Tag Archives: Milan Lucic

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens Game 3 Preview

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Reilly Smith Game winning goal vs. MontrealGame 1 & 2 Recap: The Split

How is it that the Bruins could have won the game where they were at their worst and lost the game when they played great? Bad bounces in Game 1 and grit and determination in Game 2. The Boston Bruins lost Game 1 to the Canadiens because of some bad bounces and terrible penalty killing. The Bruins were only 2-4 on the penalty kill and they have yet to score a power play goal against Montreal. As I wrote going into this series, I thought special teams was going to be the biggest advantage for the Bruins. Now it appears that P.K. Subban is going to continue to kill the Bruins with his slappers from the point and the Boston power play has lost their rhythm.

Period 3 in Game 2 will go down as one of the greatest Bruins vs. Canadiens periods ever played by the Bruins. The Bruins were down and out, completely flustered, and had just lost Shawn Thornton (who would later return). The stage was set for an epic comeback of 4 goals on Carey Price in under 10 minutes to come from behind and beat Montreal 5-3 with the empty netter from Lucic tacked on.  The Bruins need to play with that intensity throughout all periods and reduce turnovers in the neutral zone.

Game 3 Preview

I am already preparing myself to get very angry and frustrated watching these games in Montreal. If the officials were calling bench minors and Montreal diving penalties on the Bruins in Boston there is no telling what they could do up in Montreal. That being said, the Bruins appeared to slow down the Montreal power play in Game 2 and, hopefully, they can neutralize that weapon moving forward. All the Bruins have to do is ride out the initial wave of energy from Montreal to start the game, start dictating, and pour it on Montreal.  I am surprisingly confident going into this game, and I see the Bruins winning it in regulation 3-1.

As always please follow me on twitter for all Boston Bruins news and Lets Go Bs!

Boston Bruins vs. Red Wings Recap & Game 3 Preview

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Chara_Laughing

Game 1 & 2

What an interesting weekend it was at the Garden. There are two completely different takeaways from each game and it is hard to tell which way Game 3 will go. The Bruins were completely out of Game 1 emotionally, and then were the exact opposite in Game 2 which culminated in the exchange Zdeno Chara had with Brendan Smith above.

Game 1

The Bruins came out hot in the first 2 minutes of the game that gave way to a slow, methodical, unemotional pace. The pace of play that the Red Wings thrive playing. Instead of the Bruins dictating their own tempo and style, they played right into Detroit’s hands. With a tight game late, Milan Lucic saw his scoring chance squeeze by the post, then, less than a minute later Pavel Datsyuk makes a couple of moves and beats Tuukka Rask through a screen. I wonder if the Wings won that game, or if the Bruins lost to the flu with Kevan Miller, and Matt Bartkowski out. A very disappointed BruinsBeliever left The Garden upset and frankly angry at the effort.

 Game 2

This was a totally different game. Jimmy Howard looked like the Jimmy Howard that has frustrated Wings fans all year. He gave up a bonehead goal to Justin Florek who was fore-checking along the boards when Howard practically passed the puck to him. Shortly after that, the Bruins capitalized on the power play a couple of times throughout the game including a goal from Zdeno Cara to seal it. The biggest difference in Game 2 was the presence of Kevan Miller on the blue line. His physicality set the tone for the Bruins early in the game and his solid defensive play was a welcome relief to the nail-biting play of Corey Potter. The most surprising aspect of the game was how quickly the Bruins got in the head of the Red Wings. Suddenly the Red Wings were taking roughing penalties and initiating the rough stuff after the whistle. That equals a worst case scenario for the Red Wings who were dominated throughout the game and played right into the hands of the Bruins.

 Game 3 Preview

After Game 1 the Bruins publicly and privately complained about the lack of obstruction and holding calls that should have been made on Detroit. Sure enough, in Game 2 we saw more holding and interference penalties called on the Red Wings. Now, after Game 2, Coach Mike Babcock has been complaining about how the Bruins are getting away with a lot of rough stuff after whistles and during game play. History has shown that we should see a correction from the officials; meaning that Game 3 will be called a lot tighter overall. While I am expecting the Red Wings to win 1 in Detroit, I don’t think it will be this one. I see the Bruins winning this game taking a 2-1 series lead and taking back home ice advantage.

