The Boston Bruins closed out the month of March by playing a divisional game on Easter Sunday. They took on the Buffalo Sabres.
Normally, a game like this would not be much trouble for the Bruins. However, coming off a pathetic loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and having only defeated the Sabres once this season, this game was by no means a sure thing.
This game was going to be a challenge for the B's. In all honesty, that is exactly what they needed. A rugged and tough opponent like Buffalo would be the perfect match-up for the Bruins to wake them up. Also, Thomas Vanek was out of the lineup for the Sabres, their current point leader. All positive signs to begin the game.
Anton Khudobin was back in net, which was not a surprise since he was the goaltender for Boston in the lone victory against the Sabres this season. Matt Bartkowski made his return to the lineup as well. As for him being involved in the Iginla trade, sorry about that (in the mind of Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli).
In the first period, the Bruins came out slow once again. With that being said, they played at a decent level compared to some of their recent games. The Sabres had several great scoring chances, but Khudobin came up with some big saves for his team. There were no goals scored in the opening 20 minutes, but what we did see were a couple of embellishment penalties called (one on each team) and that is a rarity in today's NHL. Boston continued its streak of consecutive games without a first-period goal to seven.
The Bruins spent some time killing off three minor penalties in the second period. They proved once again that they have a solid penalty killing unit. The problem is that they could not get any decent scoring chances. Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller made 22 saves through the first two periods, but it seemed that most of them were no issue for him. The Bruins lack of pressure led to them missing on the few scoring chances that they generated.
In the third period, it was the Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton line that came through for the Bruins. That line accounted for two goals in the final 20 minutes. Krejci and Horton each recorded a goal and an assist while Bartkowski also recorded his first-career NHL point on Krejci's goal. That was all Khudobin needed as he stood on his head and preserved the 2-0 shutout victory.
The Bruins will head back home for Tuesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators.
Gold Star: Anton Khudobin...He finished the game with 26 saves, some of them being very key early on in the hockey game. Those saves kept the momentum on the Bruins side.
Black Star: Jordan Caron...He had a team-low 7:31 of ice time and did not do much during his minimal action.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Game 33: So Much For "Black & Gold" Hockey, Huh?
After coming off of back-to-back days off and a hard-fought game with the Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins were back on the ice Saturday afternoon.
The B's will be spending their Easter weekend doing what they do best: playing Black and Gold hockey. Their first game of the weekend was against the Philadelphia Flyers. After this matinee game, the Bruins will only have one more regular season afternoon game.
This game was huge for the B's since they were coming off of a demoralizing week both on and off the ice. They just missed out on acquiring Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames. The Pittsburgh Penguins swept in and stole him from underneath the Bruins. Boston made a very good offer compared to Pittsburgh. The Bruins offered Matt Bartkowski, Alex Khokhlachev, and a 1st-round draft pick while the Pens offered two college prospects.
The Bruins clearly made the stronger push. The bottom line is that Iginla did not want to come here. He wants to win in Pittsburgh. There is nothing more to it. Now, lets see what the Bruins do in response. A good way to start would be getting a victory against the Flyers.
Tuukka Rask was back in goal for the Bruins in this game. Also, Johnny Boychuk made his return to the lineup.
There have been some sluggish games played by the Bruins over the years. This was one of the worst games that this team has played in a long time. There was no physical play and no emotion at all.
The Flyers recorded a goal in each of the three periods to seal the 3-1 victory. Mike Knuble, Matt Read, and Ruslan Fedotenko had the tallies for the Black and Orange. The lone bright spot for Boston was Nathan Horton recording his 10th goal of the season. Rask finished with 19 saves.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Sunday night when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres.
Gold Star: Nathan Horton (1 goal)...After this game, this is only picking the best of the worst.
Black Star: Johnny Boychuk...He did not pick the right game to make his return. He kept getting beat along the boards and he was cheating up ice all game long.
The B's will be spending their Easter weekend doing what they do best: playing Black and Gold hockey. Their first game of the weekend was against the Philadelphia Flyers. After this matinee game, the Bruins will only have one more regular season afternoon game.
