With Columbus recently in the Hub, there's been a rumor floating around that the Bruins could potentially trade Tuukka Rask for Rick Nash. First off, unless the Blue Jackets have the old Boston regime in the front office, I highly doubt they would accept this trade or offer it. Why?
First and foremost, Nash is your franchise player. He's the only heart and soul this team has ever known and he's still only 27. Secondly, you were able to convince Carter to stop being a baby and leave Philly because he was going to be playing with one of the elite players in the league. Trade Nash and Carter checks out.
Yeah, Tuukka is good but the Blue Jackets would be looking for another NHL ready player in return to accompany Rask. Who are you giving up? Krejci? If so, I would want more than Nash in return for that. So unless you want to turn this into a blockbuster, I just don't see the pieces available to get this done.
Let's say it does happen, who backs up Thomas? Thomas isn't getting any younger. I really hope he doesn't get hurt, but injuries happen all the time. The Sabres are probably going to run him next Wednesday anyways. Kazakhstan native Anton Khudobin is the goalie down in Providence, but I don't think he's NHL ready yet. It would be much more beneficial for him to get reps down in Providence then sit on the bench. They could kick the tires on Marty Turco or make a trade for disgruntled Evgeni Nabokov, but then again if the Blue Jackets are looking for a goalie fix on the cheap, why wouldn't they go for those options first?
Lastly, Chiarelli has said Tuukka is the goalie of the future. Damn right he should be. Why would you mess that up? The Bruins will be solid in net for YEARS to come. Why throw that away?! Worst case scenario for Tuukka, he's the backup for two more seasons. Unless Thomas has found the fountain of youth, I don't see them resigning him at 39, unless he wants to be the back-up and gets paid as a back-up.
Hypothetically speaking if the Blue Jackets did offer Nash for Rask straight up, you go for it and PRAY Thomas stays healthy. But I just don't see it happening.
A Boston Bruins blog by Dome
Friday, November 18, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 17 vs Columbus
Bruins 2 - Blue Jackets 1 SO
8 Golden Points:
1. The win streak keeps rollin' on. This was hands down the ugliest win of the streak and probably of the season, but I'll take it. Columbus is sitting in the cellar of the league and could've stole 2 points if it wasn't for the guy I'll talk about in Golden Point numero dose. I feared the Bruins would have a let down this game and was actually bracing for a loss. They do a great job of getting mentally amped for games versus some of the top dogs in the league, but just can't seem to get there for the games they should easily win.
2. Once again, Rask got a start... once again, Rask played very well... and once again, the Bruins played poorly in front of him. Why can't this team play well in front of Rask?! This was a game the B's could've lost, but the play of Rask kept them in it and ultimately won it for them. It's a very good sign that Rask is getting a lot of starts early and taking advantage of them. He's now 3-3 on the year with a 2.32 GAA and .919 SAA. Those numbers don't blow me out of the water, but I'll take it.
3. Ahh you had to know one of the points was going to be about McQuaider this post. The Dude scored his first of MANY goals of the season. Okay, he may not get many... ALRIGHT he WON'T get many, but damnit let me dream. This is one of those goals you love to see. The defenseman at the point just throws the puck towards the net, hoping to get a tip or a juicy rebound. This time it paid off for McQuaid as his shot had eyes and decided to go in. He played a pretty good game defensively too considering he was going against the top line and getting paired with Chara. His play drew some positive feedback from both the captain and the coach. Score one for the Dude.
4. No, Seguin did not show up on the score sheet. No, he didn't score in the shootout (but should've...he deked the shit out of Sanford). I just can't remember the last time the Bruins had a player like him. Literally every time Seguin touches the puck you scooch your heiny to the edge of your seat waiting for something awesome to happen. He plays with so much speed and he's just so damn good. Just felt like sharing...
5. Shawn Thornton is the man. Although the fight with Jared Boll was a draw to maybe slight edge Boll, that still doesn't matter. Thornton...is...the...man. He was very heated after the bout. I tried figuring out what he was pissed about. Some people say it's because Boll went catwoman on his ass and scratched his face, some say Boll went WWF on his ass and went for the illegal eye gauge. Either way, "The Code" was broken and Thornton was not happy. I think he needs a hug.
