Patrice Bergeron was everywhere on Monday night - even the penalty box.
In a rare occurrence, the Bruins star center took a hooking penalty 30 seconds into the third period, adding two minutes to his 10 already served this year...then made it up to his teammates. Big Time.
Bergeron backhanded his 9th goal of the season midway through the 3rd period to tie the game, then nailed the game winning goal in the shootout to lead the struggling Bruins to a much needed 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden in downtown Boston.
Milan Lucic netted his 5th of the year and goal tender Tuukka Rask stopped 23 of 25 shots in regulation and overtime, then stoned two of three Maple Leafs attempts in the shootout, winning his 15th of the season for the Bruins, who improved to 21-7-3 overall.
Joffrey Lupul scored his 4th and Nikolai Kulemin his 5th while netminder James Reimer stopped 27 shots but only 1 of 3 in the shootout as the Maple Leafs dropped to 17-12-4.
With the win, Boston takes over the lead of the Northeast Division from the Montreal Canadiens, who just happen to be the Bruins' next opponent on Wednesday night. Their 45 points are miraculously somehow only five points less than than Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.
Since blowing a late lead against the Candiens in Boston just over a three weeks ago, the Bruins have struggled to find consistency and have blown late leads and fared poorly against teams currently in the playoff picture, including a pair to the Penguins...and almost a pair to the Maple Leafs until Lucic woke up the sleepwalking Bruins with his goal in the second.
Lupul scored his goal at 2:04 of the second period on the man advantage and Kulemin his on a breakaway at 8:01, taking a perfect pass from Nazim Kadri and splitting the Boston defenders for an easy wrister past a helpless Rask before Lucic beat three Toronto defenders after taking a Rich Peverley pass, weaving in from the blue line and lining a wrister through the five hole to get the Bruins within one.
Halfway through a physical and chippy third period, Brad Marchand kept a puck in the attacking zone with spirited play at the blue line and dumped the puck deep where defenseman Dougie Hamilton got to it and traversed the back of the net, flipping a pass right on Bergeron's tape, who squeezed the puck between Reimer's glove side and the post to knot the score at 2-2.
An uneventful overtime period led to the shootout, where Tyler Seguin and Bergeron both beat Reimer while Rask stopped two on the other end to preserve the victory.
The Leafs caught a red eye right after tonight's loss to get home in time to host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night before hosting the Hurricanes on Thursday while the Bruins finally get the Habs back in the Garden on Wednesday night, then take a short roadie to Philadelphia and then Buffalo on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Yes, the Bruins finally get their hated rivals back on Wednesday night, a game that they've been waiting for since skating off the TD Garden ice three weeks ago after blowing a 3rd period lead against the Habs, with a chance to break the spell that the Canadiens wove in their heads in that physical contest...
...and perhaps the feeling that a big monkey climbed on the Bruins' collective back that night in early March was correct after all, as the Bruins have been searching for a consistent effort ever since, with Boston coach Claude Julien even trying to change the lines around to spark something - anything - proper out of his team.
Luckily, this is a talented Bruins team that have gotten by with that talent and a bit of good fortune while awaiting this rematch. Now Boston has to make good their opportunity and give that stupid monkey the beating of it's life - oh, and the Habs, too.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Khudobin shines in net, stops Senators 2-1
Dennis Seidenberg sure did pick a good time to score his first goal of the season
Thirty games into the abreviated NHL season, the Bruins defenseman lined a wicked slapshot past Ottawa goal tender Robin Lehner with a mere minute and change left in regulation for the game winner as the Bruins beat the Senators 2-1 at the ScotiaBank Arena in Ottawa on Thursday evening.
Daniel Paille netted his sixth of the season to answer Kaspar Daugavins' first of the season for the Senators who lost for the first time in four games and dropped to 16-9-6. The Bruins have won three straight in Ottawa this season and improved to 20-6-3 and trail the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins by 3 points.
Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin stopped 27 of 28 shots, many of them in spectacular, sprwaling fashion while Lehner stopped 27 shots as well, but allowed Seidenberg's drive in the waning seconds to spoil an equally impressive night in goal.
After a scoreless and relatively uneventful opening stanza, Daugavins took a pass along the boards from Mika Zibanejad and snapped a long range wrister over Khudobin's shoulder from a tough angle on the outer left circle to take a 1-0 lead which got the capacity crowd out of their seats, sensing that this might be their night...
...until Daniel Paille snapped one past Lehner from the face off spot in the right circle, taking a Johnny Boychuck feed and weaving into a clear firing position to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the final frame.
