I was unable to really watch the two weekend games. Some might say that's fortunate. I was fairly upset that Timmy started both games, I was hoping to see Turco start one of the two (preferably Washington). But I was also hoping a team that resembles one that won a Stanley Cup recently would know how to play with a little urgency...
I'm going to go old style of recapping this game with just some bullet points:
Bruins 1 - Lightning 6
- Don't bitch about the first goal. Yes I agree it was a kicking motion and it shouldn't have been ruled a goal, but that still doesn't excuse the lack of heart and effort the B's played with last night. FIVE other goals were scored. Bad bounces and bad calls are part of the game, suck it up and move on.
- Are you surprised Turco looked rusty?? If you thought he was going to come in and post a shutout you're smoking some funky stuff that needs to be passed this way. Before he got pulled, one goal was his fault (goal #2). The other 2 goals I don't think were his fault, especially not the third. He hasn't played a game in the NHL all friggin' year. He's going to be rusty. Get over it. We need Thomas rested more than anything right now....
- Why bring Thomas in at all? The goal is to rest Thomas. If we're going to get killed with Turco in net, so be it, what other option do we have? I have to believe the B's are going to make the playoffs. I'd rather a 7 seed with a well rested Thomas than a 2 seed with a tired Thomas. You with me? The way the B's are playing right now, we're going to need Thomas to stand on his head for us. Rest him!
- Game changer: Thornton's STUPID penalty. I'm surprised he saw ANY ice time after that. Down 2 goals, although a shitty position, isn't the end of the world...especially when you basically have 60 minutes remaining to play. You put your team down a man unnecessarily and they score yet another. Dumb dumb dumb play. He's usually a very smart player, but he let his emotions get the better of him.
- I thought Lucic had a really strong game. He used his body and strength exceptionally well. Did he have anything to show for it? No not exactly, but he created ample opportunities either for himself or others most of the night.
- The Bruins lone goal was pretty nice. I still have no idea how Caron tipped that in. The puck was shot behind him and way wide of the net. Caron keeps playing well and he has earned a spot on the first line.
- The B's need to wake up. Yeah, getting some healthy bodies back would help, but there's more going on than that. Look in the mirror and play with some pride. They've strayed away from the defensive system that has won them many games and they NEED to get back to that. Defense and toughness. Get those back ASAP and we'll be alright. If not, start booking your tee time because it's going to be an early summer. I don't golf so I'll just get my swimmies blown up and iron my banana hammock.
- Congratulations to Steve Stamkos for hitting the 50 goal mark. He's flat out nasty. It's a bit shocking that the Lightning, who could've easily played in the Stanley Cup Finals last year, aren't a playoff team. This team is full of talent. I'd be tempted to trade away St. Louis and Lecavalier. Get complimentary pieces to fit around Stamkos. I'd also make a huge play for either Bernier or Schneider.
Next Up: The tour of God's waiting room continues as they play the Florida Panthers tomorrow. The Panthers have surprised everyone and are the division leaders right now of the JV Southeast division. It would be very nice the B's came out and played tough right from the puck drop.
A Boston Bruins blog by Dome
Showing posts with label 8 Golden Points. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 8 Golden Points. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Golden Points: Boston vs Buffalo
Bruins 3 - Sabres 1
FINALLY!!!! The Bruins have won 2 games in a row. They hadn't done so since January 10th and 12th, YIKES!!! Remember when this team won 7 in a row... yea that seems like decades ago.
I was fairly nervous about this game going into it. The Sabres are playing desparate hockey right now, on the outside of the playoff picture but definitely within striking distance (10th). They had beaten the Bruins the past two times they've faced off and Ryan Miller had only allowed one goal total in both those contests.
One of the biggest points to note is that Miller did NOT play this game. Instead, Lindy Ruff decided to go with back-up Jhonas Enroth. Enroth didn't play poorly, in fact he made some really nice saves during the game. But Miller had only let in ONE GOAL in the last TWO GAMES against the B's. Interesting decision Ruff Stuff.
If you haven't seen the highlights of the game, I recommend it. All three goals the B's scored were pretty impressive. Campbell ended a 20 game goal draught by beautifully tipping in a shot from Thornton. The Sabres gave us a gift, leaving the puck right to Thornton in their own defensive zone that he just tee-d up.
The second goal by Boychuk was a flippin' laser. Boychuk probably has the second hardest slapshot on the team behind the captain. The only problem is he usually hits someone or misses the net. He didn't miss the net last night. Enroth didn't even see it as he went down as the puck went top shelf, murdering the goalies water bottle. Speaking of Boychuk, Johnny Boy also had the hit of the game laying out Thomas Vanek as he was coming out of his own zone. So much for feeling the effects of that concussion...
And third goal should be on an instructional video on how to transition from defense to offense. Big Z showed off some stick handling skills in his own zone, made a short pass to Seguin, who made a cross ice pass to Lucic, who hit Krejci charging the goal. It was just beautiful. This line is really getting going. As I've said before, Lucic and Krejci are pretty streaky...let's hope this one doesn't end until summer time.
I thought Thomas could've saved that first goal, but after that he locked it down. Marty Turco, sporting his old Dallas Stars gold pads, was the back-up. I hope we see Turco sooner rather than later. Timmy needs the rest...badly. I want a fresh Timmy for the playoffs.
Anyone else need any love?? Caron extends his point streak to three games (keep it up youngin') and got promoted to the second line (sorry Rolston). Chara played a very physical game which I loved to see, not too many forwards can hang with that beast. I think that's it.
Next up: Washington on Saturday. Probably one of the more disappointing teams in the league. They could still make the playoffs, but with the talent that they have it should've been nearly locked up by now. Especially since they play in the weak Southeast division.
FINALLY!!!! The Bruins have won 2 games in a row. They hadn't done so since January 10th and 12th, YIKES!!! Remember when this team won 7 in a row... yea that seems like decades ago.
I was fairly nervous about this game going into it. The Sabres are playing desparate hockey right now, on the outside of the playoff picture but definitely within striking distance (10th). They had beaten the Bruins the past two times they've faced off and Ryan Miller had only allowed one goal total in both those contests.
One of the biggest points to note is that Miller did NOT play this game. Instead, Lindy Ruff decided to go with back-up Jhonas Enroth. Enroth didn't play poorly, in fact he made some really nice saves during the game. But Miller had only let in ONE GOAL in the last TWO GAMES against the B's. Interesting decision Ruff Stuff.
If you haven't seen the highlights of the game, I recommend it. All three goals the B's scored were pretty impressive. Campbell ended a 20 game goal draught by beautifully tipping in a shot from Thornton. The Sabres gave us a gift, leaving the puck right to Thornton in their own defensive zone that he just tee-d up.
The second goal by Boychuk was a flippin' laser. Boychuk probably has the second hardest slapshot on the team behind the captain. The only problem is he usually hits someone or misses the net. He didn't miss the net last night. Enroth didn't even see it as he went down as the puck went top shelf, murdering the goalies water bottle. Speaking of Boychuk, Johnny Boy also had the hit of the game laying out Thomas Vanek as he was coming out of his own zone. So much for feeling the effects of that concussion...
And third goal should be on an instructional video on how to transition from defense to offense. Big Z showed off some stick handling skills in his own zone, made a short pass to Seguin, who made a cross ice pass to Lucic, who hit Krejci charging the goal. It was just beautiful. This line is really getting going. As I've said before, Lucic and Krejci are pretty streaky...let's hope this one doesn't end until summer time.
I thought Thomas could've saved that first goal, but after that he locked it down. Marty Turco, sporting his old Dallas Stars gold pads, was the back-up. I hope we see Turco sooner rather than later. Timmy needs the rest...badly. I want a fresh Timmy for the playoffs.
Anyone else need any love?? Caron extends his point streak to three games (keep it up youngin') and got promoted to the second line (sorry Rolston). Chara played a very physical game which I loved to see, not too many forwards can hang with that beast. I think that's it.
Next up: Washington on Saturday. Probably one of the more disappointing teams in the league. They could still make the playoffs, but with the talent that they have it should've been nearly locked up by now. Especially since they play in the weak Southeast division.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Golden Points: Boston vs Toronto
Bruins 5 - Maple Leafs 4
Just like the past few games, I don't think the score accurately reflects the play of the game. The score makes it seem like the game was more evenly matched than I thought it was. The Bruins dominated for a majority of the time, so it was nice to see them finally get rewarded for their efforts with a W, ending a 2-game skid.
Right off the bat I have to mention the play of Jordan Caron. I failed to mention his name in my New York posting...my bad dude. It's pretty unbelievable what a little confidence can do. Caron was our first round draft pick back in 2009 He was called up last year occasionally when there was an injury or two and actually had the opportunity to win a spot on the third line to start this year (which I mistakenly said he'd win over Pouliot). With the injuries to Horton, Peverley, and Paille (and now Pouliot), there's been no shortage of opportunities for him.
He scored early in the game against the Rangers and we've seen almost a completely different player since. He scored two goals in the game the other night, but I don't even think either of those were his best play. The move he made to drive to the net on Kelly's goal was a prime example of how his confidence is through the roof right now. Let's hope you can keep this up and continue to develop into a first round talent. I don't want to be making any more "Zach Hamill" type charts for him!
Tyler Seguin also had two goals on the night. The hometown boy just loves to play in Toronto in front of friends and families. He always seems to have a big game when he plays there (his hat trick earlier in the year was at Toronto as well). His second goal was an absolute LASER. It also was a play that showed how poor Toronto plays on defense. Seguin was able to set up inside the face-off dot with his stick cranked back ready for a one-timer and NO ONE guarded him. Lucic found the open Seguin and before you blinked the puck was in the back of the net.
And lastly, I know I RARELY talk about hockey fights, but if you haven't seen Seidenberg demolish Colby Armstrong you have to hit up hockeyfights.com and take a peep. I'd actually recommend youtubing that shit because Jack Edward's call of the fight is priceless...as usual. Armstrong wouldn't go with Lucic, so then he lays a legal but pretty cheap hit on Seidenberg. Like the boss he is, the Dude flies over ready to rip him apart. Although a can't blame him, he quickly grapples with Seidenberg. Now although Seidenberg is as strong as an ox, he's not much of a fighter, so it's a bit of a cop out to refuse Lucic and McQuaid....but what happens next was AWESOME. Armstrong did not even through a single punch. Seidenberg blitzkrieg the shit out of him and the end result was a broken, bloody nose for Mr. Colby. I love this team.