6. I use to hate the shootout because the B's SUCKED at it. Knock on some friggin' wood, but the B's are undefeated in them so far. I'd still prefer to see Bergeron on it instead of Peverley, but hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. It does help we have some stellar goaltenders too.
7. Pepe Le Pouliot in instead of Caron... poor decision and I'm not even going to elaborate. If you want a fun drinking game, take a shot every time Pouliot falls on his ass. You'll soon be falling as much as him.
8. With Ference out for a few games and with Johnny Rocket out with the flu this game, we've gotten a look at Kampfer again for a few games. I haven't written anything about him, which is both good and bad. I guess more good. I guess that means he hasn't made any boneheaded plays. I'll try to pay a little more attention to him next game to see if I can give you guys a little more color...or as the Canadians say... colour.
Next Up: Saturday night vs. Islanders (5 - 8 - 3 13 pts)
8 Golden Points:
1. The win streak keeps rollin' on. This was hands down the ugliest win of the streak and probably of the season, but I'll take it. Columbus is sitting in the cellar of the league and could've stole 2 points if it wasn't for the guy I'll talk about in Golden Point numero dose. I feared the Bruins would have a let down this game and was actually bracing for a loss. They do a great job of getting mentally amped for games versus some of the top dogs in the league, but just can't seem to get there for the games they should easily win.
2. Once again, Rask got a start... once again, Rask played very well... and once again, the Bruins played poorly in front of him. Why can't this team play well in front of Rask?! This was a game the B's could've lost, but the play of Rask kept them in it and ultimately won it for them. It's a very good sign that Rask is getting a lot of starts early and taking advantage of them. He's now 3-3 on the year with a 2.32 GAA and .919 SAA. Those numbers don't blow me out of the water, but I'll take it.
3. Ahh you had to know one of the points was going to be about McQuaider this post. The Dude scored his first of MANY goals of the season. Okay, he may not get many... ALRIGHT he WON'T get many, but damnit let me dream. This is one of those goals you love to see. The defenseman at the point just throws the puck towards the net, hoping to get a tip or a juicy rebound. This time it paid off for McQuaid as his shot had eyes and decided to go in. He played a pretty good game defensively too considering he was going against the top line and getting paired with Chara. His play drew some positive feedback from both the captain and the coach. Score one for the Dude.
4. No, Seguin did not show up on the score sheet. No, he didn't score in the shootout (but should've...he deked the shit out of Sanford). I just can't remember the last time the Bruins had a player like him. Literally every time Seguin touches the puck you scooch your heiny to the edge of your seat waiting for something awesome to happen. He plays with so much speed and he's just so damn good. Just felt like sharing...
5. Shawn Thornton is the man. Although the fight with Jared Boll was a draw to maybe slight edge Boll, that still doesn't matter. Thornton...is...the...man. He was very heated after the bout. I tried figuring out what he was pissed about. Some people say it's because Boll went catwoman on his ass and scratched his face, some say Boll went WWF on his ass and went for the illegal eye gauge. Either way, "The Code" was broken and Thornton was not happy. I think he needs a hug.
6. I use to hate the shootout because the B's SUCKED at it. Knock on some friggin' wood, but the B's are undefeated in them so far. I'd still prefer to see Bergeron on it instead of Peverley, but hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. It does help we have some stellar goaltenders too.
7. Pepe Le Pouliot in instead of Caron... poor decision and I'm not even going to elaborate. If you want a fun drinking game, take a shot every time Pouliot falls on his ass. You'll soon be falling as much as him.
8. With Ference out for a few games and with Johnny Rocket out with the flu this game, we've gotten a look at Kampfer again for a few games. I haven't written anything about him, which is both good and bad. I guess more good. I guess that means he hasn't made any boneheaded plays. I'll try to pay a little more attention to him next game to see if I can give you guys a little more color...or as the Canadians say... colour.
Next Up: Saturday night vs. Islanders (5 - 8 - 3 13 pts)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 16 vs Devils
Bruins 4 - Devils 3
8 Golden Points:
1. The Bruins winning ways continue as the once 3-7 B's have now won 6 in a row and have improved to 9-7!! They are still "last" in the division as of this morning, but they have at least 2 games in hand and are only 4 points behind the division leaders (Toronto and Buffalo).
