bruins 5 - penguins 2

The Bruins took on the Penguins last night, looking for their ninth straight win. Crosby and company have been on a bit of a skid of late, but of course, boasting the assets that the Penguins do, they are never far from turning a losing record around.

In fact, the Penguins got on the board first, with Sykora beating Tim Thomas on a rebound. In the second period, Zdeno Chara pinched from the blue line and tipped home the tying goal, and a few minutes later Marc Savard potted a highlight reel wrist shot over Marc-Andre Fleury.

Dupuis tied it up for the Penguins, but that would be all they could muster against the Black, White and Gold. The Bruins went on to take the lead 30 seconds later on a shot from Phil Kessel, and scored two more unanswered goals (including a short-handed goal from Martin St-Pierre, his first in the NHL).

Of Note: The Bruins have a firm grip on first place in the Eastern Conference and are tied with the Sharks for first overall; the Bruins play Pittsburgh again on New Year's Day.

Happy New Year to all the loyal (and not so loyal) readers of Black, White and Gold. I hope 2009 brings you health, happiness, and one giant silver cup we can all call our own.

bruins 2 - thrashers 1

Manny Fernandez got the start against the Thrashers last night, and once again, the goaltender kept the Black, White and Gold in the game.

The Bruins were largely outpaced for most of the match, and probably didn't deserve the win. It was one of those games where the goalie kept making miracles happen, and / or the Thrasher forwards had weird bounces or unlucky deflectiions spoil their chances to pot a few. In short, the game could have gone either way.

In these sorts of games, I always think about what the result would be if the B's were playing a more formidable foe. For instance, would a Shark or Red Wing forward have capitalized on chances that a Thrasher forward missed?

The argument is moot, of course, given that the Bruins have beaten the Red Wings this season and have yet to play the Sharks, and also that the Bruins may slightly change their game against the Sharks when they finally play them (and let's hope it is in the Finals).

For last night's game, the Bruins saw goals scored by Phil Kessel (perhaps beginning his next 18-game point streak?) and the winner deflected home by Michael Ryder on a pass from David Krejci.

As an aside to all those Canadiens fans who gave me grief about the Bruins signing Michael Ryder in the off-season to a $4 million contract, or to any of the Bruins faithful who felt that Glen Murray would have done a comparable job if he was retained through this year, I point out one statistic: Ryder now leads the league in game-winning goals with 7 tallies, and more importantly, he's a Plus 15.

Not that you can break down a team by their statistics, but a few others jump out at me about this Bruins squad.

They currently retain the top Four of Five leaders in Plus / Minus (Savard, Wideman, Wheeler, Krejci) and with Lucic and Kessel, the Bruins have 6 Plus / Minus leaders in the Top Ten.

The Bruins also boast both goalies in the League's Top Five for goals-against-average.

Final statistic to ponder on this Sunday afternoon: The Bruins come through December with their second consecutive 11-win month.

So much for the December skid that I've been predicting since September. I am very pleased to be wrong.

bruins 4 - hurricanes 2

The Bruins ended the holiday break with another game against their Conference rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite being heavily out-played in the second period (where the shot totals through two periods amounted to 25-12) the Bruins were able to withstand the Hurricane(s) and pull out a win.

Blake Wheeler had two goals, Michael Ryder had one, and Chuck Kobasew added an empty net goal to seal the win. Tim Thomas got the victory in nets, proving that the B's have a legitimate One A-One B goaltending tandem.

With the win, the Bruins pull themselves to within 2 points of the league-leading San Jose Sharks, who seem to get all the attention this year.

Of Note: The Bruins play litmus-test-rivals the Atlanta Thrashers tonight; with last night's win, David Krejci's point streak extends to seven games; the win was the Bruins' seventh-straight over the Hurricanes.

bruins 2 - devils 0

Tim Thomas was his flappy but unflappable self in a shut0ut win against the Devils last night. The goaltending battle was impressive, as Scott Clemmensen continues his (some would say) unexpectedly strong performance in the wake of Martin Brodeur's injury, and Tim Thomas again showed why he's among the league's leading goaltenders.

