Tag Archives: Brad Marchand

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings Game 4 Recap & Game 5 Preview

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 Boston Bruins Game Winner vs. Detroit Red WingsGame 4 Recap

What a game and what a comeback!!! The Bruins pulled out the win in OT where they found themselves down by 2 goals at one point and came back to win. Tuukka Rask was huge and stole this game for the Bruins.

Detroit had their best period to start and the Bruins had their worst of the series so far. Tuukka Rask stood on his head and made a few ridiculous stops. Even though the Red Wings put on all of their pressure in the first, they were only able to score 1 goal in that dominant period. The Bruins could have had two goals with Marchand missing his first of 2 open nets and Reilly Smith hitting the post. In the second period, the Bruins got their act together and it was a very competitive period with each team netting a goal. The Bruins were in control for most of the third period with Lucic tying the game early in the period. And that momentum carried over into overtime with the Bruins dictating the tempo after successfully wearing down the Red Wings. After Tuukka Rask came up big with a huge stop on Justin Abdelkader, Iginla tipped the Krejci drive home to win it.

Game 5 Preview

I do not expect the Detroit Red Wings to lay down in Game 5 on Saturday. Detroit seemed to pull out all the stops to try and win Game 4 and the Bruins shouldn’t be surprised by anything they will see from Detroit on Saturday. Another solid defensive effort is needed and the Bruins will have the coveted last change to match up against the Zetterberg – Datsyuk line with Chara. Tuukka Rask is feeling it right now and it is hard to bet against the Bruins at this point. The Bruins take this game and series. Hopefully we’ll be getting ready for Montreal next week.

Follow me on twitter for all Boston Bruins news and my in game thoughts. Lets go Bs!

Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: The Shawn Thornton Incident

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After the events of last night I feel it is my duty to weigh in on everything that went down. I completely understand why Shawn Thornton snapped on Brooks Orpik last night. Keep in mind that I am not advocating for anyone to be punching anyone else while they are down on the ice, but I can understand his mindset that brought him to that dark place. I truly Believe when Shawn Thornton apologized last night he was being sincere and was not trying to send Brooks Orpik out on a stretcher. That being said, Shawn Thornton had any number of reason to flip out last night and the officials and Orpik himself had many chances to stop it.

  1. The Orpik hit on Eriksson was dirty and should have been called a penalty. The puck was behind Eriksson and it was clear that neither one of them were playing the puck. It has to be an interference penalty at minimum. If the officals make the call there, the rest of the events would not have taken place.
  2. Orpik avoiding Shawn Thornton is a cowardly move. If Orpik stands up for his actions and fights Thornton earlier in the first period, the story stops there. Now, I don’t blame Orpik for not necessarily wanting to go with Thornton, but he needs to dance with someone. Luckily for him, the Bruins have a half dozen or more guys for him to go with and instead he decides avoid all confrontations.
  3. The final straw is James Neal with by far the dirtiest play of the entire game.  Brad Marchand was completely defenseless after being tripped by Sidney Crosby (of course there was no call) and was on hands and knees on the ice. Of course Neal knew where he was and was looking for revenge for last season after Marchand boarded him in the playoffs. So he kneed him in the head, in front of the Bruins bench mind you, and skated off the ice for a line change. At that point the Bruins were already pushed to the brink and Thornton fufilled his agenda and went after Orpik after 2 Penguins were going after Campbell. By the way, Orpik could have fought the smaller Campbell there as well to settle the score for the earlier hit but neglected to do that too.

At the end of the day, should Shawn Thornton be punching a player in the head, with his gloves on while he is laying on the ice? Absolutely not. But should Orpik and Neal be targeting the heads of Bruins players? Absolutely not. I firmly Believe that Thornton was not trying to hurt Orpik, but he was trying to settle a score and it got a little out of hand. I hope Neal and Orpik (upon his return) both get suspended along with Thornton for their roles in last night’s game. As a Bruins fan, we know all too well about head injuries and if the league trying to do away with dirty plays they need to do what is right and suspend those players too.

You can follow my in-game thoughts on twitter @BruinsBeliever and as always Let’s go Bs!

