Pre-Season NHL - Bruins 3 - Leafs 2

Another scrambly, somewhat disorganized pre-season game tonight, this time between the Black, White and Gold and the Maple Leafs.

I watched tonight's game online, amidst an alarming number of homophobic trolls pumping out the commentary on the PM sidebar. I spend enough of my life online to know how common this is, but man, it can be a real drag when you are just trying to watch a game. On the plus side, some Francophones logged in and allowed me to practice my French.

For tonight's match, the Bruins put Dany Sabourin in net, who, like Tuukka Rask is fighting for the backup slot behind Tim Thomas. Sabourin played alright, but looked like he'd have a lot of trouble facing a full (ie: not mostly prospects) NHL team, and will probably start the season with Providence. Too many shots just squeaking by the post in the final moments to keep Claude
Julien a young man.

Also positive for the B's was the play of Brad Marchand - one of my "underwhelmers" from yesterday's game really stepped up and played well, scoring the Bruins' second goal. Same thing with Jamie Arniel, who was another "underwhelmer" last night, but tonight played a far quicker game and created opportunities.

Weirdly, it was returning players Byron Bitz and Blake Wheeler who looked a step behind tonight. Hopefully this pre-season rust flakes off quickly, and they can both return to last year's breakout form.

Matt Hunwick, unfortunately, had a brutal game. Hunwick was one of my favourites last year before his season ended with his spleen being removed (off-ice, of course). In tonight's game he was turned inside out on the Leaf's first goal and looked pretty shakey throughout the game, putting shots into shins and missing passes.

Likewise for new Bruin free-agent Derek Morris, who mangled three clearing attempts in the same shift. I truly hope this guy improves because his contract is what's keeping the Bruins from re-signing Kessel.

On the whole, however, I was fairly pleased with the Bruins' win. Despite some sloppy play and a few scary moments in net (and online), it was fun to watch Patrice Bergeron, Michael Ryder and Dennis Wideman playing at their customary level, and also, much like yesterday, it was just fun to watch the B's on the ice again.

Kessel Saga Reaches New Impass

Greetings from the off-season!

Just a quick word to say that the NHL Regular Season is about 3 weeks away, and Bruins action will be heating up in the next little while. So expect some new posts at Black, White and Gold. Because otherwise the off-season is a bit of a slog.

To whit: The only thing more boring than the latest Phoenix Coyotes tales of woe, or possibly the newest high drama in the NHLPA, is the contract status for Bruins' winger Phil Kessel.

The Bruins have about $1.7 million left in the coffers under the NHL salary-cap rules, and Kessel seems to be demanding about $4 to $5 million per season. Which is shocking to me. Now, I'm not that good at math, but I think that means the Bruins will not be able to re-sign Kessel without moving other players to do so.

Complicating things, the latest update is that Kessel has stated (through his agent) that he will no longer negotiate with the B's.

On the other side, GM Peter Chiarelli has stated that the Bruins will match any contract that another NHL club offers Kessel. Perhaps the thinking in the Bruins' camp is to simply wait and let the other clubs (rather than Kessel himself) determine Kessel's worth. Because honestly, is Kessel worth $5 million dollars a season? That would put him on-par with Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, and frankly, neither his numbers nor his two-way game is on par with these players.

So why is any of this news? It's not really.

But this saga maintains it's status on various sports sites because one of the teams most-interested in Kessel are the Maple Leafs. As Alex Mogilny once proved, even the hemorrhoids of NHL players are front page news for the voracious fans in Toronto.

What is most-likely to happen with Kessel? Probably that the Bruins will match any contract offer, and Kessel will spend his last year with the Bruins.

Realistically, of course, another club could offer him a contract so exaggerated that the Bruins have no choice but to let him walk away. I mean, if someone offers Kessel a $7.5 million contract, are the Bruins going to match this, and put Kessel on-par with Chara's contract? Not likely.

The ideal, obviously, would be for the Bruins to match any contract offers, and then begin shopping Kessel. While I may balk at him receiving $5 per year, I think he's a strong winger with tremendous potential, and if he doesn't want to negotiate with the Bruins, perhaps he can yield a high return via trade.

If nothing else, it would end the debate about his contract that's been ongoing for at least a year. Something hockey fans - even those few in Phoenix - would embrace.

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 4 - leafs 3 (SO)

The Bruins went into the All-Star break as they should have - with a determined win under their belt, and with a renewed confidence in the quality of their team.

However, that doesn't mean their win (last night) over the Maple Leafs was a given. The Bruins were down 3-1 heading into the third period, and quite frankly looked like they had their hands full with the (reportedly woeful) Toronto squad.

