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.
Bruins versus Canadians. It is the best rivalry in sports. Period. End of discussion. We now know that Game 1 will be on Thursday night at the Garden followed by a matinee at the Garden on Saturday. I can’t wait to get this series going. We all know how this series is going to go. It will grind us out, and kill us a little inside. Let’s pretend that numbers matter in this rivalry and take a look at how this series should play out.
Special Teams:
Traditionally we usually see a strong power play unit from the Canadians and a strong penalty kill for the Bruins. During the regular season and thus far in the playoffs we have seen the Bruins dominate in both areas of the game. The Bruins were 3rd in the league in the regular season on the power play while Montreal was 19th. On the penalty kill both teams were in the top 10 with the Canadians ranking higher than the Bruins. However, in the playoffs, the Bruins have been the best team on the power play while Montreal is the worst team remaining on the penalty kill. Advantage: Bruins
Forwards:
The Montreal Canadians had only 1 goal scorer over 20 goals this season, and that was Max Pacioretty with 39. The Bruins have a balanced attack and get great scoring production from all lines and from many different players. One advantage that the Bruins feasted on during the Detroit series that, most likely, will not be the case this time is third line production. The Canadians have a solid third line of Rene Bourque, Lars Eller, and Brian Gionta that will match up fairly well with the Bruins third line of Carl Soderberg, Louis Eriksson, and Justin Florek(?). The addition of Paille for Boston will be a huge help on the 4th line and in penalty killing. Advantage: Bruins
Defense:
This one isn’t even close. The Bruins have been great all year defensively and with the addition of Dougie Hamilton stepping his game up offensively, I don’t see any holes for the Bruins. The Canadians have P.K. Subban, who is a great offensive weapon but can struggle when he is caught in the back-end. Top to bottom it is a clean sweep. (Did I mention that Dennis Seidenberg started practicing with the Bruins in non-contact drills?) Advantage: Bruins
Goaltending:
Carey Price did not play a single game against the Bruins this season as the Habs went with Peter Budaj in all 4 games. The playoffs are a time where you have to ride your guy, and despite his struggles against the Bruins, Price will be the starter, but he could have a short leash. Tuukka Rask has had his struggles against Montreal especially in the Belle Centre. Ultimately, you can’t pick against Rask and what he has done for the last two seasons. Advantage: Bruins
Coaching:
Michel Therrien is no match for Claude Julien strategically or in any other sense. Claude Julien is coming off a terrific series where he took every punch from Mike Babcock and countered perfectly each time. Just think Montreal, Julien was yours, you had him, and you let him walk to Boston. Thanks! Advantage: Bruins
Other Factors:
Player You Will Hate: P.K. Subban. This is section writes itself. Just watch the video above and look for number 76. The embellishing, diving, and goating the Bruins makes him the most hated player on the ice by fans and players alike.
Player Who Will Haunt Your Dreams: Thomas Vanek. This guy has scored more goals and has more points against the Bruins then any other team he has played against. Although the Bruins have kept him in-check this year; I can’t help but think history will rear its ugly head at some point.
Series Prediction:
On paper this looks like the Canadians should be a team that the Bruins should be able to handle very well. But this is Boston vs. Montreal. This is different. Too many flukey things happen against Montreal. Made up calls, weird bounces, fans calling 911 on a player, there is never a dull moment. This series will be no different. A key for the Bruins is to get on the power play as often as possible without resorting to the embellishment and diving tactics. Special teams is the biggest advantage the Bruins have and they need to play to it this series. This one is going to go down to the wire despite the Bruins best efforts. Let’s enjoy the ride and get ready to be angry, annoyed, pissed off, and (hopefully) thrilled. Prediction: Bruins in 7.
Solid road game performance put in by the Bruins tonight. The Bs got on top early with a great power play goal by Dougie Hamilton who took the puck in alone and beat Howard with a heck-of-a shot. That was followed up by a goal by none other than Jordan Caron (YES, Jordan Caron!) that gave the Bruins a quick 2-0 lead in a dominant first period. For the remainder of the game, the Bruins played a great defensively and frustrated the Red Wings as the game went on. Tuukka Rask played a big role as well coming up huge more than a couple of times in the third period including on a crucial penalty kill. Patrice Bergeron sealed the game with an empty net goal with just under two minutes left to put the icing on the cake in the third. The Bruins have taken back home ice advantage and, more importantly, have left the Red Wings with a lack of confidence in their ability to beat Rask and the Bruins defensive layers.