2. Unlike the past 5 games, the Bruins had to win a close and tough one. This game was very physical from early on with a combined 55 hits. We saw Chara get flattened, a rare sighting and we also saw Krejci pancake a Devils player... also a rare sighting. The Devils seemed to have controlled most of the play in the beginning, but Boston seemed to have the best actual scoring opportunities. Usually a Bruins-Devils game can be relatively boring as both teams play a defensiveminded game, but there were spurts the other night where the play opened up a bit and you had both goalies needing to make some really nice saves.
3. This was a really solid game for the fourth line. Campbell had one of his best games of the young season, causing the turnover for Kelly's goal and adding his second assist of the night for Thornton's goal. I was very disappointed in Jack and Brick again. Caron's touch pass between the legs to set up Thornton's goal was absolutely beautiful and the barely touched on it. It's nice to see Thornton get rewarded offensively. He does so much for this team that I think everyone can agree you get a little extra excited when you see Thornton pot one.
4. Pepe Le Pouliot threw a mean change-up at Hedberg and completely fooled him. As usual I was getting frustrated with how Pouliot was playing. He seems to spend more time picking himself up off the ice than actually doing something productive. But I will give credit where credit is due. He was in the right place and the right time and although I've faced slow pitch softball pitches that have moved faster, he managed to score the game winning goal.
5. As he has been all year, Bergeron played like a beast. Unfortunately Marchand didn't score, but Bergie made one of the prettiest passes I've seen. After gaining the offensive zone, Bergie circled back towards the blue line waiting for others to join the attack. Along the wall, he did a quick spin move and played a perfect backhand pass to the Gnat. Unfortunately, Hedberg made a really nice save or that would've been a top play.
6. Brad Marchand took a very stupid roughing penalty in the 2nd penalty that resulted in Julien putting him in a time out. He was forced to miss his next few shifts while he thought about his actions. Minus 1. Right off the opening draw in the 3rd period, the B's executed the same play we saw Lucic make a few games ago: the left wing floats to the outside like they are going to go along the boards, then with a burst of speed cut through the middle inbetween the two defensemen. This time it was Marchy and he buried his half breakaway, making up for his mistake. Plus 1. YEAHH!!
7. It was a bit of a frustrating night for Nathan Horton. His first couple chances in the slot he took WAAAYY too long to let his shot go. Later in the game he got ROBBED by Hedberg. Even though he lifted the puck Hedberg still made a great save. You'd like to see Horton hit the water bottle on that one. After not lifting the puck enough, Horton had a great chance to take the lead again shortly after, lifting the puck too high and crushing the cross bar. Just one of those nights for Horty...
8. Even though a total of 7 goals were scored this game, I thought both goaltenders made some really nice saves. Hedberg made 37 overall (Marchand and Horton both getting robbed) and Timmy made 30. Thomas the Bruins may have caught a break as Kovalchuk did not play in this game. But the Devils can't complain, we didn't have Paille. They are practically the same player...
Next up: Tonight vs Columbus Blue Jackets (3-13-1)
8 Golden Points:
1. The Bruins winning ways continue as the once 3-7 B's have now won 6 in a row and have improved to 9-7!! They are still "last" in the division as of this morning, but they have at least 2 games in hand and are only 4 points behind the division leaders (Toronto and Buffalo).
2. Unlike the past 5 games, the Bruins had to win a close and tough one. This game was very physical from early on with a combined 55 hits. We saw Chara get flattened, a rare sighting and we also saw Krejci pancake a Devils player... also a rare sighting. The Devils seemed to have controlled most of the play in the beginning, but Boston seemed to have the best actual scoring opportunities. Usually a Bruins-Devils game can be relatively boring as both teams play a defensiveminded game, but there were spurts the other night where the play opened up a bit and you had both goalies needing to make some really nice saves.
3. This was a really solid game for the fourth line. Campbell had one of his best games of the young season, causing the turnover for Kelly's goal and adding his second assist of the night for Thornton's goal. I was very disappointed in Jack and Brick again. Caron's touch pass between the legs to set up Thornton's goal was absolutely beautiful and the barely touched on it. It's nice to see Thornton get rewarded offensively. He does so much for this team that I think everyone can agree you get a little extra excited when you see Thornton pot one.
