Bruins Roll Out Two More Wins with Thomas in Nets

The B's have racked up two more wins in their games against New Jersey on Saturday night and Washington, just last night.

For me, the fun part of these wins is how solid the Bruins looked against teams playing radically opposing styles. Against the Devils' stifling defense the Bruins were able to crank out a 4-1 win, and against the Capitals' much-vaunted offense, the B's pushed a tenuous 2-1 lead into a 3-1 win, getting big contributions from Horton, Krejci and Lucic in both games.

Thomas had both starts and looked like the Vezina winner he was a couple of seasons ago. There's a very fine line between being able to react in time to get into position, and looking silly while flopping around, and Thomas' off-season hip surgery seems to have made him more nimble. Pretty critical for a goalie who, despite having a great sense of angles, seems to be a "reaction" style goalie.

Overlooking a blatant giveaway or two, the B's top defensive pairing of Chara and Seidenberg seems to be causing the opposing offense fits, keeping Parise and Zajac off the board on the weekend, and keeping Ovechkin without a point last night.

The Bruins have their home opener against the Capitals on Thursday. Given that the Caps and Bruins were the top-two road teams last season, it should be interesting to see how well the Bruins are able to set themselves up for a win.

I would suspect that Rask will get the start on Thursday, just to keep the goalie rotation going. For Bruins fans, the ideal scenario is that both Rask and Thomas push each other to play at the top of their game.

Let's see what Thursday brings.

The Bruins New Season Begins...in Kafka-esque Fashion

The Bruins' new season began yesterday, and with it, the chance to erase the memories of last year's terrible collapse.

In all honesty, you could say that about nearly every new season for the B's.

But this year, the promise and expectations are pretty high for the Bruins, and most insiders and fans expect them to be a solid contender in the East.

After yesterday's listless and lethargic 5-2 loss to a very quick and determined Coyotes team, the B's looked solid, alright, as solid and mobile as Prague Castle.

Today, however, the Bruins came out with more energy and edge and looked like the team they need to be to find success this year.

A start in net for a white-helmeted Tim Thomas gave the club a different feel than they had yesterday, but the biggest difference was that the Bruins were skating with the Coyotes' players, whereas yesterday they looked at pains to merely keep up.

Today's game was a complete turnaround. The Bruins came out faster than they had yesterday (or in any pre-season game I saw), and pretty much dictated the play through the game.

The result was a 3-0 shutout win for Thomas, featuring a great wrist-shot from (an energized) Milan Lucic, a beeeeautiful breakaway goal by young wunderkind Tyler Seguin (see photo above, just before the Aliens finished designing Seguin).

The B's now have roughly a week to get back to North America and de-Euro-fy themselves, which means no coalition governments or accepting topless women in public.

Of Note: I still don't understand why Danielle Paille is on the Bruins, and the blatant giveaway that led to a goal in yesterday's game just confirms my confusion; very strange to see a number 11 wheeling around on the penalty kill - it's Gregory Campbell wearing number 11, but I will always associate 11 with PJ Axelsson; I really like Tuukka Rask and think he's a great goalie, but I also think Thomas is the better, more reliable goalie (and he's far better handling the puck);

Bruins 3 - Flyers 2 - Bruins Take Two Game Lead in Playoffs

I'm pretty pumped up, having just watched the Bruins beat the Flyers, to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

I didn't really even expect the Bruins to advance past the first round, let alone make a serious dent in the second. So I'm chuffed.

I've said it before, but the Bruins could have lost nearly all of the games they've won in these playoffs. There have been some scary moments, and the B's seem to give up leads with regularity.

But, they are well-coached, they play with a lot of heart, and seem to believe that winning is possible. It's a perpetual underdog perspective that gives the team it's core or meaning.

Everyone seems to buy into the system this year - which is necessary given that isolated mistakes lead to goals-against in the playoffs, such as the giveaway that led to Briere's goal tonight.

However, the win came tonight with 3 minutes remaining, Milan Lucic scoring his first home goal all season. He has had a rough year, but he scored when the team needed him most. The place went crazy.

The win makes the Bruins perfect at home through the playoffs thus far (5-0) - strange since they won the Winter Classic and then lost 10 straight games, winning none at home.

In winning tonight, the B's have successfully retained home-ice advantage and now roll on to Philly on Wednesday. That is a very intimidating rink.

Finally, how lucky are the Bruins that GM Chiarelli brought in Mark Recchi? That guy leads by example and at 42 is still one of the best players on the team.