This game was huge for the B's since they were coming off of a demoralizing week both on and off the ice. They just missed out on acquiring Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames. The Pittsburgh Penguins swept in and stole him from underneath the Bruins. Boston made a very good offer compared to Pittsburgh. The Bruins offered Matt Bartkowski, Alex Khokhlachev, and a 1st-round draft pick while the Pens offered two college prospects.
The Bruins clearly made the stronger push. The bottom line is that Iginla did not want to come here. He wants to win in Pittsburgh. There is nothing more to it. Now, lets see what the Bruins do in response. A good way to start would be getting a victory against the Flyers.
Tuukka Rask was back in goal for the Bruins in this game. Also, Johnny Boychuk made his return to the lineup.
There have been some sluggish games played by the Bruins over the years. This was one of the worst games that this team has played in a long time. There was no physical play and no emotion at all.
The Flyers recorded a goal in each of the three periods to seal the 3-1 victory. Mike Knuble, Matt Read, and Ruslan Fedotenko had the tallies for the Black and Orange. The lone bright spot for Boston was Nathan Horton recording his 10th goal of the season. Rask finished with 19 saves.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Sunday night when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres.
Gold Star: Nathan Horton (1 goal)...After this game, this is only picking the best of the worst.
Black Star: Johnny Boychuk...He did not pick the right game to make his return. He kept getting beat along the boards and he was cheating up ice all game long.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Game 32: Oh, By The Way, There Was A Game Tonight
Yes, the trade rumors have been circulating. Before the talks begin about changing up the roster, the focus was on a pretty important game instead....
March is slowly, but surely coming to a close and the Boston Bruins are more than happy to turn the page on this sub-par month. Although this should be nothing new for this team, but they have a history of somewhat playing below their capabilities in the third month of the year.
There is no need to jump ahead to the month of April just yet since Boston has three more games left before that day comes. The B's were on the ice Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens in what was the final home game of the month.
The realization that something special could happen every time these two rivals take the ice is unpredictable. Whenever you think a donnybrook or a goal-scoring spree will occur, the game disappoints. The same could be said if the opposite happened. When a game is played and nothing is expected to happen, the fans leave with a smile on their faces and their adrenaline would be through the roof.
One thing that was guaranteed for this game is that first place in the Northeast Division would go to the winner. Montreal was coming off of a loss on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, leaving both teams with 45 points entering this game.
Prior to the game, it was announced that the Bruins had claimed former Ottawa Senators forward Kaspars Daugavins off of waivers. Most likely, he will be sent down to Providence. Speaking of that, the B's recalled P-Bruins defenseman Torey Krug for this game. Whatever time he gets with the big club this season, it will be more of a showcasing than anything else. Whether he is trade bait or a future replacement, this kid has some skills.
Tuukka Rask was back in goal for the Bruins and he opposed Carey Price of the Habs.
In the first period, there were some fireworks that involved Andrei Markov of the Habs. He took liberties on David Krejci and the B's took notice as they finished their checks on him all game long. As for the play, the Bruins had trouble moving the puck and getting shots on goal. Montreal capitalized on Boston's early struggles and broke through with the first goal of the game. Long-time friend Michael Ryder had the tally for the Canadiens.
Gregory Campbell and Travis Moen each dropped the gloves with each other in the opening period, which was due to the hard-nosed tone set early in the game.
The Habs looked like they were in firm control of this game, especially after their power play goal by P.K. Subban to increase their lead. However, that sparked the Black and Gold to go on a tear. They scored four unanswered goals in the second period. Dougie Hamilton, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron (power play), and Nathan Horton were the goal scorers for the Bruins. This all resulted from putting pressure on Markov and Price early on in the period.
Before the start of the third period, the Canadiens pulled Price in favor of backup goaltender Peter Budaj. Who would have thought that would have been the key move of this game? The Canadiens and Bruins alternated goals as the period went along. A key power play for the Habs (Aaron Johnson called for a delay of game) led to the game-tying goal with eight seconds left. The TD Garden became silent and the collective air was let out of the building.
The momentum returned to the building during the overtime, albeit a scoreless overtime, because the Bruins controlled much of the possession and got some quality scoring chances. However, the Bruins were blanked through six rounds of the shootout and Brendan Gallagher beat Rask for the lone goal. The Habs regained the division lead after this 6-5 shootout victory.
