Tag Archives: NHL

Olympic Break and What’s Coming Next

Boston Bruins Pre-Olympic Recap

The Bruins finished out the regular season pre-Olympic schedule strong winning 8 of the last 11 games; losing only 1 in regulation. The Boston Bruins enjoyed the soft portion of their schedule and took full advantage. Wins against Dallas, Philly, the Islanders, Florida, Edmonton, and Ottawa came against sub-par teams who got steamrolled. Goal scoring came in bunches during the stretch that saw the Bruins scoring 6 goals three times and 7 goals once. Unfortunately there was that one loss where the Bruins were the team getting dominated.

The Boston Bruins now officially have a problem with the Montreal Canadians. They have not beat them in more than a calendar year and they have become a match up nightmare for the Bruins. A match up that I would like to avoid in the playoffs at all costs. The speed and skill of Montreal appears to be an advantage that the Bruins cannot overcome right now, especially with out Dennis Seidenberg. We’ll have to see what happens in Montreal on March 12th and March 24th in Boston when they play for the final time this regular season.

Olympic Break

Team USA has already had one amazing moment in Sochi so far with T.J. Oshie becoming a national sensation going 4-6 in the shootout vs. Russia. I couldn’t believe the ratings when they came out showing how many people got up at 7:30 AM EST to watch the USA vs. Russia preliminary round game. More people tuned into that game than Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year!

The United States is one of only 5 teams that have a realistic shot at winning the gold. It appears that they are going to have to go through Canada to do it. That game will be early Friday morning with the gold medal game taking place at 10AM Sunday. Hopefully, the U.S. will be playing.

Post-Olympic Break

March is a crazy month schedule-wise and not just for the Bruins, but for the entire NHL. The Bruins have 17 games in the month of March alone including 6 back to back game scenarios. I consider the Bruins to be one of the luckier teams to only send 5 players to the Olympics and it looks like most should get eliminated early, minus Bergeron of course. Meanwhile the majority of the team has been resting and gearing up for the haul. I think this break really benefits the veterans like Iginla, Boychuck, and Kelly who need some time to rest up from injuries and from a couple of long seasons.

When I am looking at the upcoming schedule to pick out games to watch, it starts and ends with Montreal. The Bruins go to Montreal on March 12th and Montreal comes to Boston on March 24th and hopefully the Bruins can at least show some signs of hope against them in either meeting. Some other games to watch in March are the Rangers on Sunday March 2nd, Tampa on March 8th, and Chicago on March 27th. Tampa is the last big division game left, besides Montreal of course, that will dictate playoff seeding and possibly be a preview of a Division Final. Until the real games start, Go USA and Let’s go B’s!

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.

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.
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.
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 News – Loui Eriksson & The Next 5 Games

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Before we get to this cheap shot, the worst I have seen since the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard, let’s talk about this nice run the Boston Bruins have been on. In this most recent 5 game stretch the Bruins played well enough to win in most of the games, rounding out with a 4-1 record, including three division road wins. The goal tending for the Bruins has been terrific and the Bruins have slowly started to score goals, including Jerome Iginla, finally. I think that Jerome Iginla’s lack of scoring touch this season has been overblown. He has done a great job of setting up his teammates and working hard all season. It is great to see him finally get rewarded with some goals recently.

The two most concerning games the Bruins played were against Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers, a 3-2 win and the one game they dropped to the Devils 4-3. You could even throw in the game they won against the San Jose Sharks 2-1. The Boston Bruins came out of the gates flying, especially against Florida and New Jersey, jumping out to 2-0 and 3-1 leads after the first period. Sometime during the first intermission, Bruins decided that a two goal lead was enough to shut it down for the night and put it in cruise control. They then went on to blow the leads, a tie in the case of Florida, and blow the lead completely against an inept New Jersey team. Now, I realize that these are games in October and in the grand scheme of things that doesn’t mean a lot. That being said, it is hard to believe that it is acceptable for Coach Claude Julian or for the fans to watch a team float around for 2 periods. You won’t hear me say a peep about floating late in the 3rd period up by 2 goals but to do so in the 2nd is unacceptable and needs to get cleaned up.

At the end of the day, the Bruins went 4-1 over a 5 game span and picked up great road division wins. We were even lucky enough to get a crazy game winning goal by David Krejci allowing the Boston Bruins to win a game they had no business winning against the San Jose Sharks.

