Eastern Conference Finals: Bruins vs Pittsburgh Game 2 Recap & Game 3 Preview

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Bruins vs. Penguins, Brad Marchand, Matt CookeGame 2 Recap

If the first two games have been a dream, don’t wake me up. This gif of Brad Marchand and Matt Cooke speaks to how this series is being played thus far. The Penguins have been more concerned about being the aggressors that they are trying to beat the Bruins at their own game. I don’t know what the pre-series game plan was but it appears to be trying to be someone they’re not.  The Penguins have been known as a high-flying finesse team and now instead of trying to play their style of hockey, they came out and tried to play in the style of the Bruins and take a physical strategy of hard-hitting and aggressiveness. I don’t understand the strategy and it will come back to bite the Pittsburgh Penguins if no adjustments are made. Both goals scored by Brad Marchand came at the most critical times of the game. The first, 28 seconds into the game that took away any momentum the Penguins and the crowd may have had going into the game. His second goal, with a little over eight seconds remaining in the first period, killed any confidence Brandon Sutter’s goal & the goaltending change gave the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bruins defense was stellar again. They clogging passing lanes and produced tremendous penalty killing efforts, which slowed down the best power play in the NHL.  Tuukka Rask fed off of the support and made every stop he needed to. The Bruins must continue to play their style of hockey and dictate the pace to Pittsburgh.  Amazingly, the Bruins are in the heads of both Penguin goaltenders, Marc Andre Fleury and Thomas Vokoun.  I would expect Coach Dan Bylsma to continue starting Vokoun as the series moves forward.  I don’t think you can turn to Fleury who showed no confidence in this game. His appearance started with him giving up a goal on the first shot he faced. I don’t know where Pittsburgh should go from here.

Game 3 Preview

One  prediction I will make is that this series is in no way similar to the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals series where the Bruins were up two games to none on Pittsburgh and went on to drop four straight.  Those two Bruins wins in 1991 were close, not blowouts. The Bruins best player at the time, Cam Neely, was injured by Ulf Samuelsson which turned the series.  I wouldn’t expect this Penguins team to take runs at anyone (outside of Matt Cooke of course, and if I was David Krejci I would keep my head on a swivel).  Outside of any injuries, the Bruins have all of the confidence right now and Pittsburgh is completely down. I would expect the Bruins to feed off of the frenzy atmosphere that will be the TD Garden Wednesday night.  Yours truly will be there live tweeting! I am making it my mission to tell Jerome Iginla his decision to join Pittsburgh over Boston may not have been the smartest.  The Bruins can’t afford to let their guard down and must continue to dictate their style of hockey. Expect a rowdy crowd and a rowdy Bruins team for Game 3. Let’s go B’s!

Eastern Conference Finals Bruins vs. Penguins Game 1 Recap & Game 2 Preview

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Boston Bruins v Pittsburgh Penguins - Game OneGame 1 Recap:

One thing we have learned thus far is that this series will be fun to watch. The Bruins were successful getting under the skin of the Penguins. We saw Sidney Crosby take a bad penalty within the final two minutes when he took a whack at Tyler Seguin out of frustration. Prior to that at the end of the 2nd period, we saw Penguins captain Sidney Crosby trying to mess with Tuukka Rask. The rough stuff at the end of the period culminated in a Patrice Bergeron and Evgeni Malkin fight. A Patrice Bergeron fight is a rarity considering this was only his 2nd career bout and I know all Bruins fans had to be holding their collective breaths  considering Patrice Bergeron’s concussion history. Moreover, the Bruins defense played very well.  The return of Andrew Ference was a welcome one as he provided steadiness with Johnny Boychuck against the Malkin line. The defense as a whole stayed in the passing lanes and prevented odd man rushes. As I tweeted last night, Tuukka Rask had to be the MVP of yesterday’s game. Did he get a few posts? Yes, but he earned them with his steller MVP play, which Bruins Believer predicted I might add. Overall, it was a thrilling win with the Bruins playing their brand of hockey and imposing their will against Pittsburgh.

Game 2 Preview

The last thing I would expect from the Pittsburgh Penguins is for them to remain off the score sheet for another home game. After all, this is the same team that was averaging over 4 goals per game during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins will have to match the intensity level that the Penguins will be bringing to Game 2 and convert on their odd-man rush opportunies. The Penguins can’t afford to go down by 2 games heading out on the road to Boston. The Boston Bruins power play can’t get much worse then it did in Game 1 and it must improve if they hope to keep pace. Tuukka Rask must continue to be strong between the pipes. It will be another battle and hopefully, the officials have not listened to the collective whining of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Let’s hope the Bruins continue with another strong defense effort and physical play. Let’s Go B’s!

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Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1 Preview

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Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

Expect typical Game 1 tactics out of both teams, lots of feeling each other out and not much action through the first two periods. I am then expecting a wild and crazy third. Look for Brad Marchand to start with this pest tactics today as the Bergeron line is expected to match up against the Crosby line. Sidney Crosby can be a bit of a hothead and Marchand can exploit this by getting under his skin with little taps and pushes after the whistle. Tuukka Rask was called an average goaltender by Pittsburgh media. I would expect a huge game from Tuukka in response to those comments. I mean, sure, if you consider being in the top three in goals-against average and save percentage “average”. Let’s hope the Bruins can weather the storm and grind out a huge road victory. Let’s Go B’s!