Appearing the the game was destined for overtime as both goalies were making incredible saves after being left on an island by sloppy defense on both sides, Seidenberg finally burned Lehner. Patrice Bergeron won a face off in the right circle, the puck sliding right to Zdeno Chara just inside the blue line who tapped the pass into Seidenberg's wheelhouse - the puck elevating through traffic and finding the back of the Ottawa net.
The Senators now enjoy a week of no travel, hosting Tampa Bay on Saturday, New Jersey on Monday, the Rangers on Thursday and Toronto next Saturday while the Bruins head to Toronto for the first game of a hone and home series against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, returning home to host the Leafs on Monday - the big rematch with the hated Montreal Canadiens looming on Wednesday...
...and thank the Hockey Gods for that. Ever since blowing a third period lead against the Canadiens back on March 2nd, the Bruins have turned in inconsistent efforts - almost as if losing in that fashion to their most hated rival immediately set forth a target date for revenge...and now that it's on the horizon the Bruins have the opportunity to get that monkey off their backs and get back to the business of dominating teams with bruising defense and, hopefully, finding their dormant offense.
Thirty games into the abreviated NHL season, the Bruins defenseman lined a wicked slapshot past Ottawa goal tender Robin Lehner with a mere minute and change left in regulation for the game winner as the Bruins beat the Senators 2-1 at the ScotiaBank Arena in Ottawa on Thursday evening.
Daniel Paille netted his sixth of the season to answer Kaspar Daugavins' first of the season for the Senators who lost for the first time in four games and dropped to 16-9-6. The Bruins have won three straight in Ottawa this season and improved to 20-6-3 and trail the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins by 3 points.
Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin stopped 27 of 28 shots, many of them in spectacular, sprwaling fashion while Lehner stopped 27 shots as well, but allowed Seidenberg's drive in the waning seconds to spoil an equally impressive night in goal.
After a scoreless and relatively uneventful opening stanza, Daugavins took a pass along the boards from Mika Zibanejad and snapped a long range wrister over Khudobin's shoulder from a tough angle on the outer left circle to take a 1-0 lead which got the capacity crowd out of their seats, sensing that this might be their night...
...until Daniel Paille snapped one past Lehner from the face off spot in the right circle, taking a Johnny Boychuck feed and weaving into a clear firing position to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the final frame.
Appearing the the game was destined for overtime as both goalies were making incredible saves after being left on an island by sloppy defense on both sides, Seidenberg finally burned Lehner. Patrice Bergeron won a face off in the right circle, the puck sliding right to Zdeno Chara just inside the blue line who tapped the pass into Seidenberg's wheelhouse - the puck elevating through traffic and finding the back of the Ottawa net.
The Senators now enjoy a week of no travel, hosting Tampa Bay on Saturday, New Jersey on Monday, the Rangers on Thursday and Toronto next Saturday while the Bruins head to Toronto for the first game of a hone and home series against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, returning home to host the Leafs on Monday - the big rematch with the hated Montreal Canadiens looming on Wednesday...
...and thank the Hockey Gods for that. Ever since blowing a third period lead against the Canadiens back on March 2nd, the Bruins have turned in inconsistent efforts - almost as if losing in that fashion to their most hated rival immediately set forth a target date for revenge...and now that it's on the horizon the Bruins have the opportunity to get that monkey off their backs and get back to the business of dominating teams with bruising defense and, hopefully, finding their dormant offense.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Bruins again victimized by the vanishing late lead, fall to Jets 3-1
The Boston Bruins need to go to their happy place.
Particularly in the third period, because with the lead and the game on the line it looks like late collapses have gotten into the Bruins' heads and are threatening to become the culture...
...but while on the surface it may seem like the Bruins are just choking down the stretch, the truth is that the games are lost way before they venture that far. Case in point, on Tuesday night, the Bruins had the man advantage twice in the first period and not only couldn't score, but they failed to even generate a shot of goal.
There are many other examples of how the lack of intensity and aggressiveness are hurting the bullies, and when combined with the sudden rash of injuries, you get what you got in Winnipeg tonight and in Pittsbugh twice this season: the dreaded inevitable collapse.
The Bruins carried a 1-0 lead into the final frame courtesy of a Brad Marchand gift wrapped goal just eight seconds into the third period, but it wasn't enough as Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane score goals within 57 seconds of each other midway through the third period as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Bruins 3-1 on Tuesday night at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Wheeler added an empty net goal with just seconds to play to hand the Bruins their third consecutive road loss and second strait overall, falling two points behind Montreal in the Northeast Division...
...and at 16-12-2 the Jets take over the lead in the NHL's Southeast Division.
For the fifth time in six regulation time losses this season, the Bruins have blown a third period lead - and they all seem to involve the enemy scoring in bunches.