How Did the Bruins Win Four Straight After Losing Ten in a Row?

After losing 10 straight games, the Bruins have been able to rattle off four consecutive wins and have jumped into 7th spot in the Eastern Conference (ahead of the Habs!) coming into the Olympic break.

In the previous 5 games, the Bruins went up 2-0 in every game, barely holding on for wins in the last four. A couple of nights ago, they held a 5-0 lead on Tampa Bay going into the 3rd period, only to barely hold on in the dying seconds for a 5-4 win.

So why have the Bruins been winning games?

Because:

• As poor (not financially) Tim Thomas warms a groove into the bench, Tuukka Rask has had 6 straight starts, looking sharp in all of them. Rask's record is 13 wins and 7 losses, with a 2.09 GAA, which is 2nd in the league. He's weird looking, too thin, gangly and has a name like a Star Wars bounty hunter, but you gotta go with the hot hand.
  
  
• The Bruins secondary forwards have finally stopped expecting the top forwards to provide all the offense. Guys like Ryder, Recchi, Krejci and Paille have started putting pucks away, and taken the pressure off of Savard and Lucic as they come back from injuries.
  
  
• Savard and Lucic have come back from injuries! Marc Savard's numbers are modest this year compared to his previous few, and Milan Lucic is still an emerging power forward, but these two players strengthen the Bruins by making other players around them better.
  
  Having them back in the lineup and in game shape gives the B's more offensive firepower and frees up guys like Krejci and Bergeron, who other teams had been keying on.
  
  
• Patrice Bergeron has had a great year so far, entering into some sort of Yzerman Zone of offensive gifts and defensive responsibility. He's been the first to pucks, setting guys up, lifting sticks - doing tons of subtle little things every shift that can change a game. I hope he has a great Olympics!
  
  
• Finally, GM Peter Chiarelli hasn't done anything stupid, like pull the trigger on a 'blockbuster' trade to save the season. The Bruins are young enough and talented enough that they could continue to develop into a juggernaut in the coming years. Many in Bruins Nation believe that this year is an aberration and that it is better to maintain a longer view of this team.

Now the Bruins enter into the two-or-so weeks of the Olympic Break, while many of the team's best players fly to Vancouver to play with their respective countries. Hopefully the 4-game win streak and 2-week pause has the team returning to the ice feeling good, and the winning ways will continue.

The B's will have to keep twinning if they expect to make the playoffs. At this point any team could get hot and jump from 12th to 7th in four short games.

Of Note: A sidebar on Tim Thomas: I hope he goes to the Olympics and looks amaaaazing - not against Canada, of course - and comes back to the B's looking renewed and solid for the stretch run. I don't get the sense the Bruins organization wants to bail on Thomas, but he needs to step it up if he's going to actually be the Number 1 goalie he's spent his life fighting to become.

Bruins Add Whoa to their Woes

I've been really busy lately, and after long days in front of a computer, I've been less than willing to also spend my nights in front of the laptop watch the Bruins lose.

Which feels harsh to say, but it is the reality. The B's have 1 win in their last 7 games, and have blown leads in at least 3 of those games. They've looked terrible.

Experience has taught me that the Bruins usually go on a foul losing streak through January (last year being a notable exception), however, despite my efforts, I could not find any month-by-month tally of the Bruins record through the years to corroborate this. Which is just to say, I just don't have access to a year-by-year, month-by-month spreadsheet for these guys to show you what the real numbers are. But rest assured, even their best seasons are mired in the January blues.

Slides like this are what cost Claude Julien his job in New Jersey and Montreal - unexplained skids that are out of keeping with the level of talent on the team. The Bruins have injuries to at least 5 key guys, granted, but these losses are complete losses: everyone is to blame, from the Vezina-winning goalie (and his phenom backup), through the Norris-winning defenseman (and his cohorts), to the surprising top-six forwards. They just plain suck.

The B's will have a chance to try to right the ship this afternoon against Ottawa - a team that they were battling with for Division lead just a couple of weeks ago. The Bruins now hold down 7th place in the Conference, but are 2 points out of 11th spot.

If the Bruins are not able to staunch the losses, as fans, we should expect some changes to the lineup. And as Bruins fans we know that these 'changes' can often come with devastating results (bye-bye Joe Thornton).

Let's see what happens this afternoon....

Bruins Losing Players Quicker Than Games

Last night's blown lead and eventual loss to the Blackhawks will cost the Bruins more than just the 2 points, as Marc Savard joined the long list of injured Bruins. Here is a brief recap of who the B's are missing:

Marc Savard: Injured knee in the first minute of last night's game, will undergo MRI tomorrow, and will hopefully only be out of the lineup for 2-3 weeks.