However, all of that effort feels like it was diminished by what John Scott did to Loui Eriksson up in Buffalo. In one of the most despicable, cowardly acts I have seen, John Scott targeted Loui Eriksson for reasons unknown and has put him out of commission for the foreseeable future. The fact that Scott targeted one of the games nice guys only makes him and the Buffalo Sabres coaching staff look horrible. My question is, why was Scott on the ice during the last half of the 3rd period? This is a man who has 1 career goal and 5 career points. He certainly was not on the ice to try and help Buffalo chip away at a two goal Boston lead halfway through the third period. He even said himself that he is not a goal scorer and that is not his role on the team. Well, what is is role? To attack and intimidate skill players like when John Scott attacked Phil Kessel in the preseason (see above .gif)? This guy should be out of the league altogether and I appreciate that Brandon Shanahan suspended Scott indefinitely, but somehow it still doesn’t justify his disgusting act. We can all only pray for a speedy recovery (or a full recovery at all) for Loui Eriksson.

Who’s Next?

A couple of big games I am looking forward to is a match up on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins this Wednesday followed by a game in Boston against the Anaheim Ducks, a game that will be attended by Yours Truly. But the big game that all of us Bruins Believers, including myself, that we circled back on July 4th is upon us. Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars will be coming down up to Boston on Tuesday, November 5th. That game follows what is sure to be a fun game to watch against the young upstart New York Islanders. After the Showdown with Seguin, the Bruins will wrap up the week against division opponents in Boston, the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. I am sure all of the folks in Toronto have been waiting to get their hands on the Bruins after what happened in the playoffs back in April. It will be a lot of fun as most of Boston shifts it’s focus away from baseball and back squarely on the Bruins.

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @BruinsBeliever for all of my in-game thoughts and don’t forget to tweet at me if you also plan on going to the game against Anaheim. Let’s go Bs!

Boston Bruins 2013-2014 Season Review: The First 5 Games

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The season started off with a bang thanks to Chris Kelly and his short-handed penalty shot goal opening night vs. Tampa Bay. The Boston Bruins went on to win that game 3-1 and the season was off and running. The Boston Bruins game against the Tampa Bay Lightning opening night was a great way to start off the season. The Bruins wasted no time in playing their brand of Bruins Hockey with 2 shorthanded goals. It was a game where they physically dominated their opponent and took away their best weapon in Steven Stamkos.

I was very excited for the start of the new division rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings. And even though we are only 5 games into the season, we have seen the last of the Red Wings in Boston, barring a playoff match up. The Bruins ended up splitting the two games with the Wings, winning the first match up, a 4-1 victory and a lose in the second game 3-2. The first game was a must win for the Bruins with Detroit at the tail end of a 3 games in 4 nights stretch and were very clearly fatigued. My biggest takeaway from these games was the special teams play from the Bruins. The Bruins did a great job of shutting down Detroit’s power play while establishing their own. The Bruins and their new power play look, with Zdeno Chara down low, came out with 2 goals from the first game including this beauty from Chara after an amazing feed from Torey Krug (skip to 25 seconds):

The games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche were very similar because the Bruins put forth a very strong effort in each game. The Bruins played a great game against Colorado but, unfortunately, the Bruins ran into a very hot goaltender in J.S. Giguere. Colorado scored on a deflected shot on the power play and the Bruins couldn’t manage a goal as they fell 2-0. The game against the Blue Jackets was similar except for the fact that the Bruins were able to put the puck in the net. The two newest Bruins each played a crucial role in the Bruins 3-1 win. The first goal was due to a tremendous individual effort by Jerome Iginla and the second, and eventual game-winner was the first goal in a Boston Bruins uniform by Loui Eriksson.

Overall, I am very happy with the effort and intensity the Bruins have played with throughout the season thus far. In the not-so-distant past, the Bruins have struggled in afternoon games, usually coming out slow and flat-footed. But so far I have loved seeing the team ready to go for these early afternoon games. I am enjoying watching the Boston Bruins on the power play for the first time in years due to the strategy of putting Zdeno Chara down in front of the net and allowing Torey Krug and David Krejci to make plays in space. The Bruins have already scored a handful of power play and shorthanded goals this season and have shown an huge improvement especially on the power play.

Who’s Next: New Division Rivals & Old Friends

The Bruins have three consecutive division road division games up next. The first is in Florida against old friend Tim Thomas and second game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I am looking forward to having these two teams in the division because with all of the other teams being tough and competitive, it will be nice to play these two teams that appear to be doormats. After those games it is another road division game where the Bruins will visit the Buffalo Sabres. Following that the Boston Bruins will be welcoming Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks to the Garden.