After a scoreless opening frame that saw fancy skating and tight defense, a freakish carom off the boards behind the red line found the puck in the crease in front of the Winnipeg net and a full speed Brad Marchand swept in from the left and slapped the puck past Jets' goal tender Ondrej Pavelec to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
That was all the Pavelec allowed to get behind him, making circus saves time and again to deny point blank Boston scoring opportunities.
That lead held until 8:16 left in the third when Wheeler tapped in the rebound off Boston goalie Tuukka Rask, who was victimized again 57 seconds later when Rask lost track of the rebound off of a Grant Clitsome shot and Kane snapped it home behind Rask for the game winner.
Winnipeg now gets to enjoy some more home cooking as they host the Washington Capitals on a rare back-to-back double dip on Thursday and Friday and then Tampa Bay on Sunday while the Bruins continue their thus far unsuccessful roadie at Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday before heading home to take on those same Maple Leafs on Monday.
When Happy Gilmore went to his "Happy Place", there were midgets running around, half-naked women toting pitchers of beer and his Grandma hitting the jackpot on a slot machine.
The Bruins would settle for a couple of more goals - because the problem isn't with the goaltending or the defense, and not necessarily all with the offense, but more with attitude - more aggression, trying to get that extra goal to pad a lead.
Because if this trend of late game collapses continues, it's going to become ingrained in the players' heads and in the culture of the team, and before you know it you're out on the golf course, wondering how it all went wrong...
...beating up other golfers, swearing at your ball, getting hit by Volkswagens...
Particularly in the third period, because with the lead and the game on the line it looks like late collapses have gotten into the Bruins' heads and are threatening to become the culture...
...but while on the surface it may seem like the Bruins are just choking down the stretch, the truth is that the games are lost way before they venture that far. Case in point, on Tuesday night, the Bruins had the man advantage twice in the first period and not only couldn't score, but they failed to even generate a shot of goal.
There are many other examples of how the lack of intensity and aggressiveness are hurting the bullies, and when combined with the sudden rash of injuries, you get what you got in Winnipeg tonight and in Pittsbugh twice this season: the dreaded inevitable collapse.
The Bruins carried a 1-0 lead into the final frame courtesy of a Brad Marchand gift wrapped goal just eight seconds into the third period, but it wasn't enough as Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane score goals within 57 seconds of each other midway through the third period as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Bruins 3-1 on Tuesday night at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Wheeler added an empty net goal with just seconds to play to hand the Bruins their third consecutive road loss and second strait overall, falling two points behind Montreal in the Northeast Division...
...and at 16-12-2 the Jets take over the lead in the NHL's Southeast Division.
For the fifth time in six regulation time losses this season, the Bruins have blown a third period lead - and they all seem to involve the enemy scoring in bunches.
After a scoreless opening frame that saw fancy skating and tight defense, a freakish carom off the boards behind the red line found the puck in the crease in front of the Winnipeg net and a full speed Brad Marchand swept in from the left and slapped the puck past Jets' goal tender Ondrej Pavelec to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
That was all the Pavelec allowed to get behind him, making circus saves time and again to deny point blank Boston scoring opportunities.
That lead held until 8:16 left in the third when Wheeler tapped in the rebound off Boston goalie Tuukka Rask, who was victimized again 57 seconds later when Rask lost track of the rebound off of a Grant Clitsome shot and Kane snapped it home behind Rask for the game winner.
Winnipeg now gets to enjoy some more home cooking as they host the Washington Capitals on a rare back-to-back double dip on Thursday and Friday and then Tampa Bay on Sunday while the Bruins continue their thus far unsuccessful roadie at Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday before heading home to take on those same Maple Leafs on Monday.
When Happy Gilmore went to his "Happy Place", there were midgets running around, half-naked women toting pitchers of beer and his Grandma hitting the jackpot on a slot machine.
The Bruins would settle for a couple of more goals - because the problem isn't with the goaltending or the defense, and not necessarily all with the offense, but more with attitude - more aggression, trying to get that extra goal to pad a lead.
Because if this trend of late game collapses continues, it's going to become ingrained in the players' heads and in the culture of the team, and before you know it you're out on the golf course, wondering how it all went wrong...
...beating up other golfers, swearing at your ball, getting hit by Volkswagens...
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Boston Bruins Gameday: Bruins dominate, still can't beat Penguins
One of these days the Boston Bruins will figure out how to beat those guys.
The Dominion held over the Bruins by the Pittsburgh Penguins is at a level that they are in the Bruins' heads, and today's effort by the Eastern Conference leading Penguins isn't going to help Boston rectify that any time soon.