The Bruins will head back on the road for the weekend, starting on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Gold Star: Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 2 assists, plus-3 rating)...He was physical. He was productive. He was in control. He was the best player on the ice.
Black Star: Tuukka Rask...Five goals is five goals, no matter how many of them you can blame on your defensemen. He usually bounces back pretty well though.
March is slowly, but surely coming to a close and the Boston Bruins are more than happy to turn the page on this sub-par month. Although this should be nothing new for this team, but they have a history of somewhat playing below their capabilities in the third month of the year.
There is no need to jump ahead to the month of April just yet since Boston has three more games left before that day comes. The B's were on the ice Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens in what was the final home game of the month.
The realization that something special could happen every time these two rivals take the ice is unpredictable. Whenever you think a donnybrook or a goal-scoring spree will occur, the game disappoints. The same could be said if the opposite happened. When a game is played and nothing is expected to happen, the fans leave with a smile on their faces and their adrenaline would be through the roof.
One thing that was guaranteed for this game is that first place in the Northeast Division would go to the winner. Montreal was coming off of a loss on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, leaving both teams with 45 points entering this game.
Prior to the game, it was announced that the Bruins had claimed former Ottawa Senators forward Kaspars Daugavins off of waivers. Most likely, he will be sent down to Providence. Speaking of that, the B's recalled P-Bruins defenseman Torey Krug for this game. Whatever time he gets with the big club this season, it will be more of a showcasing than anything else. Whether he is trade bait or a future replacement, this kid has some skills.
Tuukka Rask was back in goal for the Bruins and he opposed Carey Price of the Habs.
In the first period, there were some fireworks that involved Andrei Markov of the Habs. He took liberties on David Krejci and the B's took notice as they finished their checks on him all game long. As for the play, the Bruins had trouble moving the puck and getting shots on goal. Montreal capitalized on Boston's early struggles and broke through with the first goal of the game. Long-time friend Michael Ryder had the tally for the Canadiens.
Gregory Campbell and Travis Moen each dropped the gloves with each other in the opening period, which was due to the hard-nosed tone set early in the game.
The Habs looked like they were in firm control of this game, especially after their power play goal by P.K. Subban to increase their lead. However, that sparked the Black and Gold to go on a tear. They scored four unanswered goals in the second period. Dougie Hamilton, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron (power play), and Nathan Horton were the goal scorers for the Bruins. This all resulted from putting pressure on Markov and Price early on in the period.
Before the start of the third period, the Canadiens pulled Price in favor of backup goaltender Peter Budaj. Who would have thought that would have been the key move of this game? The Canadiens and Bruins alternated goals as the period went along. A key power play for the Habs (Aaron Johnson called for a delay of game) led to the game-tying goal with eight seconds left. The TD Garden became silent and the collective air was let out of the building.
The momentum returned to the building during the overtime, albeit a scoreless overtime, because the Bruins controlled much of the possession and got some quality scoring chances. However, the Bruins were blanked through six rounds of the shootout and Brendan Gallagher beat Rask for the lone goal. The Habs regained the division lead after this 6-5 shootout victory.
The Bruins will head back on the road for the weekend, starting on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Gold Star: Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 2 assists, plus-3 rating)...He was physical. He was productive. He was in control. He was the best player on the ice.
Black Star: Tuukka Rask...Five goals is five goals, no matter how many of them you can blame on your defensemen. He usually bounces back pretty well though.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Game 31: There Was No Way That The Bruins Would Lose This Game
After finishing 1-3-0 on their four-game road trip, the Boston Bruins returned home on Monday night. They took on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second game of the home-and-home series.
This was the final game of the season series between these two teams. The Leafs grabbed the 3-2 victory over the Bruins on Saturday night, snapping their eight-game losing streak against the Black and Gold. Plus, they did it without the services of Joffrey Lupul (suspension).
In order to shake things up, B's head coach Claude Julien switched up all four lines during Sunday's practice in preparation for this game. The biggest change came when Milan Lucic was dropped to the third line and Brad Marchand was bumped up to the first line. At this point, anything would be an improvement over scoring only six goals in the last four games.