Next up: Buffalo tonight. The Sabres have won the last two meetings against the B's with Miller only letting in 1 goal in both of those games. The B's need to figure out how to solve Miller...hey Looch I think you know what to do! Buffalo is already in playoff mode as they are fighting for a playoff spot and most likely will be for the rest of the season. They are two points behind Winnipeg and have been getting some great goaltending from Mr. Miller. These games have been very entertaining this year and I don't expect this game to be any different.
Just like the past few games, I don't think the score accurately reflects the play of the game. The score makes it seem like the game was more evenly matched than I thought it was. The Bruins dominated for a majority of the time, so it was nice to see them finally get rewarded for their efforts with a W, ending a 2-game skid.
Right off the bat I have to mention the play of Jordan Caron. I failed to mention his name in my New York posting...my bad dude. It's pretty unbelievable what a little confidence can do. Caron was our first round draft pick back in 2009 He was called up last year occasionally when there was an injury or two and actually had the opportunity to win a spot on the third line to start this year (which I mistakenly said he'd win over Pouliot). With the injuries to Horton, Peverley, and Paille (and now Pouliot), there's been no shortage of opportunities for him.
He scored early in the game against the Rangers and we've seen almost a completely different player since. He scored two goals in the game the other night, but I don't even think either of those were his best play. The move he made to drive to the net on Kelly's goal was a prime example of how his confidence is through the roof right now. Let's hope you can keep this up and continue to develop into a first round talent. I don't want to be making any more "Zach Hamill" type charts for him!
Tyler Seguin also had two goals on the night. The hometown boy just loves to play in Toronto in front of friends and families. He always seems to have a big game when he plays there (his hat trick earlier in the year was at Toronto as well). His second goal was an absolute LASER. It also was a play that showed how poor Toronto plays on defense. Seguin was able to set up inside the face-off dot with his stick cranked back ready for a one-timer and NO ONE guarded him. Lucic found the open Seguin and before you blinked the puck was in the back of the net.
And lastly, I know I RARELY talk about hockey fights, but if you haven't seen Seidenberg demolish Colby Armstrong you have to hit up hockeyfights.com and take a peep. I'd actually recommend youtubing that shit because Jack Edward's call of the fight is priceless...as usual. Armstrong wouldn't go with Lucic, so then he lays a legal but pretty cheap hit on Seidenberg. Like the boss he is, the Dude flies over ready to rip him apart. Although a can't blame him, he quickly grapples with Seidenberg. Now although Seidenberg is as strong as an ox, he's not much of a fighter, so it's a bit of a cop out to refuse Lucic and McQuaid....but what happens next was AWESOME. Armstrong did not even through a single punch. Seidenberg blitzkrieg the shit out of him and the end result was a broken, bloody nose for Mr. Colby. I love this team.
Next up: Buffalo tonight. The Sabres have won the last two meetings against the B's with Miller only letting in 1 goal in both of those games. The B's need to figure out how to solve Miller...hey Looch I think you know what to do! Buffalo is already in playoff mode as they are fighting for a playoff spot and most likely will be for the rest of the season. They are two points behind Winnipeg and have been getting some great goaltending from Mr. Miller. These games have been very entertaining this year and I don't expect this game to be any different.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Golden Points: Boston vs New York
Bruins 2 - Islanders 3
Bruins 3 - Rangers 4
What am I going to do with this team? Don't the Bruins know that my parents family grew up in New York? Me and my siblings are the only Boston sports fans. Do the Bruins know how much it sucks to get swept by the New York teams?!?!?! Screw the points they left out on the ice, think about me!
To be honest, I thought the B's played two pretty good games (minus the first few minutes of the Rangers game). The re-energized first line of Lucic, Krejci, and Seguin looked AWESOME again, with Seguin scoring a nice goal and Lucic grabbing a power play goal. The only problem was, like Claude pointed out, they aren't getting that "secondary" scoring. Who else is going to step up? We can't just rely on the normal players to give us a goal. A goal or two needs to come from someone else. They had plenty of opportunities, but just couldn't get one past Nabokov.
It was also good to see Boychuk back out on the ice. Sorry Mottau, you didn't get to face your old team.
A huge hold your breath moment during the game when you see Rask go down in pain like that. We now know it's a groin injury and that he'll miss 4-6 weeks. I initially thought it was a groin injury the whole time. People were speculating knee or hand. I'm probably the furthest thing from a doctor, but Rask flicks off his blocker and waves his hand indicating he needs the trainer to come on the ice immediately. Then what's the normal human reaction when you have an injury...you hold it. I don't know why, but when you get hurt you grab whatever is hurt. Tuukka placed both hands on his lower ab/groin area...hence why I thought it was his groin. If it was his knee wouldn't he be grabbing his knee? I think this might be the first thing I got right all season long!!
The icing or non-icing call... Was it bullshit? Yes. There was neither an icing signal or a non-icing signal, but who cares. You are taught at a very young age to "play 'til the whistle". Both Lucic and Seguin were right there and just stopped. Just an unfortunate play that ended up leading to the game winning goal. The B's can't use that as an excuse though, they had control of most of the game and had plenty of opportunities to finish them off.
Yeah yeah yeah, cousins, your lowly Isles beat the B's. Enjoy hockey in April...oh wait...enjoy another lottery pick.
Onto the Rangers............
I don't hate the Rangers as much as other people do. For one, they aren't in our division. I know people like to play the New York versus Boston card. It's a nice original 6 rivalry. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Rangers, but I don't hate them as much as I hate the Jets or Yankees. For me, my hockey hatred is geared towards the Canadiens, Canucks, Flyers, Maple Leafs.
I give the Rangers front office credit. Earlier in the decade they tried building a team around individual stats and sexy names. It's like they were putting together a fantasy team with the likes of Jagr and Kovalev. Those guys were great, but the chemistry just didn't seem to be there. They've changed their approach and it all starts with their captain, Callahan. I was talking with a coworker and I agree, I would love Callahan to be a Bruin. He's the definition of a Bruin, hard working and tough. And that's what this Rangers team is.
Anyways, you take out the first few minutes (and the Rangers first two goals) and the game is ours. Why can't this team put together a full 60 minutes??? They aren't good enough right now to take even ONE shift off. After a couple bouts, the B's finally started playing much better. Big props to Lane MacDermaid who stood up for himself in his first NHL game. Rupp isn't like fighting Sergei Samsonov either, he's a very tough dude.
Even though the first goal was all Chara's fault, I still thought Thomas should've made the save. The second goal was a bit weak as well (yes I know it deflected off our own player), but I feel like last year Thomas figured out a way to keep the puck out of the net. Maybe he's tired, maybe he's old, either way he's our goalie the rest of the way and NEEDS to step it up. Just like last year, we go as far as Timmy will take us.
Claude finally got his secondary scoring from Jordan Caron and Pepe Le Pouliot. These weren't pretty goals, just making the other team pay for their mistakes which is what both teams did all night. Hopefully that third line can get rolling a little bit.
Although it's lame that Thomas used it as an excuse, I've always wondered why the "Greatest Arena on Earth" was called that and yet it has some of the WORST lighting on Earth. It's painful watching all the shadows on the ice. Come on!! How hard is it to put some lights up in there??
Next Up: The B's need to snap their 2-game losing streak against the Maple Leafs tonight. It'll be the Leafs first home game under their new coach, so you have to assume they'll come out flying. Hopefully the B's can match it or I'm throwing my computer out the window...
Bruins 3 - Rangers 4
What am I going to do with this team? Don't the Bruins know that my parents family grew up in New York? Me and my siblings are the only Boston sports fans. Do the Bruins know how much it sucks to get swept by the New York teams?!?!?! Screw the points they left out on the ice, think about me!
To be honest, I thought the B's played two pretty good games (minus the first few minutes of the Rangers game). The re-energized first line of Lucic, Krejci, and Seguin looked AWESOME again, with Seguin scoring a nice goal and Lucic grabbing a power play goal. The only problem was, like Claude pointed out, they aren't getting that "secondary" scoring. Who else is going to step up? We can't just rely on the normal players to give us a goal. A goal or two needs to come from someone else. They had plenty of opportunities, but just couldn't get one past Nabokov.
It was also good to see Boychuk back out on the ice. Sorry Mottau, you didn't get to face your old team.
A huge hold your breath moment during the game when you see Rask go down in pain like that. We now know it's a groin injury and that he'll miss 4-6 weeks. I initially thought it was a groin injury the whole time. People were speculating knee or hand. I'm probably the furthest thing from a doctor, but Rask flicks off his blocker and waves his hand indicating he needs the trainer to come on the ice immediately. Then what's the normal human reaction when you have an injury...you hold it. I don't know why, but when you get hurt you grab whatever is hurt. Tuukka placed both hands on his lower ab/groin area...hence why I thought it was his groin. If it was his knee wouldn't he be grabbing his knee? I think this might be the first thing I got right all season long!!
The icing or non-icing call... Was it bullshit? Yes. There was neither an icing signal or a non-icing signal, but who cares. You are taught at a very young age to "play 'til the whistle". Both Lucic and Seguin were right there and just stopped. Just an unfortunate play that ended up leading to the game winning goal. The B's can't use that as an excuse though, they had control of most of the game and had plenty of opportunities to finish them off.
Yeah yeah yeah, cousins, your lowly Isles beat the B's. Enjoy hockey in April...oh wait...enjoy another lottery pick.
Onto the Rangers............
I don't hate the Rangers as much as other people do. For one, they aren't in our division. I know people like to play the New York versus Boston card. It's a nice original 6 rivalry. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Rangers, but I don't hate them as much as I hate the Jets or Yankees. For me, my hockey hatred is geared towards the Canadiens, Canucks, Flyers, Maple Leafs.
I give the Rangers front office credit. Earlier in the decade they tried building a team around individual stats and sexy names. It's like they were putting together a fantasy team with the likes of Jagr and Kovalev. Those guys were great, but the chemistry just didn't seem to be there. They've changed their approach and it all starts with their captain, Callahan. I was talking with a coworker and I agree, I would love Callahan to be a Bruin. He's the definition of a Bruin, hard working and tough. And that's what this Rangers team is.
Anyways, you take out the first few minutes (and the Rangers first two goals) and the game is ours. Why can't this team put together a full 60 minutes??? They aren't good enough right now to take even ONE shift off. After a couple bouts, the B's finally started playing much better. Big props to Lane MacDermaid who stood up for himself in his first NHL game. Rupp isn't like fighting Sergei Samsonov either, he's a very tough dude.