Game 4 Preview
After another stellar defensive outing by the Bruins I would expect Detroit to make some drastic personnel adjustments. Mike Babcock was already showing late in this game that he was willing to juggle his lines in a desperate attempt to generate offense when he moved up Nyquist to play with Datsyuk and Abdulkater. I would expect more line juggling, as well as getting Daniel Alfredsson back in the lineup for Game 4 on Thursday. Game 4 is a must win for the Red Wings and they will be pulling out all the stops at home. I can easily see this game going to overtime in a low scoring affair. I will stick with my original prediction of Bruins in 6 so I will give this game to Detroit which would even the series heading back to Boston. Anything is possible in this series and I am looking forward to it.
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.
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!
This blog is uncharted territory for the BruinsBeliever because haven’t had to recap a loss. Somehow, even after watching 5 hours of hockey and almost 2 games worth, I can’t wait for Saturday. The Bruins and Blackhawks are two evenly matched teams who have the same strengths (5 on 5 play, shot blocking and goaltending) and have the same weaknesses (power play, and a knack for taking too many men on the ice penalties). These Stanley Cup Finals games are very entertaining to watch and it showed as NBC and the NHL enjoyed the highest viewership in 16 years.
The Blackhawks had most of the puck bounces go their way throughout the game but they really came to light on the last 2 goals of the game. The game tying goal was scored on a shot that deflected off the skates of Andrew Ference, and the eventual winner was scored off of a double deflection. That being said, the Blackhawks were more deserving of the win than the Bruins because, down the stretch, they out shot the Bruins and were skating circles around them during the third period and into the first overtime.
This was the first game where the absence of Gregory Campbell played a factor. Since his absence, Coach Claude Julien and The Bruins have stopped rolling all 4 lines in the fashion that they had done throughout the season. Usually, longer games tend to favor the Bruins with their approach to rolling 4 lines and as a result, are fresher than the teams that don’t. The loss of Soupy, coupled with the Horton shoulder injury, left the Bruins shorthanded for the overtime. The play of Shawn Thornton can be somewhat reckless at times, but he should get more overtime minutes then the less than 10 he received for the night.
The goats of the game last night include two of the usual suspects and a new face. The play of Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley has been pretty awful throughout the playoffs and the trend continued last night. Kelly was a -3 last night while Peverley was a -2. When the Bruins won the Cup back in 2011, they received tremendous production from the 3rd line of Kelly, Peverley, and Michael Ryder. That has been distant memory during this postseason especially for Kelly. In the past, at least Kelly was able to win some faceoffs, but last night he was below .500 in that respect. Torey Krug also had a bad night. After the game, Tuukka Rask called out Torey Krug calling his play on the 2nd Blackhawks goal a “Terrible turnover”. As a result ,Krug was benched after the turnover until seeing time in the overtime periods where he was on the ice for the overtime winner.
Game 2 Preview:
As of now, it doesn’t look like Nathan Horton will be in the lineup for Saturday’s night and I have seen some tweets regarding Torey Krug’s status in the lineup. My best guess as to what Claude will do with the lineup is, begrudgingly move Tyler Seguin up to the top line with Krejci and Lucic. In his place, as much as I want Carl Soderberg to be ready, I don’t think that he is quite yet. The two guys bidding for a spot on the third line are the grizzly vet Jay Pandolfo or Jordan Caron. My money is on Caron right now. He has the legs and is a better fit speed-wise than Pandolfo. As for Krug, I don’t think you can take him out just quite yet despite his play slipping. He still has great power play skills and is the only speed coming out of the Bruins back end right now. If Claude decides the Krug experiment has run its course, he will turn to veteran Wade Redden to fill in. If the Bruins should go down by 2 games, I would only be a 6 out of 10 on the panic meter, barring a Chicago blowout of course. But I don’t expect that to happen. I am expecting the Bruins to buckle down and tie up loose ends defensively while keeping their legs moving in the offensive zone. I think we will see a 3-1 Bruins win Saturday and a knotted up series coming home to Boston. Let’s go B’s!