Milan Lucic got the winning goal in the third period and some breathing room was provided by David Krejci, who potted an empty net goal.

Phil Kessel's point streak officially came to an end at 18 games, meaning he'll just have to score in the next 20 games to tie Adam Oates' record. You wanna get on that, Phil?

With this impressive, hard-fought win the Bruins have given a little present to every B's fan out there, each of whom has struggled in their own way through years of under-acheivement or tough-breaks.

They come from a far off land and brought gifts of Black, White and Gold (none of this Myrhh business), and we're wise men for accepting it!

Happy Holidays to my readers. Thanks for your continued support.

Go B's Go!

bruins 6 - st. louis 3

The Bruins rolled into St. Louis last night and rolled right over the Blues.

The match was hard-fought, and saw the Blues tying it at 2-2, and 3-3 before the Bruins finally broke it open in the third period. The difference could be the result of the Bruins' years of incompetance / draft picks finally coming to fruition. Which is to say, given another couple of years, the Blues may be as competitive as the Bruins this season -- all the key elements are there.

Blake Wheeler had an impressive night, scoring twice in the first 5 minutes (one, a highlight-of-the-season thus far, where he stickhandled through four Blues players to score shorthanded), and David Krejci continued his impressive play with three assists on the night.

Michael Ryder scored the go-ahead goal on a beautiful cross-ice pass from Axelsson, and Dennis Wideman and Marc Savard rounded out the scoring for the Black, White and Gold.

With the win, Manny Fernandez improves to 11-1-1, giving Coach Julien good reason to keep returning The MF to the nets instead of Tim Thomas. We Bruins faithful hope that when Thomas does get another start he continues his dominant play from earlier this season. The ideal situation would be two strong goaltenders pushing each other toward excellence (think 1989-90 Bruins, with the Reggie Lemelin and Andy Moog combo), rather than consuming each other like distinct cancers (think 2007-8 Senators with Ray Emery and Martin Gerber).

Of Note: Phil Kessel's point streak is now at 18 games; Patrice Bergeron's outlook after receiving another concussion this weekend looks better than expected, and the Bruins' training staff is optimistic; the Bruins are off to their best start since the 1929-30 seaon.

the 1983 bruins

With the Bruins last win over the Hurricanes, they surpassed their 1983 home win record of 11 games. I thought, for fun (also, betting purposes) it might be interesting to take a look at that 1983 Bruins team, to see if there are similarities with the 2008-9 Bruins squad.

The 1983 Bruins competed in the Wales Conference in a league featuring 21 teams (man, the good old days), and finished the year with 110 points in 80 games.

There were still three Original Six players left in the league, who all retired at season's end, but Wayne Cashman, by reaching the Wales Conference Finals, became the last Original Six player to play. For a guy who lived so recklessly, his longevity should be respected.

The Bruins met the Nordiques in the first playoff round, winning 3-games to 1, and advanced into a 7-game series with the Sabres. The Bruins won that round, and had the dubious honour to advance against the New York Islanders who were three-cups-deep into their Dynasty. The Islanders won the series against the Bruins (4-games to 2) to advance against the Edmonton Oilers. This was the year that Islanders won 4 straight games against the Oil, stopping Gretzky from scoring a single goal, winning their 4th-straight League Title (a feat no other major professional sports team has repeated, since).

The Bruins highest scorer that year was Barry Pederson, who had 107 points (Pederson would be dealt to Vancouver for Cam Neely). Rick Middleton, Keith Crowder and Peter McNabb would bring in the next three positions (scoring 96, 74 and 74 points respectively) and a young, third year defenseman named Raymond Bourque would round out the top five, scoring 73 points (note that Bourque was still wearing number 7!).

This was a Bruins squad that featured some famous and infamous Bruins -- Terry O'Reilly, Brad Park, Mike Milbury, Pete Peeters, Steve Kasper, as well as Craig MacTavish and (wait for it) Mike O'Connell.