Even though the first goal was all Chara's fault, I still thought Thomas should've made the save. The second goal was a bit weak as well (yes I know it deflected off our own player), but I feel like last year Thomas figured out a way to keep the puck out of the net. Maybe he's tired, maybe he's old, either way he's our goalie the rest of the way and NEEDS to step it up. Just like last year, we go as far as Timmy will take us.
Claude finally got his secondary scoring from Jordan Caron and Pepe Le Pouliot. These weren't pretty goals, just making the other team pay for their mistakes which is what both teams did all night. Hopefully that third line can get rolling a little bit.
Although it's lame that Thomas used it as an excuse, I've always wondered why the "Greatest Arena on Earth" was called that and yet it has some of the WORST lighting on Earth. It's painful watching all the shadows on the ice. Come on!! How hard is it to put some lights up in there??
Next Up: The B's need to snap their 2-game losing streak against the Maple Leafs tonight. It'll be the Leafs first home game under their new coach, so you have to assume they'll come out flying. Hopefully the B's can match it or I'm throwing my computer out the window...
Friday, March 2, 2012
Golden Points: Boston vs New Jersey
Bruins 4 - Devils 3 OT
Imagine how good the Bruins would be if they played a full 60 minutes the way they played the first 20 of this game! If it wasn't for one of the greatest goaltenders to ever hold a waffle and a paddle, the Bruins would've been up 4 or 5 to zip at the end of one. The first, third and overtime period of the game was well played by the B's. Unfortunately, in the second period, they did not come out to play and the Devils took advantage of that. We need a full 60 minutes!
Julien may have struck gold with the new line of Lucic - Krejci - Seguin. Hot and cold Krejci blew up tonight with a hat trick (the third being the game winner in OT) and Seguin snapped a 10 game scoring drought with one of his own in the 1st. The crazy thing is that both Krejci and Seguin should both have another goal each, but Brodeur made two RIDICULOUS saves on both of them. If you haven't seen them, go to NHL.com and watch them. Unbelievable. I hate the Devils, but you gotta respect Brodeur.
After the B's go up 2 - 0 in the first, the Devils score 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead. The first goal was Joe Corvo's fault, big surprise there. He blindly threw the puck to the middle of the ice where it was intercepted by Kovalchuk. Seidenberg finds himself in a 2 v 1 situation with Parise and Kovalchuk. I don't care who's on defense, I don't like those odds. Parise buries it (another American I would LOVE the Bruins to target in the offseason). The second goal was a bit unlucky. Seidenberg stepped in front of the shot and turned his skate to block the puck...only to have him accidentally kick the puck to a wide open Patrick Elias who had a wide open net to shoot at. The third goal by Clarkson was on Thomas. Somehow Clarkson snuck a wrap around through Thomas. That's one Timmy would like back.
I was initially worried when I first saw Zanon hit the ice. Not because of his skills, but simply because he was wearing number 6. I had these horrible flashbacks of Wideman fumbling to keep the puck in the zone, whiffing on shots and passes. Let go of the past man!! I was really impressed with Zanon's game. He blocked a bunch of shots, but more importantly adds some more toughness to the defense with a team high 3 hits. I was much more comfortable with his game than Corov's. I'm sorry, Joe, but I think you're going to be the odd man out when Boychuk returns. Actually, I'm not sorry...you've stunk this season.
The power play still needs work. They went 0-fer again, 0 for 3. Two of those opportunities came in the third period with the game tied 3-3. Even though we got the win in OT, it'd be nice to see the power play have a killer instinct. With the game on the line, the boys can step up and put one in the net. I just don't have that confidence. My health can't afford for this team to be as wretched on the power play as they were during last season's playoffs.
It was a good win altogether. Man, that'll be one hell of a first round if we draw them!
Next up: Rolston gets to face his old team as the B's take on the Islanders at the Gahden. Andrew Ference was injured during the game and didn't return to the ice and he also did not skate at practice, so Mike Mottau could also see the ice in a game against his former team.
Imagine how good the Bruins would be if they played a full 60 minutes the way they played the first 20 of this game! If it wasn't for one of the greatest goaltenders to ever hold a waffle and a paddle, the Bruins would've been up 4 or 5 to zip at the end of one. The first, third and overtime period of the game was well played by the B's. Unfortunately, in the second period, they did not come out to play and the Devils took advantage of that. We need a full 60 minutes!
Julien may have struck gold with the new line of Lucic - Krejci - Seguin. Hot and cold Krejci blew up tonight with a hat trick (the third being the game winner in OT) and Seguin snapped a 10 game scoring drought with one of his own in the 1st. The crazy thing is that both Krejci and Seguin should both have another goal each, but Brodeur made two RIDICULOUS saves on both of them. If you haven't seen them, go to NHL.com and watch them. Unbelievable. I hate the Devils, but you gotta respect Brodeur.
After the B's go up 2 - 0 in the first, the Devils score 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead. The first goal was Joe Corvo's fault, big surprise there. He blindly threw the puck to the middle of the ice where it was intercepted by Kovalchuk. Seidenberg finds himself in a 2 v 1 situation with Parise and Kovalchuk. I don't care who's on defense, I don't like those odds. Parise buries it (another American I would LOVE the Bruins to target in the offseason). The second goal was a bit unlucky. Seidenberg stepped in front of the shot and turned his skate to block the puck...only to have him accidentally kick the puck to a wide open Patrick Elias who had a wide open net to shoot at. The third goal by Clarkson was on Thomas. Somehow Clarkson snuck a wrap around through Thomas. That's one Timmy would like back.
I was initially worried when I first saw Zanon hit the ice. Not because of his skills, but simply because he was wearing number 6. I had these horrible flashbacks of Wideman fumbling to keep the puck in the zone, whiffing on shots and passes. Let go of the past man!! I was really impressed with Zanon's game. He blocked a bunch of shots, but more importantly adds some more toughness to the defense with a team high 3 hits. I was much more comfortable with his game than Corov's. I'm sorry, Joe, but I think you're going to be the odd man out when Boychuk returns. Actually, I'm not sorry...you've stunk this season.
The power play still needs work. They went 0-fer again, 0 for 3. Two of those opportunities came in the third period with the game tied 3-3. Even though we got the win in OT, it'd be nice to see the power play have a killer instinct. With the game on the line, the boys can step up and put one in the net. I just don't have that confidence. My health can't afford for this team to be as wretched on the power play as they were during last season's playoffs.
It was a good win altogether. Man, that'll be one hell of a first round if we draw them!
Next up: Rolston gets to face his old team as the B's take on the Islanders at the Gahden. Andrew Ference was injured during the game and didn't return to the ice and he also did not skate at practice, so Mike Mottau could also see the ice in a game against his former team.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Golden Points: Home and Home Series vs Ottawa
Saturday's game in Ottawa: Bruins 5 - Senators 3
Tuesday's game in Boston: Bruins 0 - Senators 1
I'll start with the first game...
I was relatively pleased with this game. We saw three goals total from the second line, the power play got a goal from struggling Krejci, Thomas made some great saves, and we saw Camper get his first NHL goal on a gritty play. The B's played a relatively good game for 55 minutes.
Then they decided to wreck havoc on my personal health and make things interesting late in the game. One of my favorite non-Bruins players, Daniel Alfredsson (and yes that's 86.4% because he's Swedish), showed why he is still one of the better players and one of the most underrated players in the league by scoring two goals within 2 minutes of each other and with only about 3 minutes left to go in the game. That made it a one goal game (Bergie's second goal was an empty netter, which he was pissed about because he missed a pass to Seguin and it happened to go in). Both their goals came on nearly identical plays: a quick entry into the zone, a near cross ice feed to Alfredsson for a one timer past Thomas who couldn't slide over in time. Shame on the Sens for scoring on us once, but shame on the B's for letting them do it twice!! THE SAME WAY!!!
During the game, there were two pretty significant collisions. The first one, Chris Neil just steam rolled Boychuk as he was rushing out of the defensive zone. It's painful for me to say, since Boychuk now is out with a mild concussion, but that hit was a legit hockey hit. Boychuk was caught with his head down and Neil just came right through his chest. I think the concussion was just a result from whiplash.
The second one, Kyle Turris came up high on Corvo and appeared to have targeted the head. Now Brendan Shanahan deemed this hit a legal hockey play. I strongly disagree and thought their should've been a 1 game suspension or at least a fine for Turris. Luckily Corvo was okay. If he was injured would that have changed it? Maybe. I think an injury should only lengthen the suspension or increase the fine, not determine if it's a legal hit or not. Corvo vowed revenge the next game...did he get it? STAY TUNED!!!!
Lastly, Chara decided to step up to the plate and defend his linemate Boychuk and engaged in some fisticuffs with Neil. Neil is one of the better fighters in the league and if my memory serves me correct has accepted Chara's challenge multiple times now, so kudos to Neil. Chara is a beast of a human being and normally leaves foes bloody. He threw some heavy punches and landed a few, but recently when he fights, he's having trouble staying on his feet. Luckily Neil respects the unwritten rules of fighting and didn't tag Chara while he was on the ground.
Onto the second game...
ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Period one.
ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Period two.
ZZZZZZ..what what... there's a hockey game! Oh we should probably play eh! Let's give it a go guys!!
This was a disappointing game to say the least. The trade deadline is over, all the players can relax. This is the team we're making a run with (as it stands right now...gulp!!). Right now starts the final run. Yes we're 6 weeks out, but the B's NEED to start putting some wins together. A physical, emotional game is the type of game they thrive on and this had all the makings of one considering what had happened last game. The Sens are sniffing at your heals for the division lead, even though you have 4 games in hand, you win this game you're giving yourself even more breathing room as well as sending a message to them that you're the top dog in the Northeast.
...I guess they didn't get that memo...maybe it went to their junk box accidentally...
The only player that showed up was Thomas. Only letting up one goal in this NHL is pretty damn good. That gave the B's ample opportunity to tie the game/win the game. The Sens and B's were even 5v5 but the game was won on special teams. The Sens went 1 for 3 on the power play while the B's went a 2011-esque 0 for 4. With 2 minutes left in the game, they had a power play. PERFECT time, you get that extra attacker on the ice and it's 6 on 4!! The pieces of steaming poo couldn't even set up in the offensive zone! They looked like parking cones out there standing still. No one wanted to win that game....except the 17,000 fans in attendance, but who cares about them.
Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau played their first games as B's. I'm not going to rush to judge them. They've had one practice with their new team, so I'll give them a few games to get acclimated then the judging shall commence. Basically I wasn't impressed this first game, but like I said, they are spared. It'll be interesting if Mottau still gets to the play with Greg Zanon joining the team. I think it would send a message to the team if Julien sits Corvo in favor of Mottau. Although I don't necessarily think that's an improvement, it would send a message to Corvo and the rest of the team that it's time to step it the *$@% up.
And did Corvo make due on his request to fight Turris? No of course not. This guy is a baby and an anti-Bruin. I was looking forward to seeing if Corvo had some stones. I guess I have my answer.
AHHHHHHHHH!!!! This team KILLS ME. I wish there was a clone of me who wasn't a hockey fan and we could see how much longer he lives than I do.
Next up: New Jersey Devils who lie 7th in the East and would be our 1st Round opponent if the season ended right now. Would love to see the B's put yesterday behind them...far far FAR behind them... and come out strong. The fans deserve a little more effort from this team.
Tuesday's game in Boston: Bruins 0 - Senators 1
I'll start with the first game...
I was relatively pleased with this game. We saw three goals total from the second line, the power play got a goal from struggling Krejci, Thomas made some great saves, and we saw Camper get his first NHL goal on a gritty play. The B's played a relatively good game for 55 minutes.
Then they decided to wreck havoc on my personal health and make things interesting late in the game. One of my favorite non-Bruins players, Daniel Alfredsson (and yes that's 86.4% because he's Swedish), showed why he is still one of the better players and one of the most underrated players in the league by scoring two goals within 2 minutes of each other and with only about 3 minutes left to go in the game. That made it a one goal game (Bergie's second goal was an empty netter, which he was pissed about because he missed a pass to Seguin and it happened to go in). Both their goals came on nearly identical plays: a quick entry into the zone, a near cross ice feed to Alfredsson for a one timer past Thomas who couldn't slide over in time. Shame on the Sens for scoring on us once, but shame on the B's for letting them do it twice!! THE SAME WAY!!!
During the game, there were two pretty significant collisions. The first one, Chris Neil just steam rolled Boychuk as he was rushing out of the defensive zone. It's painful for me to say, since Boychuk now is out with a mild concussion, but that hit was a legit hockey hit. Boychuk was caught with his head down and Neil just came right through his chest. I think the concussion was just a result from whiplash.
The second one, Kyle Turris came up high on Corvo and appeared to have targeted the head. Now Brendan Shanahan deemed this hit a legal hockey play. I strongly disagree and thought their should've been a 1 game suspension or at least a fine for Turris. Luckily Corvo was okay. If he was injured would that have changed it? Maybe. I think an injury should only lengthen the suspension or increase the fine, not determine if it's a legal hit or not. Corvo vowed revenge the next game...did he get it? STAY TUNED!!!!
Lastly, Chara decided to step up to the plate and defend his linemate Boychuk and engaged in some fisticuffs with Neil. Neil is one of the better fighters in the league and if my memory serves me correct has accepted Chara's challenge multiple times now, so kudos to Neil. Chara is a beast of a human being and normally leaves foes bloody. He threw some heavy punches and landed a few, but recently when he fights, he's having trouble staying on his feet. Luckily Neil respects the unwritten rules of fighting and didn't tag Chara while he was on the ground.
Onto the second game...
ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Period one.
ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Period two.
ZZZZZZ..what what... there's a hockey game! Oh we should probably play eh! Let's give it a go guys!!
This was a disappointing game to say the least. The trade deadline is over, all the players can relax. This is the team we're making a run with (as it stands right now...gulp!!). Right now starts the final run. Yes we're 6 weeks out, but the B's NEED to start putting some wins together. A physical, emotional game is the type of game they thrive on and this had all the makings of one considering what had happened last game. The Sens are sniffing at your heals for the division lead, even though you have 4 games in hand, you win this game you're giving yourself even more breathing room as well as sending a message to them that you're the top dog in the Northeast.
...I guess they didn't get that memo...maybe it went to their junk box accidentally...
The only player that showed up was Thomas. Only letting up one goal in this NHL is pretty damn good. That gave the B's ample opportunity to tie the game/win the game. The Sens and B's were even 5v5 but the game was won on special teams. The Sens went 1 for 3 on the power play while the B's went a 2011-esque 0 for 4. With 2 minutes left in the game, they had a power play. PERFECT time, you get that extra attacker on the ice and it's 6 on 4!! The pieces of steaming poo couldn't even set up in the offensive zone! They looked like parking cones out there standing still. No one wanted to win that game....except the 17,000 fans in attendance, but who cares about them.
Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau played their first games as B's. I'm not going to rush to judge them. They've had one practice with their new team, so I'll give them a few games to get acclimated then the judging shall commence. Basically I wasn't impressed this first game, but like I said, they are spared. It'll be interesting if Mottau still gets to the play with Greg Zanon joining the team. I think it would send a message to the team if Julien sits Corvo in favor of Mottau. Although I don't necessarily think that's an improvement, it would send a message to Corvo and the rest of the team that it's time to step it the *$@% up.
And did Corvo make due on his request to fight Turris? No of course not. This guy is a baby and an anti-Bruin. I was looking forward to seeing if Corvo had some stones. I guess I have my answer.
AHHHHHHHHH!!!! This team KILLS ME. I wish there was a clone of me who wasn't a hockey fan and we could see how much longer he lives than I do.
Next up: New Jersey Devils who lie 7th in the East and would be our 1st Round opponent if the season ended right now. Would love to see the B's put yesterday behind them...far far FAR behind them... and come out strong. The fans deserve a little more effort from this team.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Golden Points: St. Louis Blues
Bruins 4 - Blues 2
While Detroit has been making all the headlines with their home win streak, St. Louis had quietly been compiling their own very impressive home record streak. They hadn't lost in regulation at home since December 3rd. That's pretty damn impressive. They have one SO loss and one OT loss in that time frame. Still impressive. All impressive streaks must come to an end, I'm very happy with how the struggling B's played last night to end that streak. This was one of the more entertaining games of the season and had a nice playoff feel to the game. The refs swallowed their whistles for the most part and let the big boys play.
I don't agree with some other sites analysis that it wasn't a full 60 minute effort. I think you have to give the Blues some credit. They are a very good team (4th in the West), play extremely well at home, and took it to the B's at times in the game. For the most part the B's held their ground defensively especially in the 2nd and 3rd period where they shut the Blues down.
The B's came out flying! The speed in which they played was noticeably more uptempo then usual, which seemed to have been the point of emphasis during the past few practices. Unlike the past few games, they got rewarded for their good efforts with two quick goals...which was quickly erased by two Blues goals...shit.
It was nice to see the top two lines be the focus of the offensive production. Lucic is continuing to have a great stretch of games, playing solid north-south hockey. He's streaky, but I'm hoping this streak doesn't end until the offseason. He picked up a tip goal (near the front of the net which is where I like to see him) and then had a nice asset on Kelly's late first period goal.
Hands down the most impressive player last night was David Krejci. Where the hell did he come from? I was curious to see how he would respond to playing on the wing. I don't know if I've ever seen him play an entire game with that much energy. Whatever he ate for breakfast, I want it and I want it now! Although he didn't show up in the box score summary, he was a crucial player last night. He even laid a huge hit on one of the Blues defenseman down low. Yes you read that correctly... Krejci INITIATED contact and WON.
The second line got back into rhythm too. Marchand showed why I call him the Gnat on his first goal, never giving up and pestering the other team. Great forechecking led to a steal and then he just ripped a shot past Elliot. On his second goal he showed why he'll never be a career fourth liner like everyone thought when he broke into the league (including me...and you know my track record with predictions). Collecting a long pass from Seguin, Marchy gave Paille a tutorial on how to score on the breakaway, faking the shot and tucking the puck five hole, sealing the game for the B's.
For one of the rare times this season I thought the fourth line was a HUGE liability this game (combined -5...yikes). A lot of their shifts on the ice resulted in the Blues gaining momentum and two of their shifts led to the Blues goals...not good. Thornton was fighting flu-like symptoms, so I'll give them this one.
For the Blues, a team we only get to watch once a year, I was really impressed with defenseman Kris Russell and forward Chris Stewart. Russell is that stereotypical "puck-moving defenseman" with GREAT skating ability. More than once he collected the puck, moved into their offensive zone and created some opportunities. Stewart also has impressive skating ability and stick skills. Those guys are two names I hadn't heard of before that impressed me. Obviously Arnott and Backes are some of the elite players in the league. Man would I love to have Backes on the B's!!! He just screams black and gold! The guy is tougher than nails, never stops working and is one of the more skilled players in the league.
And we have to end of a positive note. The Dude! He has to quickly becoming one of the tougher fighters in the league. He'll fight anyone and when he does there isn't much defense. He just throws hay makers like woah. It was a very entertaining bout with Crombeen with McQuaid getting some shots in early and Crombeen getting shots in later. As always the tie goes to the Dude. Anyone who rocks a mullet gets extra points.
Next up: Buffalo Sabres Friday night. I'm looking forward to that game as the hatred between the two teams seems to grow greater with every game they play.
While Detroit has been making all the headlines with their home win streak, St. Louis had quietly been compiling their own very impressive home record streak. They hadn't lost in regulation at home since December 3rd. That's pretty damn impressive. They have one SO loss and one OT loss in that time frame. Still impressive. All impressive streaks must come to an end, I'm very happy with how the struggling B's played last night to end that streak. This was one of the more entertaining games of the season and had a nice playoff feel to the game. The refs swallowed their whistles for the most part and let the big boys play.
I don't agree with some other sites analysis that it wasn't a full 60 minute effort. I think you have to give the Blues some credit. They are a very good team (4th in the West), play extremely well at home, and took it to the B's at times in the game. For the most part the B's held their ground defensively especially in the 2nd and 3rd period where they shut the Blues down.
The B's came out flying! The speed in which they played was noticeably more uptempo then usual, which seemed to have been the point of emphasis during the past few practices. Unlike the past few games, they got rewarded for their good efforts with two quick goals...which was quickly erased by two Blues goals...shit.
It was nice to see the top two lines be the focus of the offensive production. Lucic is continuing to have a great stretch of games, playing solid north-south hockey. He's streaky, but I'm hoping this streak doesn't end until the offseason. He picked up a tip goal (near the front of the net which is where I like to see him) and then had a nice asset on Kelly's late first period goal.