The easy way for me to recap Game 3 would be to discuss the nearly flawless performance of Tuukka Rask or the awe inspiring toughness of Gregory Campbell. There will be more on those items later but first I will delve into my observations from Section 329 last night.
Most of my pregame interactions were that fans that were chomping at the bit to get in the ears of some of the hated Penguins. If I were to guess the order of most hated down to plain old hated I would rank them 1. Matt Cooke, 2. Sidney Crosby, then Jerome Iginla. This video of Bruins fans taunting Matt Cooke while he was in the penalty box makes me proud to be a member of this fanbase (seriously, no sarcasm was intended). If that doesn’t describe the vitriol of people that were in that arena, nothing else will.
Overall, I thought the Bruins played a very lackluster game and did not necessarily put out their best effort consistently during regulation. David Krejci scoring a goal early into the game was key for the Bruins because it allowed them to settle into their style of defensive hockey. We learned, during regulation anyway, that the Penguins can play the rough, defensive style of hockey for 60 minutes and hang with the Bruins. Due to the Bruins often criticized strategy of rolling 4 lines, they were the fresher team and it showed in both overtime periods. Other then 2 unacceptable, inexcusable too many men on the ice penalties, the Bruins played extremely well and the Penguins were beginning to fade. Finally with less than 5 minutes to play Jaromir Jagr made a tremendous play along the boards to win the puck away from Evgeni Malkin, who was the Penguins best player by far last night. Of course, the Penguins couldn’t resist some whining about officiating on a possible hook by Jaromir Jagr on Evgeni Malkin. Marchand was able to show patience and the Bruins created a carbon copy goal of the Game 1 overtime winner against the Rangers.
Tuukka Rask was absolutely outstanding last night. He was the best, most consistent player on the ice throughout the entire game. He is coming into his own as a goaltender and this game could be the shining moment he needed making 53 saves on 54 shots. He has given up just 3 goals in his last 4 games! There is nothing more that can be said about his performance thus far, the numbers speak for themselves. I believe that he ranks above David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron as my potential Conn Smythe winner thus far.
No one showed more courage and determination than Gregory Campbell going down to block a shot, breaking his leg, and continuing to do his job and attempt to kill the penalty. He stayed in passing lanes and even attempted to block a shot on one leg. Make no mistake about it, the Bruins will rally around his injury, and use it as a battle cry for the rest of the playoffs. We will be seeing this sequence below for years to come, especially in the awesome “Because It’s The Cup” commercial series. If you have a few minutes I would highly recommend watching the sequence again. My hats off to you Soupy!
Game 4 Preview
Most of the questions surrounding Game 4 are, did the Bruins take the Penguins best shot they had left & how will the Bruins lines look with the Campbell injury? As for the prior, I believe that the Penguins will not go quietly onto the golf course so to speak. Having said that, I do believe that the Bruins took the best shot the Penguins had at trying to play the grinding style of hockey to win against Boston and they still came up short. One can only guess what that does to the psyche of a team that is already doubting their ability to score goals, especially on the power play which was the best in the league all season.
My gut feeling on how the Bruins will make the adjustment to their lines, without Campbell, is to move Rich Peverley to center the 4th line and move Daniel Paille up to the 3rd line with Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin. I do think that coach Claude Julien will most likely bring in Kaspars Daugavins to play along side Peverley and Thornton. However, I have a sneaky suspicion that we may see a little bit of Jay Pandolfo before this playoff run is through. Julien loves his trusted veterans, especially on the penalty kill, and Pandolfo showed early this year that he is up to the task. We might have to wait until next year before our next glimpse of Carl Soderberg, who is sure to be a part of the Bruins long term strategy going forward. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, we will be breaking out the brooms tomorrow night! Let’s Go B’s!
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!
Game 1 & 2 Recap: The Split
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