Patrice Bergeron: Broken finger (in three places!), and will miss another 2 weeks if the projected recovery time is correct.

Byron Bitz: Injured back, status unknown (at least by me - I'm sure someone knows. Possibly his doctor, maybe his wife).

Andrew Ference: Was slammed into the boards by Chris Phillips in the B's game against Ottawa, and will miss at least 6 weeks with a groin injury.

Mark Stuart: Broken sternum. I have no idea what the cause of the injury was, but it must have been craaaazy painful. Broken sternum? Damn, girl...

The only positive news for the B's lately is that Milan Lucic made his return from his second extensive injury of the season. But if you look down the list of players, above, you'll notice the Bruins have lost their top three Centres and two Defensemen who eat up a lot of minutes.

I get the feeling the annual January Slide is about to begin.

On the internet, nobody can hear you sighing loudly.

Sigh.

Bruins Need Shootout to Shut Down Senators

Tim Thomas made his first start in nets for the Bruins since mid-November tonight, in his return from The Injury of Mystery (rumoured to be a broken bone in his hand), and he had a solid game - for the most part...

Frustratingly, for this Bruins fan, the otherwise nationally-broadcast Senators and Bruins game was blacked-out in Quebec, and I had to instead sit through the Capitals and Canadiens game. Which, frankly, was like to eating cold dirt in the rain for me.

However, I was able to keep tabs on the B's and Sens game, and was pleased that the Bruins erased a two-goal deficit to tie the game, and then potted another goal to take the lead.

And, of course, I was suitably dismayed that the B's gave up the tying goal in the final minute of the game, especially given the fact that the exact same thing happened in Thomas' last start (on November 14th), against the Penguins.

But that is not what really irks me. What really irks me is that Mark Recchi had two chances at the empty net in the final minute of the game and missed twice. Honestly? Two shots to the wide-right on an open net? Man, that whole 'timely goalscorer' nameplate is showing some rust, no? Presently, Recchi has only 11 points and is -4 on the season. We need him to be better.

At any rate, the Bruins pulled out the win in the shootout, courtesy of Michael Ryder (getting his second goal of the game), and in doing so, took over top spot in the Northeast Division.

A significant development in tonight's game was that the Bruins were able to score three powerplay goals - a considerable improvement over the 0-7 powerplay record in their game against New Jersey, yesterday afternoon.

On the whole, a messy game for the Bruins, especially in the 1st period, but the win (and the points) will help the team as they head into the December stretch.

Of Note: Milan Lucic's injury will keep him out of the lineup for about 4 weeks; Marc Savard is still finding his form, returning from injury; Patrice Bergeron blocked a shot and went down in a heap tonight, but was able to return to the game; The Bruins have now won 5 of their last 6 games and improve to 13-8-5 on the season, thus far.

Bruins Ultimately Tame Wild in Shootout

Tonight's game was one the Bruins had no business winning.

The B's came out hard against the Wild in the 1st period, and then played with less and less steam as the game progressed. They got into penalty trouble in the 2nd, had their offense dry up through the latter 2/3rds of the game, and were forced to rely more and more on their goalie as they limped toward the shootout.

If not for the goaltending heroics of Tuukka Rask, this game would have been out of the Bruins' reach by the midway point of the 2nd period. Despite being outplayed in the opening period, the Wild came out in the 2nd and 3rd periods far more energized than the B's, and as the Wild's offense increased, the Bruins' diminished.

The Bruins stopped shooting the puck, and somehow thought they could still beat All-Star goalie, Nick Backstom, with only 16 shots on net (including overtime). It was very frustrating to watch an endless stream of Bruins forwards try to stick-handle through a maze of defensively-sound Wild players, without letting any shots go.

However, the Bruins were able to hold the Wild to a 1-1 tie, and pushed the game to a shootout, which David Krejci won for the Black, White and Gold. I'm not convinced the Bruins deserved to win this game, but there it is: they did.

Despite my negativity, there were some good things to take away from the Bruins' game tonight. Their passing was crisp, their physical play was (for the most part) up to par, and, as mentioned, their goaltending was outstanding.

But, the game really held more bad than good for the Bruins, even with the win. Most notably, with about 4 minutes left, Milan Lucic was slew-footed at the offensive blue line and collapsed awkwardly, twisting his knee as he fell. He left the game, went to the dressing room (with assistance), and did not return. Other negatives, the Bruins powerplay is still an abomination, and the penalty trouble and low-shot-count were devastating to the B's chances of controlling the game.