Boston Bruins 2013-2014 Season Quarterly Report

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Torey Krug CelebratingWith last night’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins the Boston Bruins have secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference just after the quarter point of the season. So everything has been fine right? Well, Believe it or not I have found a few things that have concerned me moving forward with the Boston Bruins this year. Of course, those are coupled with many positives so lets run down the list, positive and negative.

Goaltending:

Positive: Tuukka Rask has picked up right where he has left off. There doesn’t appear to be a downturn or lax in his game at all. Some were worried about the big contract getting to his head. Others worried about fatigue from last year but neither of those have been a problem for Rask.

Negative: First, I don’t think Chad Johnson has played enough so far for my liking. I am a little concerned about the amount of playing time Rask has had this year and I would like to see more off-days for Rask. My other concern is more of a selfish concern from a Bruins fan’s prospective. Tuukka Rask had one of the best games of his career in New York a few nights ago against the Rangers and it probably wasn’t a coincidence.  He was playing in front of scouts for the Finland National Team. It appears as though Rask may have played himself into a starting role for the Finnish Team; increasing his chance for injury (knocking on wood).

Defense:

Positive: The kids are no flukes. Dougie Hamilton has stepped up his game and has played big minutes so far down the stretch. Matt Bartkowski has emerged as a solid defenseman who has a great head on his shoulders. Torey Krug has continued to be a scoring machine and as of tonight is tied for the league lead in goals for a defenseman. And even Kevan Miller who has had to step up in place of the injured Dennis Seidenberg has been getting big minutes, including the last minute of the game against Pittsburgh last night.

Negative: Injuries have had a major impact on the Bruins defensemen this season. The non-contact ‘lower body injury’ for Adam McQuaid was a blow the Bruins were prepared to deal with by inserting Matt Bartkowski into the lineup full time. But, the more recent injury to Dennis Seidenberg has forced the Bruins to call up Miller from Providence. The bigger issue that these injuries have raised is the increased ice time for Zdeno Chara and with the Olympics this year, that is a bad recipe for the Bruins that I’d rather not discuss.

Forwards:

Positive: The Swedes are starting to find their groove. Loui Eriksson had a 5 point game against the Penguins last night and seems to be comfortable after his concussion. Carl Soderberg has been on fire recently. He has 6 points in 5 games that has coincided with the Bruins winning 4 out of their last 5 games. Milan Lucic has stayed engaged and kept his legs moving with the help of Jerome Iginla keeping him motivated. Reilly Smith has been a welcome addition to the team and has shown flashes of skill.

Negative: Brad Marchand has been under performing and goal scoring is still an issue. While the power play is much improved, the Bruins have yet to have an easy time putting the puck in the net. The play of Brad Marchand is frankly bordering on unacceptable at this point. I think the Olympic tryout has been in his head all year and he has been gripping his stick so tight he has completely lost any semblance of his game. My hope is that when the Bruins play the Canadians for the first time on December 5th, P.K. Subban can somehow light a fire in Brad Marchand that he needs to play his style of game.

Coaching:

Positive: It pains me to say it but Claude Julien has done a lot of things right this year. My favorite move of his is to play very aggressively in OT this season. He has been playing 3 forwards and 1 defenseman for the majority of overtime minutes so far this season. I love seeing the Bruins using this strategy to do everything possible to avoid the shootout.

Negative: The only negative I have for Claude and the coaching staff is that they need to try and do a better job of managing minutes. The Olympic break plus the extended playoff run has me nervous about injuries and fatigue for the playoff run this year. I have seen enough improvement so far in the Bruins power play so far this season that I will get off their case…for the time being.

So there you have it.  Am I picking nits? Probably, but at the same time a lot of these issues are contributing to the large problem the Bruins have had so far. They have been giving up too many goals in the final minute of periods and games. As of right now they have not shown the ability to ‘sweep the leg’. An issue that eventually came back to bite them against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season. I am very happy but not surprised to see where the Bruins are this season and I only expect that trend to continue. Keep Believing and follow me @BruinsBeliever on twitter for my in-game and quick thought updates.  Let’s go Bs!