Tuukka Rask was back in net for the Bruins after coming on in relief of Anton Khudobin during the last game. Even though the lines were switched up before puck drop, they were constantly rotated throughout the game.
In the first period, the Bruins put together a few rushes but nothing worth bragging about. You would think that after a major shake-up that the Bruins would come out firing on all cylinders. We were all mistaken, even with the Bruins wearing the traditional road white sweaters at home for this game. Just a little side-note right there.
The second period did not start off any better for the B's. The Leafs were able to capitalize on an early power play opportunity on a goal by a returning Lupul. The Leafs were not done there as Nikolai Kulemin split the Bruins defense and beat Rask stick-side high to increase their lead. All of a sudden, we had a Lucic sighting. He beat Toronto goaltender James Reimer for his first goal in 16 games. From that point on, the energy of the game completely favored Boston. It was so chaotic on the ice that the Bruins kept bumping into each other in order to get that breakthrough goal. Regardless, they put themselves in a good spot for the final 20 minutes.
What was interesting about the third period is that the Bruins defensemen kept cheating up ice to contribute in the offensive zone. Luckily, it did not come back to haunt them. In fact, it was because of Dougie Hamilton's pinch up ice that led to the tying goal off of the stick of Patrice Bergeron. Toronto really was no match for Boston in the third period as this game went into overtime.
After a scoreless extra period, the B's sealed the 3-2 victory on the game-winning save by Rask on Kulemin. Tyler Seguin and Bergeron recorded goals in the shootout. Rask finished with 23 saves.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Wednesday night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Gold Star: Dougie Hamilton...This was the first game where he proved that he belongs in Boston. His physical play combined with his assist showed why he will be the future of this organization.
Black Star: Nathan Horton...As far the Bruins forwards were concerned, it was as if they were using only 11 of them. He did not record a shot on goal. His play might be worthy of a demotion or a benching.
This was the final game of the season series between these two teams. The Leafs grabbed the 3-2 victory over the Bruins on Saturday night, snapping their eight-game losing streak against the Black and Gold. Plus, they did it without the services of Joffrey Lupul (suspension).
In order to shake things up, B's head coach Claude Julien switched up all four lines during Sunday's practice in preparation for this game. The biggest change came when Milan Lucic was dropped to the third line and Brad Marchand was bumped up to the first line. At this point, anything would be an improvement over scoring only six goals in the last four games.
Tuukka Rask was back in net for the Bruins after coming on in relief of Anton Khudobin during the last game. Even though the lines were switched up before puck drop, they were constantly rotated throughout the game.
In the first period, the Bruins put together a few rushes but nothing worth bragging about. You would think that after a major shake-up that the Bruins would come out firing on all cylinders. We were all mistaken, even with the Bruins wearing the traditional road white sweaters at home for this game. Just a little side-note right there.
The second period did not start off any better for the B's. The Leafs were able to capitalize on an early power play opportunity on a goal by a returning Lupul. The Leafs were not done there as Nikolai Kulemin split the Bruins defense and beat Rask stick-side high to increase their lead. All of a sudden, we had a Lucic sighting. He beat Toronto goaltender James Reimer for his first goal in 16 games. From that point on, the energy of the game completely favored Boston. It was so chaotic on the ice that the Bruins kept bumping into each other in order to get that breakthrough goal. Regardless, they put themselves in a good spot for the final 20 minutes.
What was interesting about the third period is that the Bruins defensemen kept cheating up ice to contribute in the offensive zone. Luckily, it did not come back to haunt them. In fact, it was because of Dougie Hamilton's pinch up ice that led to the tying goal off of the stick of Patrice Bergeron. Toronto really was no match for Boston in the third period as this game went into overtime.
After a scoreless extra period, the B's sealed the 3-2 victory on the game-winning save by Rask on Kulemin. Tyler Seguin and Bergeron recorded goals in the shootout. Rask finished with 23 saves.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Wednesday night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Gold Star: Dougie Hamilton...This was the first game where he proved that he belongs in Boston. His physical play combined with his assist showed why he will be the future of this organization.