Hands down the most impressive player last night was David Krejci. Where the hell did he come from? I was curious to see how he would respond to playing on the wing. I don't know if I've ever seen him play an entire game with that much energy. Whatever he ate for breakfast, I want it and I want it now! Although he didn't show up in the box score summary, he was a crucial player last night. He even laid a huge hit on one of the Blues defenseman down low. Yes you read that correctly... Krejci INITIATED contact and WON.
The second line got back into rhythm too. Marchand showed why I call him the Gnat on his first goal, never giving up and pestering the other team. Great forechecking led to a steal and then he just ripped a shot past Elliot. On his second goal he showed why he'll never be a career fourth liner like everyone thought when he broke into the league (including me...and you know my track record with predictions). Collecting a long pass from Seguin, Marchy gave Paille a tutorial on how to score on the breakaway, faking the shot and tucking the puck five hole, sealing the game for the B's.
For one of the rare times this season I thought the fourth line was a HUGE liability this game (combined -5...yikes). A lot of their shifts on the ice resulted in the Blues gaining momentum and two of their shifts led to the Blues goals...not good. Thornton was fighting flu-like symptoms, so I'll give them this one.
For the Blues, a team we only get to watch once a year, I was really impressed with defenseman Kris Russell and forward Chris Stewart. Russell is that stereotypical "puck-moving defenseman" with GREAT skating ability. More than once he collected the puck, moved into their offensive zone and created some opportunities. Stewart also has impressive skating ability and stick skills. Those guys are two names I hadn't heard of before that impressed me. Obviously Arnott and Backes are some of the elite players in the league. Man would I love to have Backes on the B's!!! He just screams black and gold! The guy is tougher than nails, never stops working and is one of the more skilled players in the league.
And we have to end of a positive note. The Dude! He has to quickly becoming one of the tougher fighters in the league. He'll fight anyone and when he does there isn't much defense. He just throws hay makers like woah. It was a very entertaining bout with Crombeen with McQuaid getting some shots in early and Crombeen getting shots in later. As always the tie goes to the Dude. Anyone who rocks a mullet gets extra points.
Next up: Buffalo Sabres Friday night. I'm looking forward to that game as the hatred between the two teams seems to grow greater with every game they play.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Golden Points: Minnesota Wild
Wild 2 - Bruins 0
Now I need everyone to stay calm. Let's not FREAK OUT because the B's have suddenly reverted back to old B's where their offense eluded them. I actually thought the B's played a really good game. I also thought Niklas Backstrom played out of his mind (48 saves). Nothing was getting by him yesterday.
I don't understand this and maybe someone can explain it to me. Paille finds himself on the most breakaways out of anyone. I get excited when I initially see a breakaway, but when I realize it's Paille my hopes for a goal fade. He had one clear breakaway and one half somewhat breakaway yesterday and just couldn't finish either of them.
Timmy had the start for the B's, and I didn't think he played poorly. He also made some really nice saves, even on "Timmy Special"... flopping around like a fish out of the water and somehow getting a body part on the puck. The Wilds first goal by Rau was pretty nice, he no looked the shot and sniped it inside post. Tip your hat to Rau. The second was a bit flukey. Cullen completely whiffed on the first attempted which got Seidenberg moving and Thomas moving the other way which left some open net for Cullen to shoot at once he reloaded.
As always, Shawn Thornton stepped up to the plate and did what he does best. He sacrificed himself by taking on a much bigger Matt Kassian to try and energize his teammates. They got their chances but couldn't score. I thought Lucic had another good game and should've put one in the net but got completely robbed by Backstrom. Although the results haven't been favorable, Looch has strung together a few good games in a row. We need him to keep that up.
So the struggles continue. It's hard to be disappointed in this game because I thought the B's played well. They just need to get back to basics and keep fighting. Every team goes through a stretch like this. How will this team respond? They have some solid characters in that locker room so I have faith they'll come out alright. I'm just glad it's happening now and not in April/May.
Next up: St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
Now I need everyone to stay calm. Let's not FREAK OUT because the B's have suddenly reverted back to old B's where their offense eluded them. I actually thought the B's played a really good game. I also thought Niklas Backstrom played out of his mind (48 saves). Nothing was getting by him yesterday.
I don't understand this and maybe someone can explain it to me. Paille finds himself on the most breakaways out of anyone. I get excited when I initially see a breakaway, but when I realize it's Paille my hopes for a goal fade. He had one clear breakaway and one half somewhat breakaway yesterday and just couldn't finish either of them.
Timmy had the start for the B's, and I didn't think he played poorly. He also made some really nice saves, even on "Timmy Special"... flopping around like a fish out of the water and somehow getting a body part on the puck. The Wilds first goal by Rau was pretty nice, he no looked the shot and sniped it inside post. Tip your hat to Rau. The second was a bit flukey. Cullen completely whiffed on the first attempted which got Seidenberg moving and Thomas moving the other way which left some open net for Cullen to shoot at once he reloaded.
As always, Shawn Thornton stepped up to the plate and did what he does best. He sacrificed himself by taking on a much bigger Matt Kassian to try and energize his teammates. They got their chances but couldn't score. I thought Lucic had another good game and should've put one in the net but got completely robbed by Backstrom. Although the results haven't been favorable, Looch has strung together a few good games in a row. We need him to keep that up.
So the struggles continue. It's hard to be disappointed in this game because I thought the B's played well. They just need to get back to basics and keep fighting. Every team goes through a stretch like this. How will this team respond? They have some solid characters in that locker room so I have faith they'll come out alright. I'm just glad it's happening now and not in April/May.
Next up: St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
Golden Points: Winnipeg Jets
Jets 4 - Bruins 2 (even though it's not New York, I still hate typing Jets...)
At the beginning of the bout I had a good feeling, the B's were skating hard, getting shots on net, and looked to be in control of the game. The first period ended 0-0 and I would've liked to see the B's get rewarded for their good play, but I was feeling good.
Although the first goal for the Jets was a really nice shot by Alex Burmistrov, I put the blame on the captain. I don't know if he lost where he was on the ice, but he gave Burmistrov waaaaay too much cushion. Burmistrov was able to skate unopposed into the face off circle and rip a shot on Rask. Chara with his redwood stick should've made it a little more difficult for him to gain that position.
Rask came up with the biggest save of the game to that point, making a split save stoning the Jets on a 2 v 1 breakaway which immediately led to Jordan Caron's goal. Caron's goal was almost identitcal to Burmistrov, I thought former Bruins Mark Stuart gave Caron way too much cushion and Caron just ripped one from around the face off dot. Instead of 2-0, it was 1-1. Alright, here we go B's... getting back in it.
Then, my worst nightmare played out in front of my eyes. Blake %$^%ing Wheeler. The guy I was more than happy to see packing his bags last year decided he wanted a little revenge and just turned it on. Hands down one of the best games I've seen him play. He scored the next goal (sneaky goal on Tuukka...thought Rask should've saved it) and assisted on the next two to Little. DAMNIT WHEELER!!
The struggles still continue for the B's. Bergeron had a prime scoring opportunity in the third but Pavelec just robbed him. That's just how the pucks been rolling these days. Get the struggles out now, shake it off, and lets get rockin' and rollin' come playoff time.
Some good news: Krejci got on the board. He wasn't a pretty goal, but he fought through the bouncing puck and roofed one over Pavelec. That was to tie the game at 2, but the B's couldn't muster anymore offense.
With Horton out indefinitely and Peverley out for over a month, the time's ticking for Chiarelli to add a forward to the mix to help this offense. I just don't have a feeling Caron and Hennessey are the answers.
At the beginning of the bout I had a good feeling, the B's were skating hard, getting shots on net, and looked to be in control of the game. The first period ended 0-0 and I would've liked to see the B's get rewarded for their good play, but I was feeling good.
Although the first goal for the Jets was a really nice shot by Alex Burmistrov, I put the blame on the captain. I don't know if he lost where he was on the ice, but he gave Burmistrov waaaaay too much cushion. Burmistrov was able to skate unopposed into the face off circle and rip a shot on Rask. Chara with his redwood stick should've made it a little more difficult for him to gain that position.
Rask came up with the biggest save of the game to that point, making a split save stoning the Jets on a 2 v 1 breakaway which immediately led to Jordan Caron's goal. Caron's goal was almost identitcal to Burmistrov, I thought former Bruins Mark Stuart gave Caron way too much cushion and Caron just ripped one from around the face off dot. Instead of 2-0, it was 1-1. Alright, here we go B's... getting back in it.
Then, my worst nightmare played out in front of my eyes. Blake %$^%ing Wheeler. The guy I was more than happy to see packing his bags last year decided he wanted a little revenge and just turned it on. Hands down one of the best games I've seen him play. He scored the next goal (sneaky goal on Tuukka...thought Rask should've saved it) and assisted on the next two to Little. DAMNIT WHEELER!!
The struggles still continue for the B's. Bergeron had a prime scoring opportunity in the third but Pavelec just robbed him. That's just how the pucks been rolling these days. Get the struggles out now, shake it off, and lets get rockin' and rollin' come playoff time.
Some good news: Krejci got on the board. He wasn't a pretty goal, but he fought through the bouncing puck and roofed one over Pavelec. That was to tie the game at 2, but the B's couldn't muster anymore offense.
With Horton out indefinitely and Peverley out for over a month, the time's ticking for Chiarelli to add a forward to the mix to help this offense. I just don't have a feeling Caron and Hennessey are the answers.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Golden Points: NY Rangers
Rangers 3 - Boston 0
I'm a pretty lucky guy. My girlfriend loves Boston sports, actually knows most or all of the rules of the major four sports, and is even a pretty big B's fan. She even gave away her pink Ellsbury t-shirt when I told her what a "pink hat" was...and my future kids be damned if I ever call her that.
Although I was briefly tempted, suggesting we spend Valentine's Day on the couch with me completely ignoring her and staring intensely at the tube would NOT have been the best decision I've made. The B's decided to do me a favor though, and lay a stinker the night I didn't watch. I could only get a little angry at the result, instead of being enraged for the entire 2.5 hours of the game.
It's hard to get a good sense of the game through a box score. The B's outshot the Ranger's 42-20, they must've DOMINATED! Well, not from what I read. "Shots on goal" is a bit of a weak stat in my opinion. How many QUALITY scoring opportunities did the B's get? How many of those 42 shots did Lundqvist have a clean view off? Look at the giveaways and takeaways, the B's gave the puck away 9 times and the Rangers took it away 8 versus 1 and 4.
