, Steve Kampfer tied the game up at one. It was Kampfer's first goal in the last 18 games. The physicality and the chippy play picked up in this period. A couple of questionable tactics from Lightning players caused Gregory Campbell and Mark Recchi to send their tempers flying. Shawn Thornton was licking his lips to fight with Steve Downie but that never took place. Instead, Milan Lucic dropped the gloves with Eric Brewer and won that scrap pretty decisively. Oh yes, the score was tied at one after two.
NESN play-by-play commentator Jack Edwards pointed out something that holds water: Tampa Bay loves to take dives and cause tempers to flare. It's a shame that a team like the Bruins will fight through all of the hits and the chippy play. But when a team like the Lightning takes the easy way out by diving, it is a disgrace. It is a shame that players like that exist in the NHL.
It was nice to see the cooler heads prevail in the third period. The Bruins clearly dominated the entire period and held the puck more than 50% of the time. Lucic scored his 28th goal of the season after shooting the puck over six bodies in front of the Tampa Bay goal. On that goal, David Krejci recorded his 200th career point by picking up the assist along with Nathan Horton. The Bruins held on to win this important game by a score of 2-1.
Gold Star: Tomas Kaberle...he finished with a + 1 for the night, but he is not being recognized for what he puts up on the stat sheet. His play tonight was nothing short of perfect. Just watching him move the puck and create lanes for passes is unlike anything anyone has ever seen. He will be vital in the Bruins playoff run, particularly on the power play.
Black Star: Shawn Thornton...it was exciting to see him wanting to drop the gloves. But fans forget to realize that it was because of him that Tampa Bay brought the puck into the B's zone and scored their goal. Instead of trying to take his head off, he should have played some defense. Take it easy in those situations Shawn.
That is seven in a row for the Bruins. They will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Garden on Saturday night. They will see Alexei Kovalev in a Penguins' jersey for the first time. He is a great player, but he is no Sidney Crosby.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Game 63: "Oh, Canada" Road Trip Game 5 of 5
The trade deadline quickly passed us this past Monday. As expected, the Bruins did not make any major deals on that day. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told the media that he had made the major trades and acquisitions when he dealt for Tomas Kaberle, Rich Peverley, and Chris Kelly. A minor deal was made however when the B's picked up goaltender Anton Khudobin from the Minnesota Wild for two prospects. This trade might not make sense right now, but Chiarelli must have something up his sleeve for the future.
Anyway, there was a hockey game tonight. It was the final game of the six game road trip in which the Bruins are 5-0-0 and outscored their opponents 19-9 in that span. They faced the Ottawa Senators tonight, a team with a record of 21-32-9 for 51 points. That record is good enough for last place in the Eastern Conference. Well, maybe not so good. However, the Senators knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers in a recent game and they have the best record in the Eastern Conference. So, this game was not going to be an easy conclusion to this road trip.
Tuukka Rask got the start for the second consecutive game after having a solid game against Edmonton. His play carried over into this game because he made some great saves in the first period. Even though Ottawa out shot the Bruins 10-6, the B's defense was the story of the period. Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid performed at a high level by making key passes to set up scoring chances. After it was all set and done, the first period ended in a scoreless tie.
We witnessed deja vu in the second period as the fans were treated to some old time hockey. The defense and the goalies were unbelievable as shot after shot was followed by save after save. Boston did go on the power play in which they just took liberties at firing off shots like there was no tomorrow. Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle anchored the power play setting up some scoring chances. but Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson was able to keep the teams even through two.
Within the first two minutes of the third period, Nathan Horton scored his 18th of the season to put the Bruins on top 1-0. Brad Marchand and Adam McQuaid has the assists. To go a bit off topic, Mcquaid had one of his best games as a professional tonight. He was hustling to the puck, defending the blue line, and kept attacking players away from Tuukka Rask. Overall, the entire Bruins defense was on top of their game throughout this road trip. After killing a late penalty and fighting off the extra attacker in the final minute, Boston held on to win 1-0.
Gold Star: Tuukka Rask (33 saves on 33 shots, 0 goals allowed, 1.000 save percentage)..he had a solid game overall and we should be seeing him splitting time with Tim Thomas the rest of the season.
Black Star: Brad Marchand...he failed to utilize his speed tonight. He put the Bruins on the penalty kill when he got sent to the penalty box for holding. In that situation, he should have used his speed to get to the puck. He almost cost us the game.
The Bruins return home on Thursday to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will determine who will take over second place in the Eastern Conference. One last thought, the Bruins finished this six game road trip 6-0-0. The last time they did that was during the 1971-1972 season, the last year that they won the Stanley Cup.......
Anyway, there was a hockey game tonight. It was the final game of the six game road trip in which the Bruins are 5-0-0 and outscored their opponents 19-9 in that span. They faced the Ottawa Senators tonight, a team with a record of 21-32-9 for 51 points. That record is good enough for last place in the Eastern Conference. Well, maybe not so good. However, the Senators knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers in a recent game and they have the best record in the Eastern Conference. So, this game was not going to be an easy conclusion to this road trip.
Tuukka Rask got the start for the second consecutive game after having a solid game against Edmonton. His play carried over into this game because he made some great saves in the first period. Even though Ottawa out shot the Bruins 10-6, the B's defense was the story of the period. Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid performed at a high level by making key passes to set up scoring chances. After it was all set and done, the first period ended in a scoreless tie.
We witnessed deja vu in the second period as the fans were treated to some old time hockey. The defense and the goalies were unbelievable as shot after shot was followed by save after save. Boston did go on the power play in which they just took liberties at firing off shots like there was no tomorrow. Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle anchored the power play setting up some scoring chances. but Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson was able to keep the teams even through two.
Within the first two minutes of the third period, Nathan Horton scored his 18th of the season to put the Bruins on top 1-0. Brad Marchand and Adam McQuaid has the assists. To go a bit off topic, Mcquaid had one of his best games as a professional tonight. He was hustling to the puck, defending the blue line, and kept attacking players away from Tuukka Rask. Overall, the entire Bruins defense was on top of their game throughout this road trip. After killing a late penalty and fighting off the extra attacker in the final minute, Boston held on to win 1-0.
Gold Star: Tuukka Rask (33 saves on 33 shots, 0 goals allowed, 1.000 save percentage)..he had a solid game overall and we should be seeing him splitting time with Tim Thomas the rest of the season.
Black Star: Brad Marchand...he failed to utilize his speed tonight. He put the Bruins on the penalty kill when he got sent to the penalty box for holding. In that situation, he should have used his speed to get to the puck. He almost cost us the game.
The Bruins return home on Thursday to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will determine who will take over second place in the Eastern Conference. One last thought, the Bruins finished this six game road trip 6-0-0. The last time they did that was during the 1971-1972 season, the last year that they won the Stanley Cup.......
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