The Maple Leafs were obviously playing to the maximum of their ability, and the Bruins seemed to be surprised that they were not easily winning. However, this is the crux of the issue with this season's Black, White and Gold: they have been an extremely effective team when playing gritty hockey, but of late have been losing games by merely thinking about how they've previously won so many. Which is to say, rather than playing the game, they seem to be thinking about how they're going to win it. This seldom leads to positive results in the NHL.

Between the second and third periods last night, TSN interviewed Coach Julien, who said (and I'm paraphrasing) that the team needs to remember who they are, and that they need to grind out the victories in every game.

The Bruins subsequently played a better third period, finishing checks, fighting for loose pucks, and (inevitably) getting a couple of goals to tie the game. The scoreless overtime brought a shootout and Michael Ryder was the difference on a cross-body snap shot to the high corner on Toskala.

The thing that sticks with me after last night's game is the determined look on the faces of the Bruins. Tim Thomas, often a bit of a joker in nets, was uncharacteristically stoic between whistles. He stared into the middle distance and did not smile. Zdeno Chara, who again had a monster of a game, was the image of impassioned intensity when he scored the tying goal with about 4 minutes left in the third.

To me, that suggests that while the Bruins got off to a relatively slow start, they eventually recognized the need to play at their maximum potential and that brought about the win. Given the rollercoaster they've been on lately, this is a a positive step toward the post-season where nothing matters except gutsy, despite-the-odds wins.

And now they've earned a few days rest.

The full Bruins squad next play on January 27th, when they welcome the Capitals

bruins 3 - maple leafs 2

Last night's tilt against the Maple Leafs may not have been the Bruins best outing in this recent winning streak, but it was another part of the winning streak.

In Claude Julien's 100th game behind the Bruins bench, the B's took advantage of some defensive breakdowns and (at times) soft goaltending to grab a "W" from the Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel opened the scoring for the Bruins, Matt Hunwick got his first NHL goal (see image, above), and Michael Ryder finally scored again, on a beautiful toe-drag-to-top-shelf goal that reminded Bruins fans why he was picked up in the off-season.

The Bruins have made it a bit of a tradition to beat the Leafs, having won the vast majority of games through last season and this, but the more important point is that they held on for the win, despite some craaaaazy pressure from the Leafs, and five shots ringing off the goal posts through the game.

The win brings Boston's record up to 11-3-4 (first in the Division), and Tim Thomas again retains top-spot in the NHL Goalie Rankings.

Perhaps NOW Thomas can get the All-Star Nomination he deserves?

brian burke rumours

Note the Canadian spelling of "rumours" above. It could be an important distinction in this post, perhaps.

Brian Burke, recently of the Anaheim Ducks, has left his management position to seek other pastures. From media reports, those pastures are either coloured with the Blue-and-White of the Toronto Maple Leafs, or the Black, White and Gold of the Boston Bruins. From reports I've seen, the position that Burke would be slotted into with the Bruins would be that of President - above GM, but below whatever personal advisers the Jacobs family rely on for macro-decisions.

Burke has assets going for him: he's very bright, he's outspoken and opinionated (which often works well in a hockey marketing context), he's a lawyer (helpful with contract negotiations), he has a Cup ring with the Ducks, and he is American, which is a welcomed characteristic for most US-based hockey fans (and one I can totally understand - how many Canadian basketball fans changed allegiances with Steve Nash's trade?).

However, Burke's sudden availability is, to me, a moot point. While the Bruins were very interested in Burke's services a few seasons ago when the club was consistently missing the playoffs (74 and 76 points in 2005 thru 2007) and prone to questionable player moves (anyone from Zhamnov to Grosek, not to mention the Thornton trade), they seem to have righted the ship. Or, at the very least, be on track to improve their lot.

The additions of Don Sweeney and Cam Neely to the management core, as well as vastly improved General Management and Coaching duties through Chiarelli and Julien, respectively, have brought Bruins fans a more competitive, more engaging, and ultimately, more entertaining club than we've had in years.

Burke inherited a Ducks club rich in assets that were brought in by Bryan Murray. Though, to his credit, Burke won the Cup.

However, my years living in British Columbia and watching the Vancouver Canucks rattle around through jersey changes, lineup gaffs, and an endless roster of goalies - many of whom who would go on to be Number One keeper elsewhere - leads me to be very wary of Burke's influence on a team...especially one so dear to my heart, in the process of rebuilding and strengthening.

In short, I don't feel we need Burke, even though he's available. His skills are perfect for a club careening recklessly into the guardrails, who need a strong hand to push them in the right direction. This would be the Bruins from a few seasons ago. The current Bruins team now has leadership throughout their management team, and, to their credit, throughout their on-ice lineup, as well.

Bruins fans, I beseech you: Let Burke go to Toronto - I promise you it is for the best, if only for more Burke-versus-Strachan or Burke-versus-Lowe hyjinx.