Black Star: Nathan Horton...As far the Bruins forwards were concerned, it was as if they were using only 11 of them. He did not record a shot on goal. His play might be worthy of a demotion or a benching.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Game 30: What Is Frustration? When You Do Everything But Score
The Northeast Division is quickly becoming one of the strongest divisions in the NHL. With all but one team (Buffalo) in the playoff picture, every divisional game from here on out will be important.
The Boston Bruins traveled to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in the final game of their four-game road trip. On this particular Saturday night, it was also Hockey Night in Canada.
Despite all of their injuries as of late, the B's are still hanging around and competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Entering this game, they were only two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the division.
Speaking of injuries, the Maple Leafs recently got back forward Joffrey Lupul from a serious injury. However, he sat this game out because he was serving a two-game suspension. Things just never seem to go right for the Leafs. Would this be the night that they finally get a victory over the Bruins?
Anton Khudobin was back in goal for the Bruins. Matt Bartkowski was recalled from Providence and made his season debut in place of Johnny Boychuk in this game. Ironically, he took a puck off the leg at Friday's practice and left the ice. Boychuk is listed as day-to-day. Rich Peverley made his return to the lineup as well.
Due to the sub-par roster that the Bruins had to send out onto the ice for this game, there was a lot of line switching and defensive pair shuffling that started right away in the first period. There was sloppy play from both sides, but the Bruins had more scoring chances. However, Nazem Kadri (a.k.a. The New Bruins Killer) beat Khudobin near side for his 14th goal of the season.
In the second period, the Leafs took over as the more physical team. While they were winning puck battles in the neutral zone, the Bruins continued to put pressure on Leafs goaltender James Reimer. They outshot Toronto 20-9 through the first two periods, yet they fell into a deeper hole when the Leafs increased their lead on a goal by Mikhail Grabovski.
After Khudobin allowed a very soft goal to begin the third period, he was pulled in favor of Tuukka Rask. That was the lone sour moment of the period for the Bruins because they absolutely took over the game. They were able to crawl back into it after goals from Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference, but it was too little, too late. The Leafs ended their eight-game drought against the B's and grabbed the 3-2 home victory.
We will not have to wait long to see the Maple Leafs again. They will face the Bruins on Monday night at the TD Garden.
Gold Star: Aaron Johnson...He was solid in his 19 minutes of ice time. This was a performance he could be proud of and use to make his game even better.
Black Star: Milan Lucic...It is hard to understand why he is playing below his standards as of late. It looks as if he wants no part of getting physical along the boards, which was the key reason why the Maple Leafs scored their second goal.
The Boston Bruins traveled to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in the final game of their four-game road trip. On this particular Saturday night, it was also Hockey Night in Canada.
Despite all of their injuries as of late, the B's are still hanging around and competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Entering this game, they were only two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the division.
Speaking of injuries, the Maple Leafs recently got back forward Joffrey Lupul from a serious injury. However, he sat this game out because he was serving a two-game suspension. Things just never seem to go right for the Leafs. Would this be the night that they finally get a victory over the Bruins?
Anton Khudobin was back in goal for the Bruins. Matt Bartkowski was recalled from Providence and made his season debut in place of Johnny Boychuk in this game. Ironically, he took a puck off the leg at Friday's practice and left the ice. Boychuk is listed as day-to-day. Rich Peverley made his return to the lineup as well.
Due to the sub-par roster that the Bruins had to send out onto the ice for this game, there was a lot of line switching and defensive pair shuffling that started right away in the first period. There was sloppy play from both sides, but the Bruins had more scoring chances. However, Nazem Kadri (a.k.a. The New Bruins Killer) beat Khudobin near side for his 14th goal of the season.
In the second period, the Leafs took over as the more physical team. While they were winning puck battles in the neutral zone, the Bruins continued to put pressure on Leafs goaltender James Reimer. They outshot Toronto 20-9 through the first two periods, yet they fell into a deeper hole when the Leafs increased their lead on a goal by Mikhail Grabovski.
After Khudobin allowed a very soft goal to begin the third period, he was pulled in favor of Tuukka Rask. That was the lone sour moment of the period for the Bruins because they absolutely took over the game. They were able to crawl back into it after goals from Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference, but it was too little, too late. The Leafs ended their eight-game drought against the B's and grabbed the 3-2 home victory.