Having said all that, the Bruins' 4-game road-trip ends with 4 wins, and they return to Boston with a respectable record (12-8-4) to prepare for their matinee game against the Devils on Friday afternoon.

Let's see which Bruins team turns up against the Devils - the one that dominated the Blues on Monday, or the one that limped to a win against the Wild, tonight.

Bruins Play Wild Tonight

After winning their third-straight game (for the first time this Season) the Bruins continue their road-trip in Minnesota, with a game tonight against the Wild.

The Bruins are coming off a solid performance against the Blues on Monday night, where the B's fought down two comebacks from St-Louis to ultimately add two unanswered goals and win 4-2.

Monday night's game was Marc Savard's first game back from injury, which is obviously a boost to the Bruins offense, but also to my chances in the hockey pool I am currently being slaughtered in.

Milan Lucic continued to return to form, scoring again against St-Louis and creating shockwaves from his relentless hitting, and Patrice Bergeron had assists on every Bruins goal. Man, talk about having an impact.

My hope is that the injuries to Lucic and Savard, and the trials the Bruins faced in their absence in trying to maintain at least a .500 standing, will make the Bruins a better club overall. Perhaps these injuries were a bit of a wake-up call for a team that has high expectations placed upon it, but started the Season rather sluggish.

Tonight should be a good test for the Bruins, and for Tuukka Rask, who is still managing goaltending duties in the wake of Thomas' injury.

Bruins Rattle Sabres - Win In Overtime

The Bruins opened their 4-game road trip with back-to-back games against the Thrashers and Sabres, and were able to get wins in both.

Last night's game against Buffalo saw the Bruins offering a very gritty effort, and showed how the addition of a single player can sometimes open up several offensive options.

Milan Lucic has been hailed as the second coming of Cam Neely since he was first drafted from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, and while there are some similarities, the biggest difference between the two players is that Neely was a regular 50-goal scorer, while Lucic, as of yet, is not. Not even close (17 goals last season, 8 the season before).

However, in just his second game back from injury, Lucic had a major impact on last night's action. His physical presence and solid checking kept the Sabres players honest (and paying attention!), and he also potted the Bruins' tying goal on a great cross-ice feed from Byron Bitz. He was hitting everything that moved, and, being one of the hardest checkers in the league, this offensive weapon brought a physical element that seemed to influence the entire Bruins squad. One player, full-team impact.

In fact, Lucic's style of play seemed to directly bring out the speed and size of linemate Byron Bitz, who has been playing well lately, but seemed to be an entirely different player last night. Maybe he was inspired by Lucic's play, or maybe he just gained more open ice because of Lucic's impact, but the twin-engine attack of Bitz and Lucic generated a lot of chances, balanced the offense, and allowed players like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to use their finesse skills more.

Tuukka Rask got the start in nets, his first back-to-back action in the NHL, and he looked very strong. He has now won 4 of his last 5 starts, and looks comfortable with the increased action. Tim Thomas' injury is still undisclosed, but the Bruins' management maintains it is not serious and he will return to action shortly. Either way, the team must feel comfortable knowing they have solid goaltending in Rask, in the interim.

Patrice Bergeron got the winning goal in overtime, perfectly deflecting a Chara point shot past Ryan Miller. Bergeron is easily the Bruins best all-around player, and it is striking how much of a game-changer he can be while just quietly playing his game. A healthy Bergeron equals a stronger Bruins club.

Coach Julien was positive in his post game comments, talking about the Bruins strong effort - especially through the 2nd Period - and the importance, going forward, of remembering the effort that was needed to get these two wins. Hopefully, these wins, and the return of a few key players from injury, will help the Bruins re-gain a piece of last season's form as we head toward the pivotal, pre-Christmas, stretch of the season.

The Bruins' road trip continues to St-Louis, to play the Blues on Monday.

All You Need Is Looch - Bruins Beat Thrashers

The Bruins would celebrate the return of Milan Lucic (out several games with a broken finger) with a win over the Thrashers, last night in Atlanta.

And while "Looch" didn't figure prominently on the game sheet, his arrival, and the immanent return of Marc Savard, offer some promise that help is on the way for a Bruins team that has struggled to maintain its .500-or-better standing.