4. Pepe Le Pouliot threw a mean change-up at Hedberg and completely fooled him. As usual I was getting frustrated with how Pouliot was playing. He seems to spend more time picking himself up off the ice than actually doing something productive. But I will give credit where credit is due. He was in the right place and the right time and although I've faced slow pitch softball pitches that have moved faster, he managed to score the game winning goal.
5. As he has been all year, Bergeron played like a beast. Unfortunately Marchand didn't score, but Bergie made one of the prettiest passes I've seen. After gaining the offensive zone, Bergie circled back towards the blue line waiting for others to join the attack. Along the wall, he did a quick spin move and played a perfect backhand pass to the Gnat. Unfortunately, Hedberg made a really nice save or that would've been a top play.
6. Brad Marchand took a very stupid roughing penalty in the 2nd penalty that resulted in Julien putting him in a time out. He was forced to miss his next few shifts while he thought about his actions. Minus 1. Right off the opening draw in the 3rd period, the B's executed the same play we saw Lucic make a few games ago: the left wing floats to the outside like they are going to go along the boards, then with a burst of speed cut through the middle inbetween the two defensemen. This time it was Marchy and he buried his half breakaway, making up for his mistake. Plus 1. YEAHH!!
7. It was a bit of a frustrating night for Nathan Horton. His first couple chances in the slot he took WAAAYY too long to let his shot go. Later in the game he got ROBBED by Hedberg. Even though he lifted the puck Hedberg still made a great save. You'd like to see Horton hit the water bottle on that one. After not lifting the puck enough, Horton had a great chance to take the lead again shortly after, lifting the puck too high and crushing the cross bar. Just one of those nights for Horty...
8. Even though a total of 7 goals were scored this game, I thought both goaltenders made some really nice saves. Hedberg made 37 overall (Marchand and Horton both getting robbed) and Timmy made 30. Thomas the Bruins may have caught a break as Kovalchuk did not play in this game. But the Devils can't complain, we didn't have Paille. They are practically the same player...
Next up: Tonight vs Columbus Blue Jackets (3-13-1)
Lucic Avoids Suspension
I have delayed putting this post up because head of player safety, Brendan Shanahan, usually puts a video on NHL.com regarding his disciplinary decisions, but for some reason did not create one for the Lucic-Miller incident. I guess he only does a video if there is a suspension. For the most part, Shanahan has done a really good job. He clearly lays out why he made his decision and I find the videos he posts very informative.
Anyways, I am shocked. As much as my inner Lucic bias is telling me he didn't mean to hit Miller, there's no question he could have avoided the hit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining he wasn't suspended, the guy has been on fire lately, but I wouldn't have argued if he got one game. My fear is that the Sabres will take a run at either Rask or Thomas. If they do, every player on that ice needs to be ready to fight. This Bruins team will not shy away from an altercation.
The real crime here is the Sabres response...or lack there of. Not only did they not do anything right after Miller was hit, they had the rest of the game to let Looch know what he did was wrong. Even though he hasn't played like it yet this season, Miller is one of the best goalies in the league. You see your goalie lying there with his mask off, you need to give that perpetrator the business. Shanahan should've suspended the whole Sabres team for that.
"But Dome, the Bruins failed to respond when Savvy got hit by Cooke." Yes, I know. And if I had this blog up and running I would've torn them apart for that embarrassment. Maybe the lack of response from the Sabres and the hammering they took from the media and fans will wake them up like it did the Bruins. You can't even sneeze on a Bruins player without everyone there to back him up.
Each season creates new story lines with every team. Montreal and Philly have a million and make watching those games very enjoyable. Next Wednesday's game against the Sabres just got much more interesting. I love seeing a good Lucic fight, so the Sabres better not let me down.
Anyways, I am shocked. As much as my inner Lucic bias is telling me he didn't mean to hit Miller, there's no question he could have avoided the hit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining he wasn't suspended, the guy has been on fire lately, but I wouldn't have argued if he got one game. My fear is that the Sabres will take a run at either Rask or Thomas. If they do, every player on that ice needs to be ready to fight. This Bruins team will not shy away from an altercation.
The real crime here is the Sabres response...or lack there of. Not only did they not do anything right after Miller was hit, they had the rest of the game to let Looch know what he did was wrong. Even though he hasn't played like it yet this season, Miller is one of the best goalies in the league. You see your goalie lying there with his mask off, you need to give that perpetrator the business. Shanahan should've suspended the whole Sabres team for that.