We will not have to wait long to see the Maple Leafs again. They will face the Bruins on Monday night at the TD Garden.
Gold Star: Aaron Johnson...He was solid in his 19 minutes of ice time. This was a performance he could be proud of and use to make his game even better.
Black Star: Milan Lucic...It is hard to understand why he is playing below his standards as of late. It looks as if he wants no part of getting physical along the boards, which was the key reason why the Maple Leafs scored their second goal.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Game 29: It Feels Like It Has Been Forever
Remember how Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien would always preach about playing a full 60 minutes of hockey? His team seems to be forgetting that memo as of late.
The B's dropped another game on Tuesday night after holding a lead heading into the third period. This was also their third straight loss on the road.
They were looking to rebound on Thursday night as they skated against the Ottawa Senators, their third game in a four-game road trip. Even though this goes without saying, but Boston needed this game in a big way. When you have a chance to take over the division lead and fail to do so, that leaves the proverbial "bitter taste" in the mouths of the players.
There were several lineup changes in this game. Anton Khudobin was back in goal for the Bruins. Adam McQuaid, who left the last game with an upper-body injury, traveled back to Boston and will miss three-to-four weeks with a shoulder strain. He was replaced by Aaron Johnson. David Krejci made his return to the lineup in this game. Lastly, Rich Peverley was a scratch in favor of Ryan Spooner.
After a scoreless opening period, both teams started to put together some scoring chances in the second period. Kaspars Daugavins beat Khudobin for the first goal of the game. Towards the end of the period, the Bruins tied things up on a goal from Daniel Paille. Usually, Paille along with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton skate as the fourth line. However, due to the make-shift nature of the third line, they had their minutes increased and they played more of the third line role.
Things started to get chippy in the third period. One would think that would favor the Senators, but the Bruins showed great restraint and discipline. They remained focus on the task at hand. Sure enough, Dennis Seidenberg blasted home the game-winning goal with a little over a minute left in the game. The Bruins finally got a much-needed 2-1 victory over a divisional opponent.
The Bruins will close out their road trip on Saturday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gold Star: Dennis Seidenberg (1 goal, plus-2 rating)...The offensive numbers he posted in this game were solid, but he still played a tight game in the defensive zone prior to his first goal of the season.
Black Star: Jay Pandolfo...It is time for Lane MacDermid to be inserted into the lineup. There is nothing else that needs to be said.
The B's dropped another game on Tuesday night after holding a lead heading into the third period. This was also their third straight loss on the road.
They were looking to rebound on Thursday night as they skated against the Ottawa Senators, their third game in a four-game road trip. Even though this goes without saying, but Boston needed this game in a big way. When you have a chance to take over the division lead and fail to do so, that leaves the proverbial "bitter taste" in the mouths of the players.
There were several lineup changes in this game. Anton Khudobin was back in goal for the Bruins. Adam McQuaid, who left the last game with an upper-body injury, traveled back to Boston and will miss three-to-four weeks with a shoulder strain. He was replaced by Aaron Johnson. David Krejci made his return to the lineup in this game. Lastly, Rich Peverley was a scratch in favor of Ryan Spooner.
After a scoreless opening period, both teams started to put together some scoring chances in the second period. Kaspars Daugavins beat Khudobin for the first goal of the game. Towards the end of the period, the Bruins tied things up on a goal from Daniel Paille. Usually, Paille along with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton skate as the fourth line. However, due to the make-shift nature of the third line, they had their minutes increased and they played more of the third line role.
Things started to get chippy in the third period. One would think that would favor the Senators, but the Bruins showed great restraint and discipline. They remained focus on the task at hand. Sure enough, Dennis Seidenberg blasted home the game-winning goal with a little over a minute left in the game. The Bruins finally got a much-needed 2-1 victory over a divisional opponent.
The Bruins will close out their road trip on Saturday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gold Star: Dennis Seidenberg (1 goal, plus-2 rating)...The offensive numbers he posted in this game were solid, but he still played a tight game in the defensive zone prior to his first goal of the season.
Black Star: Jay Pandolfo...It is time for Lane MacDermid to be inserted into the lineup. There is nothing else that needs to be said.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Game 28: Bruins Lose Three in a Row on the Road
While March is the month where folks focus on college basketball, the Boston Bruins are currently in the midst of their own "March Madness."