Bruins Penguins Eastern Conference Finals Game Series Preview

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Bruins.vs.Penguins If you haven’t watched the Penguins yet this season you will soon join them with the same level of hatred we feel towards teams like Montréal and Tampa. They play very similarly and will be taking dives to get on the power play every chance they get. For the first time this postseason the Bruins will be the underdogs. Milan Lucic has already likened the Penguins to “the Miami Heat of the NHL.”

Bruins vs Penguins, Special Teams:

This Penguins team is deadly on the power play and even though the Bruins have one of the top ranked shorthanded units the Penguins will still be deadly. The Bruins need to be cautious with their bullying tactics because staying out of the box is a must. Hopefully, Bruins pests like Brad Marchand, Shawn Thornton, and Milan Lucic continue to be tough but smart.

The Bruins power-play has been hot recently, but can this trend continue against a team that won’t take many penalties? The good news is the Penguins penalty kill is nothing special. We can look forward  to the B’s  having more power play success than in their 2011 Stanley Cup, which isn’t saying much. Playoff Advantage: Pittsburgh

Bruins vs Penguins, Goaltending:

Goaltending has been strong for the Bruins all year. Pittsburgh however, has had trouble. Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in the first round series against the Islanders this year that demonstrated he cannot be relied on as a starting goaltender in the playoffs despite his previous Stanley Cup run. Tomas Vokoun has been starting since and has had some success. He’s a vet but with barely any playoff experience in his 14 year career. By no means does he have the numbers, talent, or the ability to stand on his head like Tuukka Rask. Expect Rask to be a stud. He will have to be for the Bruins to have a shot against the incredibly talented Pittsburgh attack.  Playoff Advantage: Boston

Bruins vs Penguins Defenseman:

Outside of Kris Letang Pittsburgh struggles defensively. The Bruins forwards should not have a problem getting the puck deep against them and creating scoring opportunities.

The Bruins have a clear advantage on the defensive side with Captain Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg reunited. Look for them to be matched up against either the Crosby line or Malkin line.

Some are speculating it will be against the Malkin line, but I believe Coach Claude Julien will match them up against the Crosby line. The Bruins have deep D pairs. In fact, I expect Torey Krug will start the series and be a huge factor on the power play. Andrew Ference, returning from injury, will be a big boost of veteran depth and leadership.  Playoff Advantage: Boston

Bruins vs. Penguins Forwards:

This isn’t even a fair fight. Pittsburgh will have the advantage as they are stacked on their top three lines, with a majority being current or former All-Stars. The addition of Jerome Iginla will be an X factor in this series especially when being played in Boston. He will provide them with veteran leadership and steadiness as he looks for his first ring. The Bruins defense will have their hands full.

The only good news for the Boston forwards is that as previously mentioned, they’re playing a weak Pittsburgh defense. The Boston forwards will outsize and outmuscle this Pittsburgh defense. The Bruins need use their size to their advantage crashing the net and picking up dirty goals. Hopefully Jaromir Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh will spark him to start putting pucks in the net. Playoff Advantage: Pittsburgh

Bruins vs. Penguins Coaching:

I see neither Dan Bylsma nor Claude Julien having a distinct advantage over the other. Julien has the tougher lineup decisions to make with the Bruins veteran defenseman coming back. I believe he will go with veterans over rookies except for Torey Krug. In his case, you have to stick with the hot hand. Julien and Bylsma will be locked in a chess match trying to outwit each other with Chara and Seidenberg against the Crosby line. Having the last line change will be huge for the Bruins and will be the deciding factor in the Bruins home games.  Let’s not forget, both coaches have been through battles  but instead of scars, they have Stanley Cup rings. Playoff Advantage: Push

Other Playoff Hockey Factors:

The two players that will receive their fair share of fan hatred during this season from both sides is Jagr and Iginla. Both will be booed heavily when touching the puck away from home for similar reasons. When Jagr came back from the KHL prior to last season he had a choice: hometown Pittsburgh or Philly. A deal with Iginla was “done” and the B’s were sending Bartkowski and others to Calgary but then Iginla was presented a choice: Pittsburgh or Boston. Both disappointed the respective fan bases by choosing an instate rival in Jagr’s case, and taking the “easy road” in going the Miami Heat of hockey in Iginla’s case.

Also, don’t think for a second that hard core B’s fans have forgotten about the egregious, disgusting act committed by Matt Cooke ending the career of Marc Savard who lead the NHL in points at one time. And what is worse is former star player, now owner Mario Lemieux’s defensive response to it. This is the same guy who had Ulf Samuelsson as his winger who helped end a legendary Bruins career. I would say more about the fraud that is Mario Lemieux and his history of fondness for dirty wingers but Don Cherry said it best: “Mario Lemieux. One of the biggest phonies I’ve ever seen. He says, ‘we have to get rid of headshots,’ and [Pens president] Dave Morehouse says, ‘we have to get rid of headshots,’ and [general manager] Ray Shero, who I really like, says the same thing. What happens? They’ve got the [biggest] headshot guy of all time, they’re paying his paychecks. What a bunch of hypocrites, I’ll tell you.”.

Bruins vs Penguins Playoff Series Prediction:

Some are comparing this series to that of the Stanley Cup Final from two years ago against Vancouver. I disagree because Pittsburgh is physically much tougher team than that Vancouver team and won’t roll over to the Bruins bullying tactics like Vancouver did.  I have heard some “experts” say Pittsburgh should take the series easily in five games with their huge advantage on the offensive side. This believer knows this Bruins team will not go down without a fight. My belief isn’t blind faith: I see the series going to seven, but unfortunately, I don’t think Boston has enough offensive skill to offset the Pittsburgh Penguins. God, I hope I’m wrong.

Final Playoff Prediction: Pens in 7