"But Dome, the Bruins failed to respond when Savvy got hit by Cooke." Yes, I know. And if I had this blog up and running I would've torn them apart for that embarrassment. Maybe the lack of response from the Sabres and the hammering they took from the media and fans will wake them up like it did the Bruins. You can't even sneeze on a Bruins player without everyone there to back him up.
Each season creates new story lines with every team. Montreal and Philly have a million and make watching those games very enjoyable. Next Wednesday's game against the Sabres just got much more interesting. I love seeing a good Lucic fight, so the Sabres better not let me down.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Catch-Up : 8 Golden Points
Although late, I will do 8 Golden Points for the past three games in this post.
Bruins 6 - Islanders 2
Bruins 6 - Oilers 3
Bruins 6 - Sabres 2
8 Golden Points:
1. No, I am not channelling my inner devil, though you would think hell was freezing over. The Bruins did indeed score 6 goals in each of the last three games (and an outrageous 30 in the last 5). Julien is probably pissed. He finds this type of hockey boring. 1-0 games are his specialty. Anyways, the often snake biten Bruins have found their scoring touch. I honestly can't remember the last time the B's offense looked THIS good. They need to ride this as long as they can.
2. Seguin... my golly gosh. I thought he would have a better season this year, but my god. 7 goals in the last 4 games and that total should be 9. He nearly had another hat trick against the Islanders. He's had a point in all but three games this season. He's 5th in the league in points, 3rd in goals, but what get's Julien's juices flowing is he's 1st in the league in plus/minus. Dynamite in the offensive zone, but playing responsibly in the defensive zone. Claude looks smarter and smarter every day.
3. Seguin's not the only player on fire right now, but the top line is starting to play like a top line. Krejci and Horton have begun to find there game and Lucic remains red hot. This line was 6-7-13 these three games. When your top two lines are rolling like they're rolling right now, it's a lot of fun to watch.
4. The main reason the Bruins have been a good team the past few seasons is not because of their offense. They've had a sound defensive scheme, but most importantly their goaltending has been a brick wall. Thomas (2008,2010) and Rask (2009) have held down the fort. Rask got back to back starts against the Islanders and Oilers and the team FINALLY played well in front of him. He looked really impressive against the Islanders, as the score was actually close until the third. He wasn't as impressive against the Oilers, but luckily the rest of the team was. Timmy was back in net against the Sabres and just like Rask, did not need to stand on his head for a B's victory. If both Rask and Thomas play up to their abilities and the offense continues at a fraction of the rate it's currently going at, the B's are going to have a good season!
5. I went to my first game of the season last week to see the Oilers play. People who aren't hockey fans probably wouldn't initially want to go see this team play, but I highly recommend it. Besides the obvious "Taylor vs Tyler" storyline (which Tyler won by the way), the Oilers also have the number one pick of last years draft, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, and another good young player in Jordan Eberle. If managed right, this is going to be a very good team for a long time.
6. Marchand has finally started to find his scoring touch again. Scoring 3 goals and picking up 3 helpers for 6 points these three games. It helps that he's playing with the best offensive player on the team, Seguin, and the best all around player on the team, Bergie. He's keeping a diary for ESPN Boston and his latest one is pretty interesting: talking about how refs are giving him a warning before games even begin! Are you telling me they aren't going to allow him to do this again?
7. We have our first Hamill sighting of the season! This really screws up my analysis from right before the season. He was drafted as a center, but apparently has been playing wing this year down in Providence and has been having some success. Maybe he won't be a complete waste...
8. Pepe Le Pouliot finally got his first goal as a Bruin!! Too bad Caron did all of the work for him! I'm still not sold on Pouliot as you all can tell. It's pretty telling that the "emergency call-up", Zach Hamill, played over Pouliot when Peverley was back in the line-up. Someone needs to sharpen his skates, I know it's slippery out there but the guy falls down ALL THE TIME.
Next up: Tuesday vs Devils... a win and we hop them in the standings.