On Tuesday night, the Bruins continued their road trip as they traveled to Winnipeg to take on the Jets. The B's were looking for the season sweep since they had won the previous two meetings.
Although the Bruins were coming off of a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Jets were fighting for first place in the Southeast Division. Playing in Winnipeg is always a challenge, but when you throw in the fact that the Jets were battling for supremacy in the Southeast, this was fixing to be a tough game for the B's.
Heading into this game, the Bruins had to recall Ryan Spooner from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis. He centered the first line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. This move was made because David Krejci was unable to skate on Tuesday night. He was struck in the knee by a slap shot on Sunday, but he did not suffer any broken bones and is listed as day-to-day.
In the first period, the Jets really took it to the Bruins. They were very aggressive on the forecheck, leaving the B's confused and often backed up in their own zone. On a related note, defenseman Adam McQuaid suffered an upper-body injury after being checked into the boards by Jets forward Eric Tangradi and missed the rest of the game. Regardless, the Bruins outshot the Jets 10-9 in the opening period and had two power play opportunities, but failed to capitalize on either one of them.
The second period continued with some fast-paced puck movement. It all started when Brad Marchand recorded his 13th goal of the season just eight seconds into the period. This came about after the puck took an odd bounce off of the boards and it fell right to his stick. From that point on, it was all Boston. The Bruins had several other heavy rushes and scoring opportunities, but it remained a one-goal game after two periods.
In the third period, the Jets came storming back and beat Tuukka Rask with two quick goals to take the lead. Blake Wheeler (power play) and Evander Kane recorded the tallies for Winnipeg. The Bruins made one last push to get the equalizer, but Wheeler added his second goal of the game in empty-net fashion to seal the 3-1 victory.
The Bruins will play their next game on Thursday night when they take on the Ottawa Senators.
Gold Star: Daniel Paille...Even though he did not record a point, he played a very heavy game. He was productive and he made things happen all over the ice.
Black Star: Jordan Caron...He tried to be physical, but he was no match for the Jets defenders. He also had the costly penalty that led to the tying goal.
On Tuesday night, the Bruins continued their road trip as they traveled to Winnipeg to take on the Jets. The B's were looking for the season sweep since they had won the previous two meetings.
Although the Bruins were coming off of a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Jets were fighting for first place in the Southeast Division. Playing in Winnipeg is always a challenge, but when you throw in the fact that the Jets were battling for supremacy in the Southeast, this was fixing to be a tough game for the B's.
Heading into this game, the Bruins had to recall Ryan Spooner from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis. He centered the first line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. This move was made because David Krejci was unable to skate on Tuesday night. He was struck in the knee by a slap shot on Sunday, but he did not suffer any broken bones and is listed as day-to-day.
In the first period, the Jets really took it to the Bruins. They were very aggressive on the forecheck, leaving the B's confused and often backed up in their own zone. On a related note, defenseman Adam McQuaid suffered an upper-body injury after being checked into the boards by Jets forward Eric Tangradi and missed the rest of the game. Regardless, the Bruins outshot the Jets 10-9 in the opening period and had two power play opportunities, but failed to capitalize on either one of them.
The second period continued with some fast-paced puck movement. It all started when Brad Marchand recorded his 13th goal of the season just eight seconds into the period. This came about after the puck took an odd bounce off of the boards and it fell right to his stick. From that point on, it was all Boston. The Bruins had several other heavy rushes and scoring opportunities, but it remained a one-goal game after two periods.
In the third period, the Jets came storming back and beat Tuukka Rask with two quick goals to take the lead. Blake Wheeler (power play) and Evander Kane recorded the tallies for Winnipeg. The Bruins made one last push to get the equalizer, but Wheeler added his second goal of the game in empty-net fashion to seal the 3-1 victory.
The Bruins will play their next game on Thursday night when they take on the Ottawa Senators.
Gold Star: Daniel Paille...Even though he did not record a point, he played a very heavy game. He was productive and he made things happen all over the ice.
Black Star: Jordan Caron...He tried to be physical, but he was no match for the Jets defenders. He also had the costly penalty that led to the tying goal.
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