Boston Bruins Training Camp Report

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Training Camp 2013

This past Sunday, I was able to attend both session of Boston Bruins Training Camp at the TD Garden. Which, I have to admit, is just not the same as it was going to Wilmington because yesterday felt more like a production. I was a little depressed (but not surprised) to find Jeremy Jacobs making money off of what was supposed to be a free event by selling concessions. I was pleased to find players taking the time to sign some autographs after the second session for the kids who turned out.

The Boston Bruins split up the team into 2 practice groups for Training Camp 2013. Group B went first for the 10 o’clock session. The guy who really stood out was Carl Soderberg. He scored 3 goals and hit 2 posts during the practice. 2 of the 3 goals were perfectly placed shots over the goaltenders shoulder, under the bar shots that are virtually unstoppable. That is a skill the Bruins have missed quite a bit throughout the years. From what I have heard, he has been lighting it up all camp long. He looks ready to breakout in the 2013-2014 Season. Soderberg had me wondering if Claude Julien would have to consider possibly moving Loui Eriksson or Jerome Iginla down to the third line to make room for Soderberg. Meanwhile, Iginla looked like he would fit in perfectly with Milan Lucic and David Krejci on that top line.

During the afternoon session, BruinsBeliever was able to watch Loui Erikkson interacting with future line mates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The first thing I noticed was his size. He is a lot bigger than I thought he was and seemed more than willing to go into corners to free the puck up for Bergeron quarterback. I think he will be a great fit for the Bruins and a much better fit than Tyler Seguin would have been. Erikkson did a great job back-checking throughout the session and even lifted a goal past Tuukka Rask during a drill. I am excited to see how these lines play out, especially if Soderberg plays anywhere near the level he has been practicing.

Overall, Believe it or not, I feel better about this team than I did about last years team during their brief ‘training camp’. This team just seems so meticulously put together and each piece seems to fit perfectly together. They lost a leader in Andrew Ference, but then traded for Loui Erikkson who was an Alternate Captain down in Dallas. Heck, Brad Marchand already called Erikkson a “great leader” during a post practice interview. They also signed Chad Johnson as a potential backup for Rask who is a great locker room guy as well. Not to mention the character and desire to win a cup with Jerome Iginla. This team is built to win now and take advantage of everything Zdeno Chara has left in the tank coupled with the younger players entiring their primes. It should be another awesome year. Especially when the preseason starts off with a Boston Bruins win in Montreal. Let’s hope for another great year. Keep Believing and don’t forget to follow me @BruinsBeliever. Let’s go B’s!

2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 4 Recap & Game 5 Preview

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Game 4 Recap

Chris Kelly Scoring Chance, Game 4One thing has become very clear in this series: the team that dictates their style of play over their opponents will win. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to dictate their up-tempo, up-and-down-the-ice style of play and forced the Bruins to play right along with them. The Bruins, once again, came out very sluggish in the opening minutes as well as throughout most of the second period. I do not know what they can do to fix this other then they must be on their toes and ready to play from the drop. They cannot afford to ease into these games any longer.

The back-checking of the Bruins forwards struggled at times compared to how they have been back-checking during the Pittsburgh series and earlier in this Chicago series. That being said, the Bruins were able to hang with the Blackhawks and make multiple comebacks throughout the game. The shining star for the Bruins was Patrice Bergeron. He scored two goals and helped generate great transition offense.  Both he and Jagr have played important roles in generating scoring opportunities. Brad Marchand has been invisible while his line mates have been tremendous. He needs to step up and finish on the opportunities both Bergeron and Jagr have been providing him.

Game 5 Preview

This series has come down to a best of 3 and the Bruins have lost home ice advantage. Does this mean that series is over? Absolutely not. The Bruins have already shown that they can win in Chicago and I believe that they can do it again, either in Game 5 or potentially a Game 7. The big change that needs to happen from Game 4 to Game 5 is that the Bruins must slow down the tempo and Zdeno Chara cannot have another terrible game. I’m expecting the captain and the rest of the team to rebound nicely and come out with a strong, heavy effort and, of course, the game will probably go to overtime. Let’s go B’s!

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!