From what I've read, the team played pretty poorly and their "compete level" was not where it should've been. The Bruins succeed when they work hard and outwork their opponent. When that happens, the offense tags along too. But it seems like this team just flat out got outworked. There's still plenty of time, but this team needs to snap out of it.
Tonight we got the Canadiens in Montreal. That's going to be a circus.
I'm a pretty lucky guy. My girlfriend loves Boston sports, actually knows most or all of the rules of the major four sports, and is even a pretty big B's fan. She even gave away her pink Ellsbury t-shirt when I told her what a "pink hat" was...and my future kids be damned if I ever call her that.
Although I was briefly tempted, suggesting we spend Valentine's Day on the couch with me completely ignoring her and staring intensely at the tube would NOT have been the best decision I've made. The B's decided to do me a favor though, and lay a stinker the night I didn't watch. I could only get a little angry at the result, instead of being enraged for the entire 2.5 hours of the game.
It's hard to get a good sense of the game through a box score. The B's outshot the Ranger's 42-20, they must've DOMINATED! Well, not from what I read. "Shots on goal" is a bit of a weak stat in my opinion. How many QUALITY scoring opportunities did the B's get? How many of those 42 shots did Lundqvist have a clean view off? Look at the giveaways and takeaways, the B's gave the puck away 9 times and the Rangers took it away 8 versus 1 and 4.
From what I've read, the team played pretty poorly and their "compete level" was not where it should've been. The Bruins succeed when they work hard and outwork their opponent. When that happens, the offense tags along too. But it seems like this team just flat out got outworked. There's still plenty of time, but this team needs to snap out of it.
Tonight we got the Canadiens in Montreal. That's going to be a circus.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Golden Points: Nashville Predators
Bruins 4 - Predators 3 SO
Being more of an Eastern Conference fan, I don't know too much about the Predators. You know Shea Weber is one of the better defenseman in the league and if it wasn't for Chara he'd have the hardest slap shot in the league. They also have a Finnish goaltender, Pekka Rinne, who was a Vezina trophy finalist last season and is also having a pretty good year currently. They have horribly ugly home sweaters and finally, gulp, ex-Senator of 10+ seasons Mike Fisher is married to Carrie Underwood. I hate myself for knowing that...
Although this game went to overtime then a shootout, I thought the B's outplayed the Predators, who lie 5th in the West. When your team is struggling, it seems have to work even harder to pull off those victories. When your team is on fire, you squeak a couple wins in there that you probably shouldn't have gotten. That's the beauty and the hell of sports.
What I was most happy to see was the play of Milan Lucic (team high 7 shots). Even before scoring the game tying goal with a hair over a minute left, I would've said he was the best B's player on the ice that game. When he moves his feet and gets that big ole frame of his moving around, he can be a very dangerous player. The key word in the statement is "when". If he lets his emotions get the best of him, then he makes stupid mistakes, but this game he played a solid north-south game.
For most of the season, the second line has played more like a number 1 line, and they now are rewarded with a promotion with the Horton out with a concussion and Krejci and Lucic trying to find their games. Patrice Bergeron continues to have a stellar season, winning 60% of the faceoffs he took, scoring a shorty and scoring in the shootout. To be fair, Brad Marchand did nearly all the work on Bergie's shorthanded snipe, pushing the puck up the ice and splitting two defenders before laying it off to the assistant captain. Proving to the Boston fan base that they have a right to be excited about his skills, Tyler Seguin scored a nifty shootout goal: coming in with speed, slowing down then deking the crap out of Rinne. I'm pretty sure Rinne is still looking for his jockstrap.
Can't complete this post without showing love to the fourth line. As much as I wanted Paille demoted at the beginning of the season, I'll eat my words and say that I couldn't imagine breaking up this line. The chemistry they have together is pretty awesome and the give n' go between Thornton and Paille was even more awesome.
Now on to a few low points:
- I thought Thomas looked pretty, dare I say, normal this game. The Fisher goal is one that Timmy saves 99.99% of the time. He also seemed to be fighting the puck at times during the game. With the homestretch not too far off in the future, I would really like to see Tuukka and Timmy step up there game. I just need to find a way to get Thomas to stop updating his facebook status...
- The "Master of Time and Space" has not only figured out a way to slow the game down, but he's also figured out how to completely disappear. Ever since fellow linemate Horton went down with a concussion, Krejci has been struggling to find his game. We know how great he can be, but we'd like to see the centerman who just received a nice raise play at a high level on a consistent basis.
Tonight and tomorrow will be a nice test for the Bruins. We have the #1 team in the Eastern Conference, NY Rangers, coming to down tonight and then we travel up to Montreal and try to take down the Habs in the Bell Centre. If the Bruins aren't focused, they could get embarrassed these two games. I don't care how poorly the Habs are playing this year, it's always an interesting contest between the two. It makes it even more difficult having played the Rangers the night before.
Being more of an Eastern Conference fan, I don't know too much about the Predators. You know Shea Weber is one of the better defenseman in the league and if it wasn't for Chara he'd have the hardest slap shot in the league. They also have a Finnish goaltender, Pekka Rinne, who was a Vezina trophy finalist last season and is also having a pretty good year currently. They have horribly ugly home sweaters and finally, gulp, ex-Senator of 10+ seasons Mike Fisher is married to Carrie Underwood. I hate myself for knowing that...
Although this game went to overtime then a shootout, I thought the B's outplayed the Predators, who lie 5th in the West. When your team is struggling, it seems have to work even harder to pull off those victories. When your team is on fire, you squeak a couple wins in there that you probably shouldn't have gotten. That's the beauty and the hell of sports.
What I was most happy to see was the play of Milan Lucic (team high 7 shots). Even before scoring the game tying goal with a hair over a minute left, I would've said he was the best B's player on the ice that game. When he moves his feet and gets that big ole frame of his moving around, he can be a very dangerous player. The key word in the statement is "when". If he lets his emotions get the best of him, then he makes stupid mistakes, but this game he played a solid north-south game.
For most of the season, the second line has played more like a number 1 line, and they now are rewarded with a promotion with the Horton out with a concussion and Krejci and Lucic trying to find their games. Patrice Bergeron continues to have a stellar season, winning 60% of the faceoffs he took, scoring a shorty and scoring in the shootout. To be fair, Brad Marchand did nearly all the work on Bergie's shorthanded snipe, pushing the puck up the ice and splitting two defenders before laying it off to the assistant captain. Proving to the Boston fan base that they have a right to be excited about his skills, Tyler Seguin scored a nifty shootout goal: coming in with speed, slowing down then deking the crap out of Rinne. I'm pretty sure Rinne is still looking for his jockstrap.
Can't complete this post without showing love to the fourth line. As much as I wanted Paille demoted at the beginning of the season, I'll eat my words and say that I couldn't imagine breaking up this line. The chemistry they have together is pretty awesome and the give n' go between Thornton and Paille was even more awesome.
Now on to a few low points:
- I thought Thomas looked pretty, dare I say, normal this game. The Fisher goal is one that Timmy saves 99.99% of the time. He also seemed to be fighting the puck at times during the game. With the homestretch not too far off in the future, I would really like to see Tuukka and Timmy step up there game. I just need to find a way to get Thomas to stop updating his facebook status...
- The "Master of Time and Space" has not only figured out a way to slow the game down, but he's also figured out how to completely disappear. Ever since fellow linemate Horton went down with a concussion, Krejci has been struggling to find his game. We know how great he can be, but we'd like to see the centerman who just received a nice raise play at a high level on a consistent basis.
Tonight and tomorrow will be a nice test for the Bruins. We have the #1 team in the Eastern Conference, NY Rangers, coming to down tonight and then we travel up to Montreal and try to take down the Habs in the Bell Centre. If the Bruins aren't focused, they could get embarrassed these two games. I don't care how poorly the Habs are playing this year, it's always an interesting contest between the two. It makes it even more difficult having played the Rangers the night before.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 25 vs Pittsburgh
Bruins 3 - Penguins 1
8 Golden Points:
1. Going into this match up the Penguins were the #1 seed in the East, 3 points ahead of the B's, while also having played 3 more games. I think the B's showed last night that they are the team to beat in the East at the moment. Still with 3 games in hand, the B's are now 1 point out of the top spot. The winning continues with this team. They've won 14 out of 15 games!!! But even the game they lost, they still got a point out of it. Mind boggling. How 'bout you guys save some of this for April??
2. Tim Thomas. I can only pump this guys tires so much. He made 45 saves against one of the premier teams in the league...even without the Movember mask! He's on a 10 game winning streak. He's now on pace to break his own record in save percentage. I think we need to check his birth certificate. He might have fudged some numbers to make himself appear older than he really is. Advantage of that? No idea, but he's got something up his sleeve.
3. BIG props to the penalty killing unit. If you told me that the B's would give the Penguins over three minutes total of a two man advantage...especially a FULL 2 minutes...I would've pegged the Pens for 2 goals. The PK unit came up HUGE and killed off both 5 on 3 situations. When one of your penalty killers is Tim Thomas, you always have a shot at killing those off.
4. Gregory Campbell, who is a key member of the penalty kill unit, had himself a good game last night. Although it wasn't pretty, hustle and hard work always seem to find a way to get rewarded. But as most of you know, my favorite part of his game last night was letting Vitale know that we are not the Buffalo Sabres. You do NOT touch the best player on our team (Thomas). That was one hell of a fight with Campbell connecting with a few early, but give Vitale some credit, he got in a few good shots as well.
5. I read an article on ESPN that said most people would most like to fight Brad Marchand. Yes, the Gnat is a pest. I'd probably hate him if he was on a different team. You have to give this guy props though. Unlike Subban, unlike Lapierre, Marchy will actually fight. Is he a good fighter? Hell no. But the guy isn't afraid to drop the mittens. I doubt he'd actually fight him, but Orpik gave Seguin a little whats good after the whistle and Marchand came right over and gave him a what's up back. Orpik would tear him apart, but it's nice to see he isn't afraid.
6. The defense needs to be given some love too here. To be able to keep the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Kunitz, and Sullivan off the score sheet is pretty impressive. The goaltender is a stud, but the defense wasn't giving them too many scoring chances.
7. Just taking a peak at the stat leaders of the league. One stat Mr. Julien would be quite happy about would be +/-. Most people know Seguin is leading the league in that category with a +19, but Zdeno Chara is second with a +18 and Chris "sign me to an extension" Kelly comes in at third with a +17. Not bad B's...not bad.