Bruins 6 - Islanders 2
Bruins 6 - Oilers 3
Bruins 6 - Sabres 2
8 Golden Points:
1. No, I am not channelling my inner devil, though you would think hell was freezing over. The Bruins did indeed score 6 goals in each of the last three games (and an outrageous 30 in the last 5). Julien is probably pissed. He finds this type of hockey boring. 1-0 games are his specialty. Anyways, the often snake biten Bruins have found their scoring touch. I honestly can't remember the last time the B's offense looked THIS good. They need to ride this as long as they can.
2. Seguin... my golly gosh. I thought he would have a better season this year, but my god. 7 goals in the last 4 games and that total should be 9. He nearly had another hat trick against the Islanders. He's had a point in all but three games this season. He's 5th in the league in points, 3rd in goals, but what get's Julien's juices flowing is he's 1st in the league in plus/minus. Dynamite in the offensive zone, but playing responsibly in the defensive zone. Claude looks smarter and smarter every day.
3. Seguin's not the only player on fire right now, but the top line is starting to play like a top line. Krejci and Horton have begun to find there game and Lucic remains red hot. This line was 6-7-13 these three games. When your top two lines are rolling like they're rolling right now, it's a lot of fun to watch.
4. The main reason the Bruins have been a good team the past few seasons is not because of their offense. They've had a sound defensive scheme, but most importantly their goaltending has been a brick wall. Thomas (2008,2010) and Rask (2009) have held down the fort. Rask got back to back starts against the Islanders and Oilers and the team FINALLY played well in front of him. He looked really impressive against the Islanders, as the score was actually close until the third. He wasn't as impressive against the Oilers, but luckily the rest of the team was. Timmy was back in net against the Sabres and just like Rask, did not need to stand on his head for a B's victory. If both Rask and Thomas play up to their abilities and the offense continues at a fraction of the rate it's currently going at, the B's are going to have a good season!
5. I went to my first game of the season last week to see the Oilers play. People who aren't hockey fans probably wouldn't initially want to go see this team play, but I highly recommend it. Besides the obvious "Taylor vs Tyler" storyline (which Tyler won by the way), the Oilers also have the number one pick of last years draft, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, and another good young player in Jordan Eberle. If managed right, this is going to be a very good team for a long time.
6. Marchand has finally started to find his scoring touch again. Scoring 3 goals and picking up 3 helpers for 6 points these three games. It helps that he's playing with the best offensive player on the team, Seguin, and the best all around player on the team, Bergie. He's keeping a diary for ESPN Boston and his latest one is pretty interesting: talking about how refs are giving him a warning before games even begin! Are you telling me they aren't going to allow him to do this again?
7. We have our first Hamill sighting of the season! This really screws up my analysis from right before the season. He was drafted as a center, but apparently has been playing wing this year down in Providence and has been having some success. Maybe he won't be a complete waste...
8. Pepe Le Pouliot finally got his first goal as a Bruin!! Too bad Caron did all of the work for him! I'm still not sold on Pouliot as you all can tell. It's pretty telling that the "emergency call-up", Zach Hamill, played over Pouliot when Peverley was back in the line-up. Someone needs to sharpen his skates, I know it's slippery out there but the guy falls down ALL THE TIME.
Next up: Tuesday vs Devils... a win and we hop them in the standings.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 12 vs Maple Leafs
Bruins 7 - Maple Leafs 0
8 Golden Points:
1. Spell check keeps trying to tell me "Bruins 7" is wrong. I promise you checker, the Bruins scored 7 goals and in the past two games have scored 12. What?! The Bruins absolutely positively dominated this game. All three zones, every situation, all the battles, everything. The Maple Leafs literally gave up half way through the 3rd. I don't know if I've ever seen a team just STOP playing. It was beautiful. Let's hope he B's can keep this up.
2. The big story of the night, of course, is Tyler Seguin. His first career hat trick with three beautiful goals: PP on timer, bats one out of the air, and a nice complete end to end play. He did this in front of HIS hometown, growing up 40 minutes outside of Toronto, and in front of his country as it's "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday nights.
3. On the flipside, the player we'll always be comparing Seguin too, Kessel, had another miserable outing against the Bruins. The B's have to be in his head. He's the leading goal scorer in the NHL and he only had 2 shots on net? He had a golden opportunity to give most of us the bird when he had a break away in the third, but decided to pull his best Peverley impression and completely miss the net.