However, this is a Bruins club that needs some help: their powerplay is ranked last in the league, and they've developed a disturbing habit of gaining a lead in the final minutes of the 3rd period, only to surrender it again in the final moments of the game. It happened against Pittsburgh (with 0.3 seconds on the clock) and it happened last night against Atlanta, who called a timeout and then scored with the extra attacker with 47 seconds left.

The Bruins' eventual win in the shootout is great - great! - but should not cover this troubling trend of coughing up sure wins in the final moments.

Last season, the B's had a far better record at this point in the season, but they spent half the year only playing hard in the 2nd and 3rd periods, often going into the first intermission down a couple of goals. They created pressure on themselves and then had to fight back to win games. For a while this worked great, but as other teams found their footing around Christmas, the Bruins began losing games by the margins they'd surrendered in the 1st period. I fear this year's end-of-game breakdowns may have a similar, negative, effect on the Bruins' season.

If the B's are able to find a way to close out these games when they've gained late-leads, they'll be in far stronger shape down the line (and into the playoffs) when close games matter most.

This trend of letting teams back into games can have disastrous results (just ask the Devils, after their playoff series against the Hurricanes last year), and needs to be high on the list of issues to address for the Bruins.

Hopefully, this important lesson was learned last night, when a loss was narrowly averted by Patrice Bergeron's unbelievable shootout move, and gets carried by the Bruins into tonight's game against the Sabres.

Because "playing a 60-minute-game" may be a hockey cliche, but it is a lesser cliche than another Bruins team that is really good, but yet still not good enough.

For Bruins, Frustrations & Losses Mount

Unless you've only been a Bruins fan for a single season (in which case, let me be the first to tell you that there are far more robust bandwagons to hop on), you'll know that a big part of being a Bruins fan is negotiating the frustrations that come along with the job.

In my lifetime, the Bruins have not won a single Stanley Cup, despite making the Finals 5 times. Equally frustrating, they've also missed the playoffs 5 times. Hence, the radical dichotomy that exists inside all B's fans.

Witness the last two games for the Bruins as examples:

Against Florida on Thursday, the Bruins peppered Tomas Vokoun with 40-something shots, extensively outplayed the Panthers, received great goaltending from Tim Thomas, yet ended up in a 1-0 loss.

Last night against the Penguins, the Bruins were down 2-0, battled back into the game, exchanging goals with Crosby & Co., and ended up taking the lead with a little over a minute left in the match. However, the Bruins were unable to shut the Penguins down, and gave up the tying goal with 0.3 seconds left (less than a second from victory), ultimately losing in overtime.

It has been that kind of season thus far for the Bruins and the Bruins faithful. The Bruins scoring touch may have returned against the Pens, but the result was still a loss. The offense may have been going on all cylinders against the Panthers, but the result, again, was still a loss. Marc Savard and Milan Lucic may have resumed practices with the Bruins, but the results, for now, are more losses.

The most frustrating part, of course, is that the Bruins have basically looked pretty good in these games. They are playing well, and just haven't been getting the wins. While that may be some comfort to B's fans, generally speaking, teams are not given access to the post-season because they've almost won games.

With the season one-quarter over the Bruins need to find those small differences that make close games into wins. It is what they were able to do last year, and those small differences are what ultimately wins games in the playoffs.

Until then, Bruins fans are stuck pondering the what-ifs - the same way we did in the years we only made the finals, or missed the playoffs entirely.

Bruins Shut Out Stanley Cup Champion Penguins

The Bruins rolled out their black retro sweaters and took on the defending Stanley Cup champions tonight in Boston, shutting out Sydney and company, 3-0.

Tim Thomas got the start in nets, and backstopped the Bruins to their most complete game of the season.

From the first face-off, through the final moments of the game where they were down 6 players to 4 (on the penalty-kill with the Penguins' goalie on the bench for the extra attacker), the Bruins kept their intensity up and played the up-tempo-defensive system that brought them so much success last season. Matt Hunwick, Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron got the goals for the Bruins.

The difference between tonight's game and the game against, say, the Red Wings last week, was remarkable. Tonight it seemed like the Bruins had adapted to life without Savard, Lucic and Kessel (two injuries and a trade respectively), and had begun to find a bit of chemistry on their lines.

David Krejci returned from battling Swine Flu and looked good throughout the game. Michael Ryder did not register a goal but caused a lot of havoc, and both Chara and Morris were effective at shutting down the Penguin forwards.

While I recognize that the Pens were without a few key players (most notably Malkin and Gonchar), tonight's game was fairly evenly fought, and there were chances at either end of the ice. The 3-0 score had less to do with the play of the Penguins (and nothing to do with how Marc-Andre Fleury played) and more to do with how the Bruins kept attacking the Pens in waves.