Notably, Larry Melnyk played for the Bruins in 1983 and was traded to Edmonton for the 84 season. He'd play the entire season in the minors, being called up for 6 playoff games with the Oil, and winning the Cup with them. However, his name would not be engraved on the chalice because he did not play enough games with the team -- an honour he would receive after the 1985 season.

What does all this mean? Well, honestly nothing.

But I thought it may provide an interesting framework to evaluate the success of the 2008-9 Bruins, by knowing how a similarly powerful team faired. If the Bruins surpass a 16-game home win streak, then we can have a look at the 1976 Bruins, to see how this team measures up.

bruins 4 - hurricanes 2

Amidst an East-Coast-wide snowstorm yesterday afternoon, the Bruins faced some Hurricanes at home. The B's were hoping to advance an impressive 12-game home-win streak against the hot-and-cold 'Canes, and keep their feet firmly entrenched in the Eastern Conference lead.

The news of the game, however, was the loss of Patrice Bergeron to what looks to be another concussion. Bergeron tried to pick off Dennis Seidenberg coming through the neutral zone, only to have his jaw make contact with Seidenberg's shoulder. Bergeron was down for several minutes before leaving the ice under his own steam (with a little help from his teammates). Doctors are evaluating the damage, and while the injury is not as severe as the one Bergeron experienced last season, it is last season's injury that makes this one so much of a concern.

The rest of the Bruins were in fine form, however, with Phil Kessel extending his point-streak to 17 games -- the longest since Adam Oates' 20-game streak in 1997-98 -- and David Krejci extending his production to 24 points in 14 games.

The game winner came from Shawn Thornton (see image above, from his role as a cop in "Superbad"), who picked off a sloppy Joe Corvo pass behind the Carolina net and walked out front to score short-side. With the win, the Bruins extend their home win streak to 13 games, surpassing the 1983 Bruins' streak of 12 games, and now set their sites on breaking the Bruins 16-game home-win streak of the 1976 season.

Of Note: Manny Fernandez is now 10-1-1 in his last 12 starts; Marco Sturm, who returned to action briefly in the Bruins tilt against the Maple Leafs, has been placed on long-term (ie: 30 day) IR; Patrice Bergeron was walking around and talking to teammates in the intermission between the second- and third-periods, but there is no word yet on his condition.

The Bruins play in St. Louis tonight.

bruins 8 - leafs 5

The Bruins continued their home-win streak last night in a wild affair against their Division rivals, the Maple Leafs.

Over the course of the game, four different goalies took to the nets, causing a revolving door scenario that suggested that a revolving door might have actually been a better choice as Starter.

Vesa Toskala got the hook after two goals on four shots, only to be returned to the nets later in the game when Curtis Joseph proved that as a backup goalie, he's an excellent choice for a front-office position (seriously - CuJo is a great guy, and a phenomenal community benefactor, but he has not looked good in nets in recent years and it's hard to watch).

Tim Thomas got the start for the B's and looked pretty good early on, but after letting the Leafs claw their way back into the game (at one point the Bruins led 5-1 in the second period, but finished the period up only 6-5), Thomas' night ended in the second intermission. Fernandez came out for the third period and shut the Leafs out on 13 shots, allowing the Bruins to put some breathing room into the score.

David Krejci had his first career hat-trick, making a case that he stay with "the big team" and not be sent back to Providence this year. Phil Kessel extended his (NHL-leading) point-streak to 16 games, tying Bruins great (and fellow number 16) Rick "Nifty" Middleton's record in the 1983-84 season. The Bruins home-win streak improves to 12 games. Marc Savard had a 4-point night, helping me in my hockey pool.

bruins 4 - thrashers 2

The Bruins completed their home-and-home stand against the Thrashers last night, in front of a surprising loud and populous TD Banknorth Centre.

Michael Ryder had two goals and Phil Kessel extended his league-best point streak to 15 games in the victory.

Manny Fernandez got the start (winning his 8th straight and improving to 9-2-1) as the Bruins enjoyed their 11th consecutive home win.