4. The Bruins only had two power play opportunities this game, but again converted on one of the tries. Baby steps in the right direction. And again the stone wall known as the penalty kill unit stepped up to the plate, shutting down the Leafs on all four of their chances. I was not keeping track but it seemed like the Bruins penalty killing unit actually generated more shots on goal the the Leafs power play unit. Again...domination.
5. I love saying good things about Lucic. You lose a lot of credibility when the the player of the jersey you own stinks. Lucic stunk in the playoffs and smelt like he needed a diaper change earlier in the season, but once we got him a fresh set of pampers he's been lights out. Not wanting Seguin to get too far ahead of him, he decided to throw two goals in the net himself. He now has goals in 3 straight games, 5 out of the last 6. I could really use a Lucic fight soon.... Just saying.
6. Timmy gets his first shutout of the season. It must be nice to have to carry your team once in awhile. He didn't have to make any ridiculous saves, didn't really have bail any of his teammates out too badly (Kessel did that himself by missing the net), he just played a solid game. The Bruins played from puck drop to the end of the game and rewarded Timmy with a shutout. I'm hoping we see some Rask and hopefully the team continues to play well.
7. I haven't said anything about the defense and you'd think they would have something to do with a shutout right? Agreed. It's just not as juicy as a Seguin hat trick or putting Kessel down, but the defense the past two games has been Claude-esque. Meaning I'm not just talking about defensemen, the forwards also played great defense. The whole "onion" system is working again and if you watch the game you'll hear Jack and Brick constantly talk about layers. Get by one layer of the defense, your met with another. It's not flashy, but when it's working right it's fun to watch.
8. I thought with the game out of reach, there was no way Thornton was going to have to fight anyone. WRONG...well sort of wrong. He didn't fight anyone, but he tried to fight Phaneuf after his hit on Kelly. I'm not sure how Phaneuf didn't get a penalty because it sure looks like he left his feet on this one. You see who the first person over to greet Phaneuf was...Caron. What a guy! Nice things about Caron - 2, Nice things about Pouliot - 0.
8 Golden Points:
1. Spell check keeps trying to tell me "Bruins 7" is wrong. I promise you checker, the Bruins scored 7 goals and in the past two games have scored 12. What?! The Bruins absolutely positively dominated this game. All three zones, every situation, all the battles, everything. The Maple Leafs literally gave up half way through the 3rd. I don't know if I've ever seen a team just STOP playing. It was beautiful. Let's hope he B's can keep this up.
2. The big story of the night, of course, is Tyler Seguin. His first career hat trick with three beautiful goals: PP on timer, bats one out of the air, and a nice complete end to end play. He did this in front of HIS hometown, growing up 40 minutes outside of Toronto, and in front of his country as it's "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday nights.
3. On the flipside, the player we'll always be comparing Seguin too, Kessel, had another miserable outing against the Bruins. The B's have to be in his head. He's the leading goal scorer in the NHL and he only had 2 shots on net? He had a golden opportunity to give most of us the bird when he had a break away in the third, but decided to pull his best Peverley impression and completely miss the net.
4. The Bruins only had two power play opportunities this game, but again converted on one of the tries. Baby steps in the right direction. And again the stone wall known as the penalty kill unit stepped up to the plate, shutting down the Leafs on all four of their chances. I was not keeping track but it seemed like the Bruins penalty killing unit actually generated more shots on goal the the Leafs power play unit. Again...domination.
5. I love saying good things about Lucic. You lose a lot of credibility when the the player of the jersey you own stinks. Lucic stunk in the playoffs and smelt like he needed a diaper change earlier in the season, but once we got him a fresh set of pampers he's been lights out. Not wanting Seguin to get too far ahead of him, he decided to throw two goals in the net himself. He now has goals in 3 straight games, 5 out of the last 6. I could really use a Lucic fight soon.... Just saying.
6. Timmy gets his first shutout of the season. It must be nice to have to carry your team once in awhile. He didn't have to make any ridiculous saves, didn't really have bail any of his teammates out too badly (Kessel did that himself by missing the net), he just played a solid game. The Bruins played from puck drop to the end of the game and rewarded Timmy with a shutout. I'm hoping we see some Rask and hopefully the team continues to play well.