Frankly, it was good to see, and an indication of the full potential of this team which we've only seen in brief glimpses so far, this season.

Of Note: Raymond Bourque was in attendance tonight, as his son Chris was suiting up for the Penguins; Tonight's win marked the first time the Bruins had won 2-straight games this season; Tim Thomas recorded his 14th career shutout, passing Andy Moog for 10th on the Bruins all-time list.

Pre-Season NHL - Bruins 2 - Rangers 1

After spending a part of the afternoon tracking down new P2P sites to watch Bruins' pre-season games online, I realized that the NHL Network (which I get on TV) was carrying tonight's match up between the Bruins and the Rangers. The game was fun, even if I had to listen to the announcers for MSG's TV station.

Pre-season games are, of course, ridiculous. The veterans in the club haven't quite shaken off the summer rust, and the billions of kids fighting for roster spots are often out of position, out of sync, and sometimes, out of their depth.

However, tonight's game provided a good opportunity to see some of the less-heralded Bruins, and get a sense of what they can bring. Some highlights included...

Bruins' goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask, who held a shutout until halfway through the 3rd period and looked solid through the game. Rask is trying to play himself into the backup role behind Vezina-winner Tim Thomas, and, pre-season or not, Rask looked completely NHL-ready.

Marco Sturm: It was really good to see Marco Sturm back. Sturm missed nearly all of last season, but looked solid on the right wing tonight, showing the kids what kind of passing some veteran vision can provide.

Johnny Boychuk was paired up with Chara tonight, and outplayed him, in my opinion. Whether Boychuk makes the big squad this year remains to be seen, but he was a physical presence in the game, and generally speaking made smart reads.

Milan Lucic has openly discussed that he's trying to play himself onto the 2010 Team Canada squad, and he clearly took the ice with this goal in mind. He was his usual physical self, but also reminded everyone of his magic mitts, sending a great pass into the shallow slot for Max Sauve's goal. Despite this goal, Sauve is not listed on the Bruins' roster on BostonBruins.com.

Finally, Zach Hamill had the opening goal tonight and looked pretty solid throughout the game. He's been on the cusp of making the Bruins club for a couple of years now, but always ends up back in Providence. Perhaps the shakeup around the whole Kessel situation will bring about a roster spot for Hamill.

Some underwhelming players tonight: Chuck Kobasew - who is no replacement for PJ Axelsson, Brad Marchand - who may just be a kid, but has proven through Team Canada just how influential he can be in a game, and Jamie Arniel - who played okay, but seemed to disappear at points.

Still, for a game without most of the Bruins high-powered players (Savard, Kessel, Krejci, Bergeron, Ryder, etc.) I was pleased with the effort, and pleased with the win.

Mostly, though, I was just pleased to be watching the Bruins again.

bruins eliminated in game seven, overtime

The Bruins came back from a 3 - 1 series deficit, and fought back in tonight's game to force overtime after being down 2-1 , but ultimately, their season is over. The Hurricanes won in OT tonight, 3-2.

The Bruins had chances to win this game, as did the Hurricanes (including a goal-line-and-post roller that Aaron Ward fished away at the last moment), and despite my obvious preference for a Bruins win, I enjoyed this game immensely. The play was fast, chippy, with some stellar goaltending and big hits. Lucic was incredible, Bergeron was unlike any Bergeron I've seen play before, Thomas stood on his head, and Chara was dominant force. Ultimately, it was not enough though, and the B's will clean out their lockers.

I'll write more about the Bruins' season in the next few days - it has been a remarkable year - and I don't have the capacity to do a roundup right now.

The strange thing is that while I am very disappointed, I guess I've been somewhat aware that the Bruins could be put out for awhile (that's what being down 3 - 1 in a Series will do, I guess), so I'm not as frustrated or as upset as I was after, say, Game Four when the B's just didn't show up. I would very much have liked the B's to continue on, but I've understood what odds they were facing for about a week now, and thought they did an amazing job battle back against those odds.

Still - I think this Bruins club opened a lot of eyes in this year's Playoffs. My goal for the team this year was to make the Second Round (thus improving on their accomplishments from last year). To win the First Round in a sweep of Montreal was awesome, and to push the Second Round to a Game Seven overtime is an incredible development for a team that missed three Playoffs in a row, just prior to the last two. This also means that next year, I will expect them to make the Conference Finals.

And planning for that should begin tomorrow. No pressure.