8. Pepe Le Pouliout scored again. He's been playing better as of late, but he's still in my dog house. Maybe he's finally found his niche alongside Kelly and Peverley. Let's see if he can keep this up. When the B's start losing some games (if they ever do), how will his attitude change?
Next up: Tonight vs Winnipeg Jets (11-11-4 26pts)
8 Golden Points:
1. Going into this match up the Penguins were the #1 seed in the East, 3 points ahead of the B's, while also having played 3 more games. I think the B's showed last night that they are the team to beat in the East at the moment. Still with 3 games in hand, the B's are now 1 point out of the top spot. The winning continues with this team. They've won 14 out of 15 games!!! But even the game they lost, they still got a point out of it. Mind boggling. How 'bout you guys save some of this for April??
2. Tim Thomas. I can only pump this guys tires so much. He made 45 saves against one of the premier teams in the league...even without the Movember mask! He's on a 10 game winning streak. He's now on pace to break his own record in save percentage. I think we need to check his birth certificate. He might have fudged some numbers to make himself appear older than he really is. Advantage of that? No idea, but he's got something up his sleeve.
3. BIG props to the penalty killing unit. If you told me that the B's would give the Penguins over three minutes total of a two man advantage...especially a FULL 2 minutes...I would've pegged the Pens for 2 goals. The PK unit came up HUGE and killed off both 5 on 3 situations. When one of your penalty killers is Tim Thomas, you always have a shot at killing those off.
4. Gregory Campbell, who is a key member of the penalty kill unit, had himself a good game last night. Although it wasn't pretty, hustle and hard work always seem to find a way to get rewarded. But as most of you know, my favorite part of his game last night was letting Vitale know that we are not the Buffalo Sabres. You do NOT touch the best player on our team (Thomas). That was one hell of a fight with Campbell connecting with a few early, but give Vitale some credit, he got in a few good shots as well.
5. I read an article on ESPN that said most people would most like to fight Brad Marchand. Yes, the Gnat is a pest. I'd probably hate him if he was on a different team. You have to give this guy props though. Unlike Subban, unlike Lapierre, Marchy will actually fight. Is he a good fighter? Hell no. But the guy isn't afraid to drop the mittens. I doubt he'd actually fight him, but Orpik gave Seguin a little whats good after the whistle and Marchand came right over and gave him a what's up back. Orpik would tear him apart, but it's nice to see he isn't afraid.
6. The defense needs to be given some love too here. To be able to keep the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Kunitz, and Sullivan off the score sheet is pretty impressive. The goaltender is a stud, but the defense wasn't giving them too many scoring chances.
7. Just taking a peak at the stat leaders of the league. One stat Mr. Julien would be quite happy about would be +/-. Most people know Seguin is leading the league in that category with a +19, but Zdeno Chara is second with a +18 and Chris "sign me to an extension" Kelly comes in at third with a +17. Not bad B's...not bad.
8. Pepe Le Pouliout scored again. He's been playing better as of late, but he's still in my dog house. Maybe he's finally found his niche alongside Kelly and Peverley. Let's see if he can keep this up. When the B's start losing some games (if they ever do), how will his attitude change?
Next up: Tonight vs Winnipeg Jets (11-11-4 26pts)
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)
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)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 9 vs Canadiens
Canadiens 2 - Bruins 1
8 Golden Points:
1. This is getting pathetic. You see the Bruins "scored" one goal in the box score. That's false. The Canadiens scored on themselves. Although I will always take it, you have to realize the Bruins CAN'T FRIGGIN' SCORE. Story of the franchise for the past few years. And don't give me this Ryder bullshit. Ryder sucked and would not be helping this team right now. We have players who can score. Get your head out of your tooshies and put the puck in the net!!!
2. Subban finally dropped the gloves with someone. Although I was hoping for Horton, I wasn't pissed that it was Marchy. Took three times before the refs allowed this fight to occur. Marchy is smaller than Subban and got man handled at one point, but he got in a few shots. Big props to the Gnat for doing something EVERYONE in Boston wants to do.
3. Thomas again and again makes unbelievable saves. You would think after a while I'd get use to it. I haven't yet and I don't think I will. His break away save on Cammalleri was just beautiful and had me jumping all over the apartment (sorry downstairs neighbor). The B's were winning 1-0 at that point, making that save even more important. Now let's try and get the players in front of him playing better.
4. Star Wars Part XIII: The Return of Darth Quaider. I will kindly disagree with most people's analysis of McQuaid's game. I thought on the whole he played well. He was manning the point really well, getting low shots through the net or just wide of the net. Yeah, he was a minus 2. He made one mistake that led to a goal. But I wouldn't say he struggled. I'd say the whole team struggled.
5. How many opportunities is Peverley going to miss?? This is his second or third break away this season where I literally had no faith the puck would even come close to going in. I mean if the Habs decided to pull the goalie, he definitely would've scored, but unfortunately there was a goalie there.
6. We brought Horton in here to score. He had a GOLDEN opportunity tie the game and whiffed. Horty, you're a goal scorer last I checked. If you are wide open 5 feet in front of the net, you're suppose to score. Just a friendly reminder.
7. Exit Wideman. Exit Ryder. Enter Pouliot. From the beginning he had an uphill battle winning me over. I know I made it rain gross man turds on him previously, but I would've reversed my tone had he showed me anything. And I mean anything. He has done NOTHING. I would rather Caron in the lineup doing nothing than Pouliot in the lineup doing nothing. At least Caron is gaining NHL experience. Pouliot sucks. Trade him.
8. The defending Stanley Cup champions sit in last place. That's right, the stinking Jets are ahead of us. The Islanders are ahead of us. This team needs to wake up really quick or it's going to be a long season. All those fans they gained last year will go bye bye. Not like I'll care about that part. It'll just be easier for me to get tickets. This will just be a very negative blog. Maybe change the name to Copper Spokes... ZING!
Next up: REMATCH against the Habs. Montreal's a tough place to play, let's hope they step it up. They lose tonight, there will be some changes.
8 Golden Points:
1. This is getting pathetic. You see the Bruins "scored" one goal in the box score. That's false. The Canadiens scored on themselves. Although I will always take it, you have to realize the Bruins CAN'T FRIGGIN' SCORE. Story of the franchise for the past few years. And don't give me this Ryder bullshit. Ryder sucked and would not be helping this team right now. We have players who can score. Get your head out of your tooshies and put the puck in the net!!!
2. Subban finally dropped the gloves with someone. Although I was hoping for Horton, I wasn't pissed that it was Marchy. Took three times before the refs allowed this fight to occur. Marchy is smaller than Subban and got man handled at one point, but he got in a few shots. Big props to the Gnat for doing something EVERYONE in Boston wants to do.
3. Thomas again and again makes unbelievable saves. You would think after a while I'd get use to it. I haven't yet and I don't think I will. His break away save on Cammalleri was just beautiful and had me jumping all over the apartment (sorry downstairs neighbor). The B's were winning 1-0 at that point, making that save even more important. Now let's try and get the players in front of him playing better.
4. Star Wars Part XIII: The Return of Darth Quaider. I will kindly disagree with most people's analysis of McQuaid's game. I thought on the whole he played well. He was manning the point really well, getting low shots through the net or just wide of the net. Yeah, he was a minus 2. He made one mistake that led to a goal. But I wouldn't say he struggled. I'd say the whole team struggled.
5. How many opportunities is Peverley going to miss?? This is his second or third break away this season where I literally had no faith the puck would even come close to going in. I mean if the Habs decided to pull the goalie, he definitely would've scored, but unfortunately there was a goalie there.
6. We brought Horton in here to score. He had a GOLDEN opportunity tie the game and whiffed. Horty, you're a goal scorer last I checked. If you are wide open 5 feet in front of the net, you're suppose to score. Just a friendly reminder.
7. Exit Wideman. Exit Ryder. Enter Pouliot. From the beginning he had an uphill battle winning me over. I know I made it rain gross man turds on him previously, but I would've reversed my tone had he showed me anything. And I mean anything. He has done NOTHING. I would rather Caron in the lineup doing nothing than Pouliot in the lineup doing nothing. At least Caron is gaining NHL experience. Pouliot sucks. Trade him.
8. The defending Stanley Cup champions sit in last place. That's right, the stinking Jets are ahead of us. The Islanders are ahead of us. This team needs to wake up really quick or it's going to be a long season. All those fans they gained last year will go bye bye. Not like I'll care about that part. It'll just be easier for me to get tickets. This will just be a very negative blog. Maybe change the name to Copper Spokes... ZING!
Next up: REMATCH against the Habs. Montreal's a tough place to play, let's hope they step it up. They lose tonight, there will be some changes.
Friday, October 21, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 7 vs Toronto
Bruins 6 - Maple Leafs 2
8 Golden Points:
1. As we saw in the later part of the 'Canes game (which I'd like to forget about), Julien went with a different combination of lines to start this game and boy does he look like a genius. This looked like a completely different team out there. 6 goals from 6 different players. The Maple Leafs came into this game red hot while the B's have been ice cold. You would not have known that after watching this game.
2. I think I'm going to change the name of this segment to 7 Golden Points + Seguin. Last night, instead of playing center on the top line, he slid over and played ring wing along with Kelly and Lucic. How'd he respond? A goal and 2 assists. In 7 games Seguin is 2-6-8 +5. As a team we've only scored 17 total goals and he's been apart of 8. One of his best plays came at the end of a shift, he hustle backed on a defense, dove and broke up an odd man rush. He's doing it all! And I repeat... "THANK YOU KESSEL!!"
3. In my last 8 Golden Points, I mention Lucic and Horton were just baiting everyone into thinking they sucked and that they were going to start playing well real soon. Well as always (or on rare occasion...whatever), I was right. The best game of the year from these two. When Looch plays that North-South hockey, he's nearly unstoppable. Not too many players can push him off the puck. Crunching Phaneuf early in the game was a good indicator of things to come.
4. We saw the return of David Krejci last night. It can't be long until he goes back up to the first line. He is just so good with the puck on his stick. As Jack would say, he's the master of time and space. Although he didn't show up on the score sheet, he had a solid game and didn't appear to show any lingering affects from his "core" injury. He also went 11 for 16 at the face off dot.
5. The Bruins special teams showed up last night too. The PK unit has been lights out all year long, shutting down the Leafs on all 4 of their power plays. On the year the PK unit has killed off 28 of 32 power plays for 10th best in the league. Not too shabby. The PP unit also ate their Wheaties this morning, going 2 for 5 on the night. As Bergeron said after the game, they kept it simple and didn't hesitate.