NHL points leader Sidney Crosby and Joe Vitale both logged 1st period goals and backup goal tender Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 of 32 shots on goal as the shorthanded Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the dumbstruck Boston Bruins 2-1 at Consol Energy Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon
Boston Goaltender Tuukka Rask faced only 18 shots, stopping 16, but still took the loss. Tyler Seguin scored the Bruins lone goal for his 10th on the season. The loss dropped the Bruins to 19-5-3 and a full three points behind the Penguins in the race for the the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bruins did everything they needed to do, crisp passing, extended offensive sets in the Penguins zone, pelting the besieged Vokoun with nearly twice as many shots as the Bruins' defense allowed against Rask...but in the end, they just couldn't put the puck in the net.
The Penguins were without star center Evengi Malkin who has been out for five straight games, and top scoring defenseman Kris Letang for most of the contest, the result of a collision with Brad Marchand in the opening frame - but their depth and a focus on team defense helped them post their ninth consecutive victory.
"Our team defense has been a focus for us and how we play, and it's everybody," Penguins coach Don Bylsma said. "The responsibilities of our forwards in the defensive zone has been a key for us both offensively and defensively. In the defensive zone we're six guys defending there."
Crosby opened the scoring eight minutes in, taking a crossing passing and slapping the puck into the open net moments after being denied by Rask on a clean break after splitting Bruins' defensemen - the score coming just after the faceoff in the Boston zone after the failed attempt.
Seguin followed four and a half minutes later, firing a rocket past a helpless Vokoun as a centering pass deflected off of defenseman Johnny Boychuck's skate right into Seguin's wheelhouse. Vitale finished the scoring just 32 seconds before the end of the 1st period, slicing in from the right circle, going airborne and ripping the puck top shelf past a surprised Rask.
The final two periods saw plenty of spectacular saves and solid defense in what can only be termed as a playoff atmosphere, something not lost on Marchand. "They played pretty sound defensively, you've got to give them that even though their top guys were out," Marchand said. "That makes it a little bit tough to play against, but we've got to find a way."
Pittsburgh now turns it's focus to working on getting healthy and rested, taking on the Caps on Tuesday, then visting the Islanders on Friday night before returning home for a massive five game homestand starting Sunday against the Flyers, while the Bruins run the Polar Express, visiting Winnipeg on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday before returning home to host those same Maple Leafs next Monday.
"Thought we had a chance to win," Boston coach Claude Julien lamented following the game. "We spent more time in their end and we did all the things right except we couldn't get that goal. There was a couple of times where the goalie was out and we shot a puck and it looked like it was going, it hits a skate and goes wide and you get those games, you get those nights."
Just seems like those nights happen more often when their opponent is the Penguins...
The Dominion held over the Bruins by the Pittsburgh Penguins is at a level that they are in the Bruins' heads, and today's effort by the Eastern Conference leading Penguins isn't going to help Boston rectify that any time soon.
NHL points leader Sidney Crosby and Joe Vitale both logged 1st period goals and backup goal tender Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 of 32 shots on goal as the shorthanded Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the dumbstruck Boston Bruins 2-1 at Consol Energy Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon
Boston Goaltender Tuukka Rask faced only 18 shots, stopping 16, but still took the loss. Tyler Seguin scored the Bruins lone goal for his 10th on the season. The loss dropped the Bruins to 19-5-3 and a full three points behind the Penguins in the race for the the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bruins did everything they needed to do, crisp passing, extended offensive sets in the Penguins zone, pelting the besieged Vokoun with nearly twice as many shots as the Bruins' defense allowed against Rask...but in the end, they just couldn't put the puck in the net.
The Penguins were without star center Evengi Malkin who has been out for five straight games, and top scoring defenseman Kris Letang for most of the contest, the result of a collision with Brad Marchand in the opening frame - but their depth and a focus on team defense helped them post their ninth consecutive victory.
"Our team defense has been a focus for us and how we play, and it's everybody," Penguins coach Don Bylsma said. "The responsibilities of our forwards in the defensive zone has been a key for us both offensively and defensively. In the defensive zone we're six guys defending there."
Crosby opened the scoring eight minutes in, taking a crossing passing and slapping the puck into the open net moments after being denied by Rask on a clean break after splitting Bruins' defensemen - the score coming just after the faceoff in the Boston zone after the failed attempt.
Seguin followed four and a half minutes later, firing a rocket past a helpless Vokoun as a centering pass deflected off of defenseman Johnny Boychuck's skate right into Seguin's wheelhouse. Vitale finished the scoring just 32 seconds before the end of the 1st period, slicing in from the right circle, going airborne and ripping the puck top shelf past a surprised Rask.