7. I haven't said anything about the defense and you'd think they would have something to do with a shutout right? Agreed. It's just not as juicy as a Seguin hat trick or putting Kessel down, but the defense the past two games has been Claude-esque. Meaning I'm not just talking about defensemen, the forwards also played great defense. The whole "onion" system is working again and if you watch the game you'll hear Jack and Brick constantly talk about layers. Get by one layer of the defense, your met with another. It's not flashy, but when it's working right it's fun to watch.
8. I thought with the game out of reach, there was no way Thornton was going to have to fight anyone. WRONG...well sort of wrong. He didn't fight anyone, but he tried to fight Phaneuf after his hit on Kelly. I'm not sure how Phaneuf didn't get a penalty because it sure looks like he left his feet on this one. You see who the first person over to greet Phaneuf was...Caron. What a guy! Nice things about Caron - 2, Nice things about Pouliot - 0.
Friday, November 4, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 11 vs Senators
Bruins 5 - Senators 3
8 Golden Points:
1. After the way the Sens scored their first two goals, I was about to go throw up. Not because I was rockin' head heat to the tune of 103.6 degrees, but because the B's just can't seem to get ANY bounces. But to my surprise, we finally saw what made this team champs: resilience. They kept fighting shift after shift. At some point the luck HAD to turn, and it finally did. A complete game effort from these boys. 13 different players with points. Welcome to the 2011-2012 season boys, only took ya 11 games. Please don't go back to the way you were playing before... pretty please.
2. I'm a big fan of the way Chara is playing right now. He has taken his physical game to a higher level. I loved that hit on Spezza at the blue line and I loved the hit on Karlsson in the corner. Both those hits sends a message to both teams. The Senators want nothing to do with Big Z and the rest of the team follow the lead of the their captain. He even added 2 helpers. What a good guy.
3. My boy, Looch. He started off slow this year... okay very slow... alright INSANELY slow. But since he's picked up his physical play guess what has happened? The scoring has come with it!! He has 4 goals and 3 assists in the last 5 games. That puts him tied for the team lead in goals and 2nd in points. Ahh I can wear my jersey without shame again!
4. Shawn Thornton has stones. Period. Hopefully the Bruins have turned a corner or he's going to have 75 fighting majors this year. Every single time the Bruins need a boost, Thornton has to find the other teams tough guy and play rock 'em sock 'em robots. I don't love my job either, but I wouldn't want to get punched in the head every night.
5. The B's power play had 7 opportunities to score this game and did... once. Hopefully if we are seeing a turning point in this team, we see the power play turn it around too (come on, I can hope). On the flip side, the penalty killing unit shut down the leagues #1 rank power play unit 3 times. Yes, I agree that stat is a little shocking. The Senators have the leagues best power play. It didn't even look that good. I'll try and catch a the next Sens game on Versus or NHL Network. See if it's actually that good or just an early season fluke.
6. I didn't think our good friends Jack and Brick gave Caron enough (actually any) credit for his play. On two of the goals (Kelly and Boychuk), Caron drove to the net and put a nice screen on the goalie. One of those goals he actually got the assist. More points than Pouliot. Just saying... Nice things about Caron - 1, Nice things about Pouliot - 0. May the best man win.
7. After it looked like Marchand was picking up where he left off last season, he has gone cold...ice cold. With an assist this game he broke is SIX GAME pointless streak and he hasn't scored a goal since the fourth game. He DID punch Subban, so that sort of counts as a goal since it's a goal of many Bruins fans to one day punch Subban, so I don't know how we count this one. You still haven't scored a goal, Marchy, but I'll give you one mean high five if I ever see you in person.
8. As cold as Marchand has been, his linemate Bergeron has been hot hot hot. His beautiful goal this game extended his point streak to 5 games. Though, I don't know if we can really count this as a point streak. In fact I'm not. I'm sorry Bergie. You literally were eating ice when you "scored" a goal against the Habs. You just so happen to be the person closest to the puck when it went it. You're playing well, really well, but you do not have a 5 game point streak in my book. Only 2. Everyone knows Golden Spokes keeps the official stats.
Next up: Saturday vs Maple Leafs (9-3-1 and 1st place Northeast Division)
Next up: Saturday vs Maple Leafs (9-3-1 and 1st place Northeast Division)
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