Follow me on Twitter for all of my in-game thoughts and as always, Let’s Go Bs!

2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 3 Recap & Game 4 Preview

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Game 3 Recap

Zdeno Chara, Bryan BickellThe Boston Bruins have not surrendered a goal in a home game over the last 2 games. Even more impressively, is the squads that they’ve shut out. First, it was the best offense in the NHL in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, it is the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that was not shutout once during the entire regular season. This is a huge testament to how well the Bruins have been playing since the third period of the Toronto series. Bottom line is, this Bruins team is playing great defensive hockey and are now starting to get scoring from some unlikely sources in, as Claude Julien has dubbed them, “The Hunch Line”, made up of Seguin, Kelly, and Paille.

I do have one bone to pick about Game 3 and that is with the play of Kaspars Daugavins. From what I have observed, Daugavins has struggled in all aspects of play. He single-handedly ruined a potential 3 on 1 opportunity for the Bruins by putting himself offside and has committed bad penalties. Luckily, the Bruins have killed off every penalty they have faced thus far in the Stanley Cup Finals. I would suggest giving Jay Pandolfo a run in the lineup. At least you know with Pandolfo that he will be solid veteran who will provide more consistency then Daugavins. To me, it would be worth a shot and would make me less nervous watching the Merlot Line on the ice.

Game 4 Preview

The biggest story just prior to Game 3 game time for both teams were pregame skate injuries to Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara. Hossa supposedly took a puck off the leg and was scratched from the lineup just prior to game time. Chara required stitches over his left eye after falling into Milan Lucic and having Lucic land on him. Now, the big story going into Game 4 is if the skirmishes in the last minute of the Game 3 carry over into Game 4. The Blackhawks need to do something to try and change momentum in this series and perhaps they are going to try and take the strategy of increasing physicality. If there is one saying that even the new Bruins fans know it is “Don’t Poke the Bear”. And that is for good reason too. The Bruins are the best team in the National Hockey League when they play angry. As of now, the Chicago Blackhawks have not given them a reason to play angry and I don’t think they should start now. Doing so would be a big mistake. I know that the Bruins are going to get Chicago’s best game in Game 4, and the question is, will it be enough to grind out a win against the Bruins. Hopefully, the Bruins will be able to weather the storm and grind out another victory. Let’s go B’s!

2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 2 Recap & Game 3 Preivew

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Game 2 Recap

Milan Lucic, Niklas Hjalmarsson ScaredThe Bruins earned a split and I couldn’t ask for anything more! I know that the Bruins could have easily had the puck bounce their way and they could’ve stole both games in Chicago, but I will gladly take the split. The biggest takeaway I have from both games in Chicago is that the Boston Bruins physicality is starting to affect the Chicago Blackhawks as this gif demonstrates. Milan Lucic has been a runaway freight train this series and it makes you wonder why we don’t see glimpses of this throughout the season. He is becoming a feared player for the Blackhawks defensemen and as the series shifts to Boston it is only going to intensify.

Thank God the Bruins had a ‘chat’ as Coach Claude Julien called it after the terrible and downright atrocious first period of play. Finally, the third line paid dividends for the Bruins and the Seguin, Kelly, Paille, combination that scored both goals for Boston. Those players looked comfortable as they are all high flyers and play at the similar tempos.  Apparently, all BruinsBeliever has to do is call out players after loses and they respond with Kelly and Seguin playing their best games and Krug was solid as well. I’d like to think that they must be loyal readers.

Game 3 Preview

The Blackhawks have struggled away from the United Center all postseason. Their goals per game are cut by more than half away from home (14 road goals vs. 38 home goals). After witnessing 2011 and how dominant Vancouver was at home, and how terrible they played in Boston, I can say that Boston is absolutely a tough place to play for a visiting team.  Throughout the past few postseasons the Bruins have an outstanding home record. They are already one of the best in the league at getting the match-ups they want on the road, never mind at home where they get the benefit of the last line change. Hopefully, both of those trends continue for tonight’s game and the Bruins take control of this series. As always, follow BruinsBeliever on Twitter for my in-game thoughts. Let’s go Bs!