6. The defense looked very good tonight. Chara had a monster game (goal and 2 assists), Ference had a monster first period (3 assists) and a monster open ice hit on Grabovski. During the preseason there was a battle for the 7th defensemen between Bartkowski and Kampfer. After watching the last two games, it's CLEAR Kampfer is the 7th defensemen. The only bad was Siedenberg was a minus 1. EEeek.
7. For the first time this season, you didn't feel like our goalies had to be unbelievable in order for us to get the win. Lucky for us, our goaltenders are unbelievable anyways. It wasn't necessary for Thomas to be stellar tonight, but when he needed to make a save he did. Stoning Grabovski on the break away and Steckel on the doorstep during the closing seconds of the second were huge, timely saves. He almost had an assist as he threw one down the ice to Seguin that was called offsides.
8. Phil Kessel... ahhh the trade that keeps on giving. As a Bruins fan, you have to get a little giddy when you see him put up 0-0-0 -1 and Seguin puts up 1-2-3 +2. It's just beautiful. At the end of the month Golden Spokes will do a "Prospect Preview" and see how the talent pipeline is looking. If you watched the game last night, you saw stats on how Jared Knight and Dougie Hamilton are tearing it up for their juniors teams in the OHL right now.
Next up: Saturday vs San Jose Sharks (1-3-0) Welcome back, Jumbo Joe.
8 Golden Points:
1. As we saw in the later part of the 'Canes game (which I'd like to forget about), Julien went with a different combination of lines to start this game and boy does he look like a genius. This looked like a completely different team out there. 6 goals from 6 different players. The Maple Leafs came into this game red hot while the B's have been ice cold. You would not have known that after watching this game.
2. I think I'm going to change the name of this segment to 7 Golden Points + Seguin. Last night, instead of playing center on the top line, he slid over and played ring wing along with Kelly and Lucic. How'd he respond? A goal and 2 assists. In 7 games Seguin is 2-6-8 +5. As a team we've only scored 17 total goals and he's been apart of 8. One of his best plays came at the end of a shift, he hustle backed on a defense, dove and broke up an odd man rush. He's doing it all! And I repeat... "THANK YOU KESSEL!!"
3. In my last 8 Golden Points, I mention Lucic and Horton were just baiting everyone into thinking they sucked and that they were going to start playing well real soon. Well as always (or on rare occasion...whatever), I was right. The best game of the year from these two. When Looch plays that North-South hockey, he's nearly unstoppable. Not too many players can push him off the puck. Crunching Phaneuf early in the game was a good indicator of things to come.
4. We saw the return of David Krejci last night. It can't be long until he goes back up to the first line. He is just so good with the puck on his stick. As Jack would say, he's the master of time and space. Although he didn't show up on the score sheet, he had a solid game and didn't appear to show any lingering affects from his "core" injury. He also went 11 for 16 at the face off dot.
5. The Bruins special teams showed up last night too. The PK unit has been lights out all year long, shutting down the Leafs on all 4 of their power plays. On the year the PK unit has killed off 28 of 32 power plays for 10th best in the league. Not too shabby. The PP unit also ate their Wheaties this morning, going 2 for 5 on the night. As Bergeron said after the game, they kept it simple and didn't hesitate.
6. The defense looked very good tonight. Chara had a monster game (goal and 2 assists), Ference had a monster first period (3 assists) and a monster open ice hit on Grabovski. During the preseason there was a battle for the 7th defensemen between Bartkowski and Kampfer. After watching the last two games, it's CLEAR Kampfer is the 7th defensemen. The only bad was Siedenberg was a minus 1. EEeek.
7. For the first time this season, you didn't feel like our goalies had to be unbelievable in order for us to get the win. Lucky for us, our goaltenders are unbelievable anyways. It wasn't necessary for Thomas to be stellar tonight, but when he needed to make a save he did. Stoning Grabovski on the break away and Steckel on the doorstep during the closing seconds of the second were huge, timely saves. He almost had an assist as he threw one down the ice to Seguin that was called offsides.
8. Phil Kessel... ahhh the trade that keeps on giving. As a Bruins fan, you have to get a little giddy when you see him put up 0-0-0 -1 and Seguin puts up 1-2-3 +2. It's just beautiful. At the end of the month Golden Spokes will do a "Prospect Preview" and see how the talent pipeline is looking. If you watched the game last night, you saw stats on how Jared Knight and Dougie Hamilton are tearing it up for their juniors teams in the OHL right now.
Next up: Saturday vs San Jose Sharks (1-3-0) Welcome back, Jumbo Joe.
Monday, October 17, 2011
8 Golden Points: Game 5 vs. Blackhawks
Bruins 3 - Blackhawks 2 SO
8 Golden Points:
1.) Seguin is making a strong case to remain part of the top line even when Krejci returns. Do I actually think this will happen? As of right now, no. But if Krejci returns and that line continues to struggle, Seguin has shown that he's more than capable of being the #1 center. Another strong game from the young man, assisting on the game tying score and netting the only goal in the shootout. [Kessel is having a nice start to the year as well]
2.) Timmy friggin' Thomas. There isn't any Cup hangover with this guy (27 saves). I think Edwards was trying to get Shane "Sheriff" Hnidy's attention at one point, calling Thomas a "thief" (at least all of Chicago didn't call 911). Who thinks Thomas should incorporate the Dikembe Mutombo "not in my house" finger gesture in his repertoire? I also love how after he makes an insane save they go to a close up of his face and he's just got this "yeah...that just happened" smirk on his face.
3.) As Joe Haggerty tweeted (@HackswithHaggs), Boychuk played like a "boss" the other night (1 A, 6 hits). That was one of the best games I've seen Boychuk play, if not the best. He was blocking shots, playing good defense, and did 99% of the work on Horton's goal. Maybe Boychuk should Occupy Horton's Locker to get that 1% to work harder.
4.) Peverley almost dropped about 8 spokes in my book. Luckily they won, so only 7.5. He found himself on a WIDE OPEN break away in OT. You have been named alternate captain of the defending Stanley Cup champions... in a "very close to a must" win game... OT.... you deked Crawford out of his onesie... and MISSED!! <insert curse word>
5.) Lucic and Horton, are you guys awake? I know you scored, Horton, but that is the ONLY time I noticed you. Plus didn't you read my 3rd point, Boychuk did all the work. These are two of my favorite players on the team, so it's really upsetting to me that they haven't shown up. Wait! I know! They are just lulling everyone into a false sense of security, then when we least expect it, they'll show up and score a double hat trick!! Brilliant!!
6.) It's a shame the NHL can't come up with a better way to get these two teams to play more. Original 6 match-up, great fans and these are two of the better teams in the NHL. Somethings got to be done. I don't know where I read it, but someone suggested an Original 6 round robin of sorts. I'd love to see that. One team gets the Original 6 trophy every 2 years of so. That was some damn good hockey.
7.) Ding ding ding. We had our first fight of the season! It wasn't anything to write home about. I appreciate Campbell trying to kick some life into the B's as they were zombie-esque in the early going. I'll really get excited once the Dude drops the mitts. Any chance he chokeslams someone through the ice?
8.) Power play. Yes, they have only scored once. Yes, that was the first power play of the season. I'm not saying I'm happy with the production, but anyone watching HAS to admit this looks better. If they keep playing like this on the power play the puck has to start going in. They are moving the puck a lot faster, they don't have Kaberle, and they aren't standing still. I guess I'm just a glass half full kind of guy.
Next up: REMATCH against the Carolina Hurricanes (2-2-1 5pts)
8 Golden Points:
1.) Seguin is making a strong case to remain part of the top line even when Krejci returns. Do I actually think this will happen? As of right now, no. But if Krejci returns and that line continues to struggle, Seguin has shown that he's more than capable of being the #1 center. Another strong game from the young man, assisting on the game tying score and netting the only goal in the shootout. [Kessel is having a nice start to the year as well]
2.) Timmy friggin' Thomas. There isn't any Cup hangover with this guy (27 saves). I think Edwards was trying to get Shane "Sheriff" Hnidy's attention at one point, calling Thomas a "thief" (at least all of Chicago didn't call 911). Who thinks Thomas should incorporate the Dikembe Mutombo "not in my house" finger gesture in his repertoire? I also love how after he makes an insane save they go to a close up of his face and he's just got this "yeah...that just happened" smirk on his face.
3.) As Joe Haggerty tweeted (@HackswithHaggs), Boychuk played like a "boss" the other night (1 A, 6 hits). That was one of the best games I've seen Boychuk play, if not the best. He was blocking shots, playing good defense, and did 99% of the work on Horton's goal. Maybe Boychuk should Occupy Horton's Locker to get that 1% to work harder.
4.) Peverley almost dropped about 8 spokes in my book. Luckily they won, so only 7.5. He found himself on a WIDE OPEN break away in OT. You have been named alternate captain of the defending Stanley Cup champions... in a "very close to a must" win game... OT.... you deked Crawford out of his onesie... and MISSED!! <insert curse word>
5.) Lucic and Horton, are you guys awake? I know you scored, Horton, but that is the ONLY time I noticed you. Plus didn't you read my 3rd point, Boychuk did all the work. These are two of my favorite players on the team, so it's really upsetting to me that they haven't shown up. Wait! I know! They are just lulling everyone into a false sense of security, then when we least expect it, they'll show up and score a double hat trick!! Brilliant!!
6.) It's a shame the NHL can't come up with a better way to get these two teams to play more. Original 6 match-up, great fans and these are two of the better teams in the NHL. Somethings got to be done. I don't know where I read it, but someone suggested an Original 6 round robin of sorts. I'd love to see that. One team gets the Original 6 trophy every 2 years of so. That was some damn good hockey.
7.) Ding ding ding. We had our first fight of the season! It wasn't anything to write home about. I appreciate Campbell trying to kick some life into the B's as they were zombie-esque in the early going. I'll really get excited once the Dude drops the mitts. Any chance he chokeslams someone through the ice?
8.) Power play. Yes, they have only scored once. Yes, that was the first power play of the season. I'm not saying I'm happy with the production, but anyone watching HAS to admit this looks better. If they keep playing like this on the power play the puck has to start going in. They are moving the puck a lot faster, they don't have Kaberle, and they aren't standing still. I guess I'm just a glass half full kind of guy.
Next up: REMATCH against the Carolina Hurricanes (2-2-1 5pts)
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