Tag Archives: Shawn Thornton

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!

Overcoming Injuries & Still Winning

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Seidenberg KneeI feel like at this point in the season I know most of the Providence Bruins roster, and that isn’t because I have been making the 40 minute drive down there. It is because of the obscene number of injuries that have befallen the Bruins, most of them since the Thornton suspension. Since his suspension, the Bruins have lost Loui Eriksson for an indeterminate amount of time, Chris Kelly for a few months and Dennis Seidenberg for the season. There were a few games where I thought we would see the Boston Bruins just throw in the towel and give up but, they powered through adversity, played hard, and earned victories all while giving their prospects some run and managing the minutes of Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask.

First, let’s start behind the blue line. Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuck, Dougie Hamilton, and Adam McQuaid have all missed a significant amount of time. In their place, the Bruins have called up Kevan Miller, David Warsofsky, and Zach Trotman and all of done pretty well in their brief stints. I was very impressed with the local kid Warsofsky, and not just because he went to BU. He showed a Krug-like flash of offensive skill that could be a huge asset in the future. Claude Julian was so impressed Warsofsky saw some power play time in the place of Dougie Hamilton. Kevan Miller has done so well during his time, that the Bruins have called him up on a permanent basis. He will remain on the roster for the remainder of the season which of course fuels the hot stove trade talk. With Dennis Seidenberg’s season ending knee tear (see above photo) I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins go out and make a move for a veteran defenseman.

The forwards had their own issues with two centers and three wingers out due to suspension and injury. Shawn Thornton, Loui Eriksson, Carl Soderberg, Chris Kelly,  and Daniel Paille all missed time with either suspension or injuries. It was a hodgepodge of replacements called up for a game or two and then immediately sent down for the next. The list includes: Ryan Spooner, Matt Fraser, Nick Johnson, Justin Florek, and Craig Cunningham. Spooner has been tremendous and we have seen him grow up during his entire stay in Boston. Matt Fraser has also been a pleasant surprise and saw some time on the penalty kill.

What’s Next?

Now the Bruins are heading out west for tilts against the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. Shawn Thornton’s suspension will finally come to an end against the Sharks on Saturday which will help provide an emotional boost in time for a division game back in Boston against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yours Truly will be there and I am pretty pumped about it because games against Toronto are always fun. Then, it’s off to visit Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars followed by a Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the Chicago Blackhawks. There are some really exciting games in this stretch of quality opponents and I am looking forward to watching every minute (yes even these late nights against the West). Follow me on twitter @BruinsBeliever and check back for updates. 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.

  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!