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

blues 5 - bruins 4 (SO)

This afternoon's match between the Blues and the Bruins basically happened entirely in the third period.

The B's went into the third down 2-1 to the surprisingly tenacious Blues. The Bruins were then able to score 3 goals in under a minute and a half, and had two chances at an open net with Blues goalie Chris Mason on the bench. However both open-net chances missed the yawning cage.

With the Bruins up 4-2 with 3.05 remaining, the Blues scored a powerplay goal, and then tied it with another shot batted out of mid-air with 1 second remaining in the game, sending the game to overtime. A scoreless overtime brought a shootout, and eventually, the winning goal from (former Bruin) Brad Boyes.

This game did not display the skills of a Bruins team battling to retain first overall, nor a team trying to remain first in the East; this afternoon's game was far more about a team that is more streaky than consistent, and, by getting a couple of bounces one way or another, is often more lucky than good.

This has been a strange season for a Bruins fan, but the team's play of late is more consistent with what fans have come to expect -- recent games have tapped into the latent frustrations of the Bruins faithful, with the team inexplicably less engaged in one-on-one battles, and less able to connect passes and flow up the ice.

The Bruins have overachieved all year, but lately it feels like the players have taken their foot off the gas, and in so doing, begun showing some sloppy habits that make wins harder to come by. They seemed largely uninspired in this afternoon's match, and even when they did finally wake up and score three unanswered goals, they lost the focus necessary to finish the Blues off with an empty net goal.

I hope the Bruins can regain the precision and tenacity that they showed earlier this season, because right now, playing like they simply expect the wins to come without effort, they are being beaten by teams that should not be even challenging them.

The Bruins may have emerged with a single point, but given who they were playing, and the fact that they had several chances to put the game away in the final moments, the Bruins simply did not come to play.

bruins 3 - canadiens 2 (SO)

In a game where Patrick Roy "came home" to partially make amends for how he departed from Montreal, where Georges Laraque shadowed Milan Lucic, trying to instigate a fight that would somehow make amends for Lucic's pummeling of Komisarek on November 13th, and where the Canadiens tried to make amends for their big loss against the B's in their last game, only one reconciliation stands out - the Bruins, this year, are making amends for last season's losses against the Habs.

I watched part of the game at home, and part of it in my favourite watering hole, surrounded by the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge faithful. They cheered every hit, every shot (and there were a lot in the third, where Boston was outshot 18-5), and ultimately the tying goal from Koivu. And rightly so, I should add.

However, when Blake Wheeler potted the lone goal in the shootout, I was the only one in a crowded bar clapping. Ever to their credit, the Habs fans simply turned and glowered...no swearing in either official language or throwing of things in my direction. At least, not that I noticed in my minor revelry.

When Thomas ultimately stopped Koivu, the last of the three shooters, there was only one voice cheering in the thick silence of the bar, above the announcers on RDS. Despite how it may sound, I wasn't trying to be "showy" about the B's win - I was just very pleased to see them continue their winning streak against their oldest rivals.

In the win, I think Tim Thomas' comments aptly summed up my feelings:

"To come in here and get a win feels really good, especially in a shootout. I've seen Saku score on that last shot and him being the one walking off the ice with his arms raised and all happy. I was happy to be the one with my arms raised and all happy."

And so, a sense of making amends for previous games, and perhaps continuing to reconcile this season's play against les Habs with last years'.

The Bruins now retain sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, and are within three points of San Jose for first in the League.

The Bruins play again on Wednesday, against the Sabres.

rangers 3 - bruins 2 (SO)

The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Rangers last night, and played a hard fought game, only to have their lead eroded late in the third period. When Marcus Naslund scored with 53 seconds left in the game, the Rangers gave ample evidence of why they retain first place in the Eastern Conference - simply stated, they find ways to win.

After an overtime that saw Marc Savard ring one off the post, the game went to a shoot-out - which is often the Bruins nemesis, having gathered 5 losses in 6 attempts in shootout situations.

Finally, it was Chris Drury who sealed the Bruins fate, beating (a visibly frustrated) Tim Thomas in the one-on-one showdown.

The B's should probably feel pretty good about gaining at least a point against the Blue Shirts, but obviously, giving up the lead could suggest larger problems. If it were not for the team's overall effort against the Rangers, and their hard play this season, this breakdown could perhaps be seen as an ominous portent of a slide. But there's something resilient about this team, and for the first time in many seasons, the players, coaches and management all seem to be pulling in the same direction, even in losses.

The Bruins are going to lose some games, but if they can do so while still playing well, and continue to win more games than they lose, then I believe the club to still be in solid running for a hard-found Eastern playoff birth. Which, at this point in the Bruins team-development, is still the aim each year.

The Bruins are back on the ice on Monday evening, against the Maple Leafs.