My congrats to a Bruins club that entertained me all year. My condolences on a loss in a game you probably deserved to win.

bruins win 4 - 2 and force game seven!

The Bruins rolled into Game Six and quickly built upon the dominance they showed in Game Five. Within the first 2 minutes, Mark Recchi tipped home a Patrice Bergeron cross-crease pass, and a short while later, with Byron Bitz screening Cam Ward, Steve Montador's point shot found the twine. The Bruins went into the first period intermission up 2 - 0.

Early in the second period, the Hurricanes were able to pot a goal after a crease-front scramble, but the second period proved to be the Bruins' best. They put two more pucks past Cam Ward and entirely controlled the play in the middle frame.

On the 3rd goal, Milan Lucic dangled in from the blue line, past three 'Cane defenders, before finding a wide open Marc Savard with a backhand pass, and on the 4th goal, Patrice Bergeron fed a long, cross-crease pass to Chuck Kobasew, who was able to tip it in past Ward. The second period saw the Bruins at their dynamic best, maintaining control over the puck and their emotions as they brought the game to Carolina. Boston would leave the second period up 4 - 1.

However, the third period proved to be complex. After five-or-so minutes of back and forth hockey, the Bruins ran into penalty trouble and Carolina was able to claw another goal back, bringing the score to 4 - 2. As someone who saw the final game between Carolina and New Jersey, I am pretty well aware of how little traction the 'Canes need to climb over you.

Ultimately, though, Tim Thomas was at his heart-stopping best, getting in front of pucks he really had no business saving, and weathering long stretches where Carolina had Boston pinned in the defensive zone. The B's killed off two penalties in the final ten minutes and were ultimately able to hang on for the win.

Game Seven, back in Boston, is scheduled for Thursday. I cannot tell you how excited I am.

Of Note: Marc Savard left the game in the third period and did not return. He was the victim of a knee-on-knee collision. It is unclear how serious his injury is, or whether it was decided to send him to the showers to prevent further injury, given that the Bruins were up 4 - 1 at the time. Obviously his presence in Game Seven is important; Byron Bitz continued to impress, adding another physical element that Carolina had seen only from Lucic, and making his presence felt down-low, in front of the net, and along the boards; I did not hear Blake Wheeler's name once, which makes me think he was scratched in favour of Shawn Thornton, who also had an effective, gritty game for the Bruins - his development this year has been remarkable; Patrice Bergeron played the best game I have ever seen him play. He was outstanding in all three zones.

bruins lose 3-0 as carolina evens the series

Over the season I've watched different Bruins teams hit the ice. Sometimes the team shows up and dominates (as per Game One), and sometimes they come out really flat. However, the Bruins club we saw tonight was a rarer beast - one that gets outplayed into making mistakes.

Mostly known for their discipline and adherence to Coach Julien's system, the Bruins tonight put themselves into positions for blocked shots, errant passes and giveaways. The giveaways were particularly costly, as Chara's blind cross-blueline pass on the powerplay was picked off and led to a goal against.

It should be noted that the Hurricanes were expecting that pass, I suspect because their coaches told them to, and also that on the Bruins' powerplay in the 3rd period, Chara played down low, screening the goalie - something I've not seen him do since playing in Ottawa. And it's a good plan to place Chara in front of the net, because:

Cam Ward will stop everything he can see.

I know it's tempting to always have a 105 mile an hour slapshot on your point, but if the shots are not getting through, or being easily seen, something has to change for that shot to be successful. Big bodies in front would help.

Incidently, I have been a little underwhelmed with the play of Blake Wheeler, a hulking monster of a kid with great speed. Given that Ward is playing so well, I think the B's should focus on getting more action in front of him, and consider Wheeler and Lucic for the role. If the 'Canes are expecting those D to D passes, and there is a clear line of sight on every shot from the point:

Cam Ward will stop everything he can see.

Too much is made in the media about the battle between Eric Staal and Chara. The bigger battle is between all the Bruins and Cam Ward. Hopefully Game 3 will bring a little bit more intensity from the Bruins, and create more chances for ugly goals down low.

Of note: This is the Bruins' first loss of the playoffs, and ends their home-ice winning streak at 11 games going back to the regular season; the Hurricanes have never lost two playoff games in a row; Mark Stuart had an excellent game, I thought, quietly making smart, tough plays; the photo at top is Thomas making four saves while being pushed into his net - he was not at fault for any of the goals against.

bruins beat hurricanes 4 - 1 and take game one

I've been anxiously waiting for the Second Round to begin for about a week now, and was really pleased that the B's drew the Hurricanes as an opponent. Tonight's game was one where the outcome (for me, at least) was never really in doubt; the Bruins came out strong early and brought their game to the 'Canes in successive waves, and Carolina, still sweaty from their Game 7 upset of the Devils were largely dominated by a fresher Bruins club.