Phil Kessel's emergence as a bona fide offensive threat has begun to get the attention of the sports media as well as the opposition. While it's good to see Kessel get the credit he deserves, there's a down side as well: Thrashers defender Boris Valabik got his stick into Kessel's face, cross-checking and highsticking the young sniper. Zdeno Chara rushed to Kessel's defense, scrapping with Valabik and drawing 17 minutes in penalties.
It seems to me that Kessel's emergence has happened directly after being benched by Claude Julien in last year's playoffs. After riding the pine for two games, he's played with more grit and determination in every game.

After the game, Coach Julien had this to say of Kessel's emergence

And the key word is that it’s always been about confidence. But right now he’s got the confidence in the offensive zone and creating some good scoring chances. And he’s doing a great job at scoring goals. You know, the way he’s scoring them and tonight was one of those (nights). He took a shot and the rebound came right back at him and he shot again. He stood there and got rewarded for it. He’s been hot with the stick and definitely something that we’ve been looking for, for a long time -- somebody who can be a threat every night.

The Bruins do not play again until Thursday, earning some well-deserved rest.

bruins 7 - thrashers 3

Long time readers of Black-White-and-Gold will know that I use the Thrashers as a sort of litmus test for how the Bruins are actually playing. Traditionally a middling team (at the best of times) Atlanta still holds the upper hand, as the Bruins were still 1-4-0 in their previous 5 meetings against the Thrashers (the single win coming early this year).

Last night's game opened a home-and-home series (continuing tonight) and the Bruins came out flying, scoring 4 times on their first 5 shots. Zdeno Chara opened the scoring with a ridiculous wrap-around (the advantage of being 6'9"), and later had a fight in a strong performance.

Phil Kessel, despite being run into the glass from behind by Joey Crabb (leading to a two-, five- and game misconduct penalties), extended his point-streak to 14 games with a goal and two assists. This kind of production helps the Bruins, but more importantly, helps me in my hockey pool. Which I know readers will care about.

Mark Stuart had two-goals from the back-end and Michael Ryder potted an amazing top-shelf snap shot, while Tim Thomas held the Bruins in the game despite the dangers of offensive threats like Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyecheslav Koslov.

On the worrying side of things, Aaron Ward returned from injury, only to leave the game in the first period. Petteri Nokelainen also left the game in the first, and also did not return.

The Bruins complete the home-and-home series tonight, in Boston.

capitals 3 - bruins 1

The Bruins rolled into Washington last night to take on the player tandem of Alexander-Ovechkin-and-everybody-else. Manny Fernandez got the start and played a decent game for the B's, but his counterpart at the other end of the ice, Brent Johnson, put on a goaltending clinic that few in the league could parallel.

In a 33-save performance, Johnson robbed players with point blank shots, breakaways, post-side-tips and screened point shots. He was, simply, spectacular.

The Bruins trailed 2-0 heading into the third before Phil Kessel set up Milan Lucic at the far post. It was as close as the Bruins could get, battling until the final moments, when Washington potted an empty net goal.

The loss breaks the Bruins 5-game win streak. They have won 14 of their last 16 games and this is their first loss in December.

Of Note: Phil Kessel's point streak continues to 13 straight games, the longest point-per-game-streak in the league, presently; The Bruins retain first place in the Eastern Conference.

bruins 5 - lightning 3

Winter has officially descended on Montreal. The temperature fell to minus 15 yesterday, shocking our systems and encasing the city in ice. Today the snow has continued unabated since beginning in the wee hours, long before the sun emerged to flow diffuse light through the brittle air. We wake up and alternate between appreciating the wonder and beauty of the snow, and hating every moment it dictates in its dominion over our lives.

This is the time of year when hearty Canadians bundle up, pull on multiple layers, and unleash an endless stream of merciless profanity for six straight months, as we dream of cities with perennial warmth and sun.

And so, the Bruins continued their road trip through Florida last night, with another game against Tampa Bay.

Tim Thomas got the start against Rick Tochet's recently-inherited club, who are entrenched in lacklustre performance, despite an embarrassment of on-ice talents. The Bruins took a 3-0 lead into the third period before the Lightning began making the game interesting. 4-1 became 4-2, and with 17 seconds left, the Lightning scored again, making it a one-goal game (before Axelsson's empty netter).

