catching up with the bruins

What's it like to be a Bruins fan while living in Montreal? Well, it's busy.

I've been taking French classes (C'est bon, mais un peu difficile) and taking on a few more freelance writing gigs. Between the two - and a dash of a little thing I call "life" - I've been following the B's, but not posting much.

Added to that, the Bruins are in a very strange pocket of the schedule, which saw them playing last sunday against the Devils, but not playing again until this coming Saturday.

All of this to simply explain the silence on the Black White and Gold. But here's what's been happening:

The Bruins went one-and-one during weekend matinees a few weeks ago, one-and-one the following weekend (repeatedly blowing leads against the Penguins in the second game), and sprinkled in between, some wins and losses. They are basically playing ramshackle, .500 hockey, but have been so inconsistent, it's difficult to know what club we will see in the post-season.

This past weekend, the Bruins were able to convincingly win against the surging New Jersey Devils, in one of the better games I've seen the Broons play in recent memory. The Bruins' best players were actually their best players, and the whole team played that relentless-forecheck game that I've been praising for about half a season now.

Added to this was the goaltender battle between Tim Thomas and Martin Brodeur (who has looked okay lately, I guess, coming back from an injury and posting several wins, a couple of shutouts and breaking the record for most wins by any goalie in history). However, on Sunday, he was bested by the guy that nobody thought could be a starter in the NHL. He looked lucky sometimes, but as they adage goes - you have to be good, to be lucky.

This last game was a major test for the Bruins. Jersey are second in the Conference, and have enough momentum that they could end up in the hunt for the President's Trophy, if other teams oblige. However, the Bruins played the Devils hard, largely neutralizing Elias, Langenbruner and minimizing the impact that Brodeur could have on the game. It was the first game in at least two months where I've seen the B's play the full 60-minutes at top speed.

With the Bruins enjoying a six day break (longer than any vacation I took for at least 10 years, for which I blame someone...mostly me), it remains to be seen how sharp they will be on the flip side. However, given how well they played when it mattered, against a team that should be taken seriously, I look forward to Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs.

Which, as always, I recognize could be words I learn to regret.

bruins lose 4th straight game

While the Bruins may be sitting atop the League in points, and may have only registered 11 regulation-time losses all season, the fact remains that they have lost four straight games, most recently, last night to Nashville.

As previously posted, I missed the game against Philly, but watched the Sharks come back to win, and watched highlights of the 1-0 loss to New Jersey and the 3-2 loss to Nashville. I find it is hard to really assess how dire the situation is, frankly. All four of these teams are either at the top of their game (SJ or NJ) or on a bit of a run recently (Philly is streaky and Nashville are starting to put it together). Is there shame in being beaten by these clubs?

I don’t know if that is even the right question to ask.

A few weeks ago, I was posting about how the Bruins were winning games – sometimes against clubs at the top of their division, sometimes against clubs outside the playoff picture – without really deserving the win. A lucky bounce, a phenomenal save (or ten) at just the right time, or a particularly soft goalie on any given night became the difference maker for a Bruins club that really was not playing that well. Sloppy passes, poor execution, scrambly play, lackluster defensive coverage, etc., were the norm.

For several games in a row I pointed out how the B’s were scored on inside the first or last minutes of a period (sometimes both!), or how they had consistently coughed up the first goal of the game for weeks on end.

None of this seemed to matter in Bruins Nation, beyond being quietly disconcerting, because the Bruins were still winning. In fact, they had a spectacular record despite the above statistics.

But now the season has come into the home stretch. Most clubs have less than 30 games remaining, and are ramping up, as the Bruins are beginning to show some weaknesses. By losing by a single goal against Nashville, New Jersey and Philadelphia, the B’s have shown that they are competing on par with their adversaries in each game – but the difference of one goal IS that first-goal-against, or goal in the last minute of a period.

In a reversal of fortunes, in last night’s game, the Bruins erased a two goal deficit against the Predators, and were able to score the tying goal inside the final 2 minutes of the game. I would like to think that this latest run of losses, coupled with the fight-til-the-end attitude shown in last night’s match, are enough to jumpstart the Bruins out of their recent complacency.

However, for a team that was recently 15 points ahead of everyone in the League, boasting the numbers that they do, the B’s should not require any jumpstart at all.

What will it take to be reassured that this Bruins team is playing to its potential and will make appropriate noise when the post-season rolls around?

It starts with some wins.

bruins 3 - devils 4 (OT)

I was out for the early part of the evening, enjoying Johnny Walkers in a local watering hole (sadly, surrounded by Habs fans; happily, watching their club lose), and returned home only to see the 3rd period of tonight's Bruins game against the Devils, streaming online.

When I tuned in the B's were down 2-0, but came out flying in the 3rd period, showing the consistent speed and forechecking that has been missing from their game in recent weeks. Within five minutes Chuck Kobasew used his pace to capitalize upon a Scott Clemmensen turnover behind the net and, while bungling his wraparound attempt, was still able to get the Bruins first goal of the game.

The Bruins used that momentum to keep up the attack, and around the 7-minute mark Phil Kessel - back tonight after missing games with mono (these guys are kids, remember) - fed a puck from behind the net to Marc Savard at the right post. Savard buried it five hole and the game was suddenly tied.

A few minutes later, Devils forward Michael Rupp drew an interference call against Savard, and on the ensuing powerplay Dennis Wideman's point-shot found its way through the crowd to bulge the twine behind Clemmensen.

Oh, how everything is great at this point! It's raining amber beer and the two feet of snow outside has been replaced by fluffy white sand! Joy! What could possibly go wrong?

Needless to say, the Bruins were not able to hold the lead. While I only saw the third period, Tim Thomas looked to be fighting the puck on every shot and dump in, and his rebound control seemed out of whack. With only 1.45 left in the game, the Bruins let Patrik Elias drive the net and tie it up, and the game went to overtime.

In OT the Bruins kept up their attack, but unfortunately, as also happened in the third period, the defensive part of the Bruins' game did not match their offensive efforts. Just over a minute into the extra frame, Colin White put a slapshot on net, and Jamie Langenbrunner spun the rebound past a prone Thomas. Devils win it in OT.

I'm not really sure what to make of what I saw. In one sense, the Bruins stormed back against a stingy defensive club, potting three fast goals, and showing their dominance with the puck. They got the home crowd riled. They connected fast one-touch passes and broke out of their zone with confidence and speed.

In another sense they ended up losing a game that they had in hand with only a minute left. And I guess we shall see what Coach Julien has to say about it all (updates to come!)

Of Note: The Bruins again gave up the first goal in the game. Phil Kessel returned and looked solid. Milan Lucic played a far better game than he had against Washington and is hopefully returning to form.

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!