The Hurricanes did their best to get Eric Staal freed up from Zdeno Chara, and primarily relied on Joe Corvo to advance the puck to the forwards. Jussi Jokinen, Sergei Samsonov and (obviously) Cam Ward all had good games for Carolina, but beyond some brief stretches, all seemed over-matched by the Bruins, who looked bigger and faster in most one-on-one battles.

In watching the highlights after the game, I realized that Tim Thomas made at least 4 unbelievable saves, which is enough that the outcome would have been entirely different had he not been playing or been having an off-night. Cam Ward also made a few incredible stops, and was certainly not to blame on any of the Bruins' goals.

Michael Ryder and David Krejci each scored, and Marc Savard had a pair and looked playoff-tested in tonight's match. Ryder's goal was, I think, the back-breaker for Carolina - he picked off a neutral zone pass and skated in with Wheeler on a two-on-one, and snapped it over Ward's left shoulder. This goal allowed Boston to begin tightening the bolts on Carolina, shutting down the neutral zone and forechecking the time away.

On the whole, the club looked fresh and had several stretches where they owned the Hurricanes' offensive zone. If the Bruins are able to continue moving the puck and avoid penalty trouble as well as they did tonight, they will be in good stead to win this Series.

The Bruins and 'Canes will renew their acquaintances on Sunday night at 7.30. Looking forward to that one, too!

bruins sweep canadiens, win tonight's game 4 - 1

Despite again giving up the first goal in tonight's game (and regular readers of this blog will know my feelings about that) the Bruins were able to keep continuous pressure on the Canadiens to come back for the win, and complete the 4-game sweep of their arch-rivals.

Michael Ryder had a monster of a game with two goals and an assist, and looked very committed to personally ending the Habs' season, and Phil Kessel officially put the game away by scoring on a breakaway as his minor penalty ended.

Tim Thomas had another strong outing, which is so commonplace that it is often overlooked on a nightly basis, but he absolutely deserves recognition. The B's would simply not be in the position they are had it not been for Thomas' Vezina-candidate season.

The Canadiens' fans opted to not boo the US National anthem tonight, after a request was broadcast over the PA, but they still chose to boo Carey Price throughout the game. Price eventually threw his arms up and shook his head at the crowd's lack of support, but was left out to dry so many times in tonight's game that only those who know little about hockey would hang the loss on his shoulders. Should he have got the start? I don't know, but it wasn't his decision and he played well, so booing him is ridiculous.

In the end, the Canadiens simply did not have enough in the tank to take on the Bruins in the playoffs (or all regular season, frankly), and at points in this series seemed really out of sync with the game the Bruins were bringing to them. The B's clogged up passing lanes, continuously hit defenders trying to head-man the puck, dug for pucks in the corners, and attacked with speed at every opportunity. It is a relentless system and the Habs certainly saw the business-end of it all year.

For my part, I am OVERJOYED that the Bruins put the Canadiens out. I would have preferred that the teams not meet until much later playoff rounds, so that another Canadian club could battle deep into the playoffs and they could each be more battle-hardened, but obviously, any Bruins fan relishes a win over the Habs at any time.

With a couple of periods as exceptions, The Bruins really played well in this series, and they deserve to move on. My goal for the club this year was to improve on last year's playoff record, which they've now done by reaching Round Two. The team will have a few days off before finding out who their next opponent is, and I'll be here in Montreal, watching neighbours slowly remove the CH flags from their cars.

Quietly chuckling to myself, and waiting to see who the team plays next.

lucic suspended for game three against the habs

Milan Lucic, the second-coming of Cam Neely, will miss tonight's game against the Canadiens. The League suspended him a single game for his dangerous cross-check to the head of Maxim Lapierre.

In discussing the suspension, Colin Campbell said, "we would have given him more games, but it was only Lapierre...."

I'm just kidding. Colin Campbell actually said that whether it was a glove or stick that hit Lapierre, it was still a dangerous play, so Lucic gets a game.

We'll see how that alters the Bruins' landscape. Hopefully Shawn Thornton is given an expanded role, and able to build on what has been a really strong year for the enforcer.

Game Three rolls out at 7pm tonight!