Watching the Bruins has been and should continue to be fun, especially watching how Coach Claude Julien continues to rotate his defensemen. A separate blog on that topic will follow. Until then, remember to follow me on twitter @BruinsBeliever for my in-game analysis and for quick hit thoughts. Thanks for reading, and as always: Lets Go Bs!

2014 Boston Bruins Season Preview & Predictions

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Finally, after a long summer Bruins Hockey is back! I know that I couldn’t be more excited for the season to start, even with the shortest off-season in NHL history. The best part is core of this team is intact and not going anywhere for a while. However, it will be a different team to watch; and not just because of these new jersey patches.

Changes:

While I am sad about the loss of Nathan Horton, I believe that Jerome Iginla can step in his place and fit in perfectly. In fact, he could be more valuable due to his penalty killing ability and leadership on and off the ice. With Iginla comes leadership and the hunger to win a Cup and win now. This is a guy who won’t take any nights off and, hopefully, can keep Milan Lucic’s skates moving during the regular season.

The Bruins also made a huge blockbuster trade, ridding themselves of Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley. Those two are guys who didn’t fit in the Bruins system. They are finesse guys who don’t like to get in the corners and grind. I do think Seguin will have great regular season success throughout his career but, I don’t see him being able to lead a team on a long playoff run. Does this story of a Boston Bruins former first round pick sound similar Bruins fans? Loui Eriksson has the makings of a guy who can go out and play Bruins Hockey. He ads some much needed size to the Bergeron line and will go into the corners and win the puck. Plus Eriksson has some moves too!

Boston Bruins 2014 Season Predictions:

Boston Bruins Leading Goal Scorer: David Krejci. This was a tough choice for me because I see this Bruins team being similar to last season’s where 4 or 5 different guys will be right around the same goal level. I decided on Krejci because he is the skill guy on a line with Lucic and Iginla who will feed the puck to the middle for him.

Boston Bruins 7th Player Award: Carl Soderberg. If you are looking for a guy to break out this year this is it. From everything I have seen in camp and the preseason, Soderberg is primed to have a big year, even on the 3rd line. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees power play time sooner rather than later.

Boston Bruins Team MVP: Tuukka Rask. I know this isn’t a huge reach but with a lot of young defensemen out there night in and night out, Tuukka is going to have to continue to be the backbone of this team along with Zdeno Chara.

2014 NHL MVP: John Tavares. It’s time for him to get the recognition he deserves.

Presidents Trophy: Chicago Blackhawks. While the Bruins division was made much stronger with the addition of Detroit, Chicago’s was made significantly weaker with no challenger in sight.

Vezina Trophy: Tuukka Rask. I am trying real hard to not make this a homer pick but I can’t do it. The fact that Tuukka wasn’t even a finalist last year enraged me.

Boston Bruins 2014 Season Prediction: Stanley Cup Champions. (They don’t call me a Believer for nothing.) Let’s face it anything outside of a top 4 finish in the league would be disappointing. High expectations? Yes, but they have earned it with their recent success. The Boston Bruins have all of the necessary parts to make another cup run, most importantly, adding two veterans eager to win their first cup with Eriksson and especially Iginla. Yes, the division will be tougher with the addition of Detroit, the growth Toronto has shown, and the usual pains-in-the-ass up in Montreal but, the Bruins don’t necessarily need to win the division (in the regular season) to reach the ultimate goal. In recent Cup runs the B’s have shown the willingness and the ability to win big games on the road.

NHL Final Four: Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles

Stanley Cup Final: Boston in 6 vs. Los Angeles. You have no idea how much I struggled with the fact that I picked the Bruins to win The Cup. I was scared to type out those thoughts but I had to make a prediction. I don’t think Detroit can handle playing in the more physical Northeast Division (or whatever they are calling it now) over the course of the season and into the playoffs. The only reason I didn’t pick Chicago to go to the finals again is because no team has repeated in the NHL since 1997 and that’s no coincidence, in my opinion it is the hardest thing to do in sports.

There you have it. I am looking forward to a new season with this team. Don’t forget to follow BruinsBeliever on Twitter for quick thoughts and updates. Let’s Go B’s!