In so doing, the Lightning nearly toppled the B's (and their critics), coming from behind and showing more tenacity than most expect from them.

However, the Bruins insulated themselves against this come back by continuing their strong play. Milan Lucic made his presence felt early, forechecking and hitting everything he could, before potting a goal.

The real story of this game, as has been the case in recent weeks, was Phil Kessel. He has obviously emerged as a go-to guy, with his 12 game point streak continuing last night with a goal, but he's also displaying a wider variety of skills than we've seen from him. He's still a threat with his speed, but his footwork, ability with the puck, and just plain-old trickiness are opening the eyes (and defensive systems) of teams across the league.

The Bruins will board planes and head back East while this snowstorm continues, emerging into a landscape that more strongly suggests Hockey Season. However, despite the warmer environs, it is important that the B's were able to capture as many points as were available from their sunbelt roadtrip.

They are now in 2nd Place Overall in the League.

bruins 4 - panthers 0

The Bruins came out swinging in their tilt against the Panthers last night. Manny Fernandez got the start in nets facing down a resurgent Craig Anderson, but despite any angles that would suggest this being a tight contest, the Bruins simply rolled over the Florida club.

Phil Kessel extended his point-streak to 11 games, notching a goal, and David Krejci has quietly extended his point-streak to 8 games as the Bruins won this game 4-0.

The two notable storylines in last night's game were around Fernandez, who has been stellar in a sort of One-B role, whose shutout marks his seventh consecutive win, and the recurring significance of the Bruins' depth of scoring.

The B's got goals last night from four different scorers, across the top three lines. Blake Wheeler and David Krejci in particular have emerged as legitimate offensive threats, and Phil Kessel has simply not been the same player since being benched by Coach Julien in last year's playoffs. He's been focused and gritty in every game since, and came into this season with a renewed focus. Chuck Kobasew seems to have finally found a home, using his speed to generate opportunities, and Michael Ryder, while still being a streaky goalscorer, has been playing with a tenacity that produces turnovers -- a tenacity he was missing last year with the Habs -- meaning that even in games where he is not producing points he's having an impact.

Florida Coach Peter DeBoer:
"We were overmatched. We would have needed everything to go right and we didn't get it. They took advantage of our roster and dismantled us fairly easily. We could have been out there for three days and still not scored."

Of Note: The Bruins welcomed back Dennis Wideman last night. Patrice Bergeron drove the net, but unfortunately slid into, and injured, Craig Anderson who had to be replaced by Tomas Vokoun. The Bruins improve to 17-4-4 -- going 16-2-1 over their last 19 games -- good enough for 1st Place in the Eastern Conference.

bruins 3 - lightning 1

Despite getting scored on about 80 seconds into the game (a disturbing trend in recent weeks, I've found), the Bruins were able to rely on stellar goaltending (surprise!) to come from behind and win their first game of December.

Tim Thomas made an unbelievable save in the final seconds of the first period, and a diving save from post-to-post in the first minute of the second period to keep the game close. From there, the Bruins' scoring depth lead the come back. Marc Savard threaded an unreeeeal pass through a defenders' legs to Phil Kessel in the slot, and the score was tied.

Shane Hnidy drew a minor penalty, but on the penalty-kill Blake Wheeler anticipated a D-to-D pass attempt, and lobbed a pass up to a streaking David Krejci. Krejci executed what has to be one of the most extreme inside-out moves this year, and tucked the puck past (Lightning goalie) Mike Smith, for the lead.

In the final moments, Phil Kessel potted an empty-net goal, and the Bruins rolled on past the Tampa Bay club.

Of Note: The win brings the B's to 17-4-4, tied with the Redwings; Phil Kessel's two goals bring his point-streak to 10 games, which is awesome for the Bruins and great for my standings in the Hockey Pool.

bruins slideshow for november

A little thing I did via Animoto, with images of the Bruins' wins through November. The B's went 11-1-1 during the 11th month.