2013 Boston Bruins Off-Season: Past, Present, & Future, 2013 NHL Draft

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Past: Andrew Ference & Nathan Horton

Andrew Ference was a class act on and off the ice for the Boston Bruins. He really went out of his way to immerse himself as member of the community. Whether it was serving food at soup kitchens or even stopping and talking with fans on the street he was always polite and willing to share his time with us Normal Joes. You could not ask for more in a team leader. He always united and lead the team through his playoff jackets/chains as well as giving fans behind-the-scenes insight with his Twitter account @Ferknuckle. My favorite on-ice Andrew Ference moment will always be scoring his tying goal in Game 6 in Montreal back in 2011 and his subsequent ‘equipment malfunction’. If that is not a way to endear yourself to Bruins fans everywhere I don’t know what does. So long Andrew Ference, you will be missed and you will always be a Bruin.

Nathan Horton informed the Bruins this weekend that he will be looking for a “new beginning” and he will be moving on. I will always look back fondly on the playoff heroics of Nathan Horton. Including when he was injured when Nathan Horton poured water on the ice in Vancouver. His playoff game winner against Montreal will be burned into my mind as a turning point when I knew that Bruins team would be something special. All I knew my entire life watching and believing in the Bruins was that, when it comes to playing Montreal in the playoffs, we always lose. That is, until Nathan Horton scored in Game 7 in overtime. Thanks for the memories Horty.

Present: Tyler Seguin

All weekend BruinsBeliever found myself checking my phone all weekend because every time I looked, there was a new trade rumor that included Tyler Seguin. My first thought was that the Bruins were only using trade talks as motivation for Tyler Seguin to get his ass in gear this off-season. I agree that a message needed to be sent to Seguin because his post-season performance was completely unacceptable for someone making over 6 million dollars per year. Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli all but confirmed that the Boston Bruins were actively shopping him prior to Nathan Horton’s announcement that he will not return. Chiarelli also had this gem of a quote regarding Seguin: “He needs to focus all his mind and energy on hockey. He needs to be a better pro.” That quote makes it crystal clear that the Bruins were dissatisfied at how Seguin handled himself in the off-season last year and that they thought he got a little lazy after signing the big contract. Seguin could be playing for with his Boston Bruins career on the line next season, and I hope he shows some urgency.

The Future: Linus Arnesson and Vincent Lecavalier?

Once the top 10 picks of the draft went by, and Tyler Seguin took a deep breath knowing he was still a Bruin, it was clear that the Bruins were not going to do any trading up and would be stuck with their first pick of the draft being at the end of the 2nd round, pick 60. There, the Bruins selected Linus Arnesson from Sweden. I will be honest and say that my subscription to Swedish League Hockey expired, so I have not seen Arnesson play with my own eyes. I can only share with you what I have read. He is a big defenseman who usually makes smart plays with the puck. He is also an offensive minded defenseman which should help him in an organization filled with stonewall defense-first defenseman. He is still many years away but it is always fun to think about how he could fit on the Bruins down the line.

Vincent Lecavalier would be an immediate fix to a hole in the Bruins top forward line. The Boston Bruins had a secret meeting with Lecavalier and his agent over the draft weekend. Although he has been a center his throughout most of his career, he has expressed willingness to move over to wing. He doesn’t have much speed left in the tank but he as plenty of creativity left and would be a welcome addition to the Bruins, especially on the power play.

BruinsBeliever is looking forward to following the Bruins this off-season as free agency is coming. Don’t forget to follow BruinsBeliever on Twitter for all of the latest updates.

2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 6 Recap

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Game 6 Recap

All things considered this BruinsBeliever will keep my head held high. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in this team. Did the way it went down suck? Yup, it certainly did. The Bruins went from a 2-1 lead to a 3-2 deficit in 17 seconds. Another defensive collapse from a team that was full of them during the regular season, finally reared its ugly head during the postseason in a collapse eerily similar to that of the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins gave the solid effort that I knew they would give. Right now it is not worth placing any blame or rehashing this game. We all saw how it went down and nothing else needs to be said.

The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team from the start of the season all the way through to the end. They play the game the right way and I have no issues losing to a team like Chicago. Before the playoffs started some fellow BruinsBelievers and myself were discussing our 2nd favorite NHL team and we all agreed that Chicago would be that team. So hats off to you Chicago, you earned it.

Already, some injury news has leaked just minutes after the season finale. We now finally found out what was ailing Patrice Bergeron. Perhaps I should just rephrase to what is healthy for Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron was suffering from a broken rib, torn cartilage, and a separated shoulder. The trip to the hospital in Chicago was prompted by concern over his spleen due to his broken rib. I know many more injury stories will be coming out in the days ahead for both teams and you can count on Zdeno Chara to be on that list. The Boston captain had to be playing with some kind of injury with the effort he was putting forward towards the end of the playoff run. Nathan Horton can now finally get his shoulder fixed, as it was clear it has been hanging by a thread. I am going to let the injury stories play out before I cast judgement on the finals performance of any player.

What’s Next for BruinsBeliever

So I am sure you are wondering, what is next for BruinsBeliever now that the ride has ended? Well, we will have plenty of off season chatter to keep me busy over the course of less than 3 months. One of the few benefits of the lockout was an extended season which means a shorter off-season. The NHL Draft is this weekend and I will have some thoughts on that, even though the Bruins do not have a first round pick thanks to the Bruins advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in the Jagr deal. I will also be handing out grades to every player on the Bruins, one for the regular season and one for the post-season, as well as an overall positional group grade. I will give my take when there is a big off-season signing. Tuukka Rask is a restricted free agent and big names like Nathan Horton and Andrew Ference are unrestricted free agents. There will be plenty of time to get ready for next season and it will be nice not having a lockout hanging over the off-season.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @BruinsBeliever and I will be tweeting throughout the off-season whenever new blogs are posted. Thanks for reading and keep Believing, I know I will be. Let’s go Bruins!

2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Game 5 Recap & Game 6 Preview

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Game 5 Recap

Many are wondering whether the Bruins Stanley Cup hopes went out in an ambulance last night with the mysterious injury to Patrice Bergeron. I believe that the Bruins still have a shot at the Stanley Cup regardless of who is injured, but this is by far one of the biggest blows they could take. Yes, the Chicago Blackhawks were missing Jonathan Toews for the majority of the third period after a crushing hit by Johnny Boychuck, but something tells me the Blackhawks’ captain would have hit the ice had the Bruins tied the score. Today it appears that the injury to Bergeron may not be as bad as first thought, no one can know his status for Game 6. It appears as though Toews will give it a go Monday night for Chicago.

Once again, the Bruins struggled early, although they bounced back nicely towards the end of the first period, they were dominated throughout the 2nd period. Chara was once again a minus 2 after the first 2 periods and it appears as though the Chicago strategy of taking away time and space for him and Dennis Seidenberg is working. Claude Julien responded by splitting up the pair at the start of the third period and kept them apart for the remainder of the game.

Not enough pucks went on net for the Bruins. While Chicago was content with throwing as many pucks as possible on Tuukka Rask, who was tremendous down the stretch, the Bruins were being way to cute with the puck. Too many times they had me shouting in my living room, like a ‘pink hat’ fan during a power play, “Shoot it!”. David Krejci was the worst offender last night as too many times he opted for the extra pass which allowed the Blackhawks defenders to close down the shooting lanes. The Bruins never made Crawford work all night and that is disappointing given the amount of times they lit him up during Game 4.

Game 6 Preview

Well, this is it. The Stanley Cup will be in the building on Monday night and let’s hope that it stays in its case. If ever there was a time when you needed a strong effort from everyone at the jump, you would have to assume Monday night would be the time. As Tuukka Rask said after Game 5, “It’s kind of sad that we’ve got to lose a guy [Bergeron] like that to wake the team up and start battling out there.” I am very happy to hear Tuukka call out his teammates after that last game, because someone has to. Too many times now, this team has come out of the dressing room sleepwalking and that would be an unacceptable way to go out when the Stanley Cup is in the building. I am expecting a much stronger, consistent effort from the Bruins.

As for potential lineup changes, I am fairly certain that Toews will be in the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6. For the Bruins however, it will be tough to predict what would happen with the Bergeron injury. If Bergeron is out, any one of these scenarios could play out: the most likely would be to move Chris Kelly up to center the second line, Soderberg could keep centering that line, Rich Peverley could be brought up from the 4th line, or, least likely, Tyler Seguin could finally get his shot to play some center on that second line. Look for Daugavins to get some play back in the lineup if Bergeron can’t go. I would also expect Claude Julien to keep Chara and Seidenberg separated as the D pairs return to their regular season pairings.

All in all, this has been one heck of a series. I know that the Garden crowd will be hyped and ready to go. The Bruins need to feed off the energy in the building and come ready to play. Remember what happened in 2011 in this same scenario, anything can happen with this Bruins team. It can be done, and this team is far from done. I believe it can happen. It starts with a win. Lets Go Bs!

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

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Game 4 Recap

One 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!

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

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Game 2 Recap

The 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!

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