The final two periods saw plenty of spectacular saves and solid defense in what can only be termed as a playoff atmosphere, something not lost on Marchand. "They played pretty sound defensively, you've got to give them that even though their top guys were out," Marchand said. "That makes it a little bit tough to play against, but we've got to find a way."
Pittsburgh now turns it's focus to working on getting healthy and rested, taking on the Caps on Tuesday, then visting the Islanders on Friday night before returning home for a massive five game homestand starting Sunday against the Flyers, while the Bruins run the Polar Express, visiting Winnipeg on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday before returning home to host those same Maple Leafs next Monday.
"Thought we had a chance to win," Boston coach Claude Julien lamented following the game. "We spent more time in their end and we did all the things right except we couldn't get that goal. There was a couple of times where the goalie was out and we shot a puck and it looked like it was going, it hits a skate and goes wide and you get those games, you get those nights."
Just seems like those nights happen more often when their opponent is the Penguins...
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Boston Bruins Gameday: Bruins Stomp Caps 4-1
The bullies are back.
It is socially unacceptable to be a bully these days, unless you play hockey for the Boston Bruins and are looking to establish rights to your turf...
...which should be any sheet of ice that they skate onto - but that hasn't always been the case this season, much to the chagrin of coach Claude Julien, who called out his team for being cream puffs after a less than inspiring victory over the bottom feeding Florida Panthers a few nights back.
They responded in Boston Bruins' fashion with a thorough 4-1 stomping of the Washington Capitals at TD Center in downtown Boston on Saturday afternoon.
It started with the business of establishing turf rights, which Brad Marchand took upon himself and picked a fight with young Mike Ribeiro, giving him a taste of the hate - and ended with Adam McQuaid seeking out Caps center Matt Hendricks for a well deserved beating.
Once the turf was established and the defense properly set, the scoring came - fulfilling the prophesy that intimidation and defense spawn offense.
Nathan Horton, David Krejci, Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley each scored goals and Milan Lucic had three assists, aggressively feeding his teammates the puck from behind the net for two of the tallys. Goaltender Anton Khudobin stopped 32 shots for Boston, who raised their record to 19-4-3 on the season.
The Bruins' defense was so dominant that Washington's only goal on the day came courtesy of a Krejci clearing pass glancing off the skate of defenseman Johnny Boychuck's skate and into the open net past a stunned Khudobin. The goal was credited to Marcus Johansson.
The Bruins' defense stepped in and challenged and mirrored whatever the Caps tried to do on the offensive end, leading to favorable opportunities for themselves on the other end. Two goals came from the high slot, Horton's a wicked drive and Ference's a long range snap shot that Caps' goalie Michal Neuvirth had no chance of stopping.
The other two came from directly in front of the net where the Bruins simply outmuscled and outhustled the overmatched Capitals, Krejci taking a Lucic feed from behind the net for an easy score, then Peverley stood tall in the middle of chaotic scrum to tap home the final goal.
Now the Capitals have to get back to Washington to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night, then they embark on an old fashioned AHL road trip, hitting Pittsburgh on Tuesday night before heading out for a back to back "double header" at Winnipeg on Thursday and Friday while the Bruins embark on a four games in six nights road trip starting tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, then Winnioeg on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday, winding up in Toronto for a faceoff with the Maple Leafs.
The Physical play was great to see, but it was even better seeing that it was a contained aggression, nothing wild or out of control - just hard nosed Hockey.
Boston Bruins Hockey.
It is socially unacceptable to be a bully these days, unless you play hockey for the Boston Bruins and are looking to establish rights to your turf...
...which should be any sheet of ice that they skate onto - but that hasn't always been the case this season, much to the chagrin of coach Claude Julien, who called out his team for being cream puffs after a less than inspiring victory over the bottom feeding Florida Panthers a few nights back.
They responded in Boston Bruins' fashion with a thorough 4-1 stomping of the Washington Capitals at TD Center in downtown Boston on Saturday afternoon.
It started with the business of establishing turf rights, which Brad Marchand took upon himself and picked a fight with young Mike Ribeiro, giving him a taste of the hate - and ended with Adam McQuaid seeking out Caps center Matt Hendricks for a well deserved beating.
Once the turf was established and the defense properly set, the scoring came - fulfilling the prophesy that intimidation and defense spawn offense.
Nathan Horton, David Krejci, Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley each scored goals and Milan Lucic had three assists, aggressively feeding his teammates the puck from behind the net for two of the tallys. Goaltender Anton Khudobin stopped 32 shots for Boston, who raised their record to 19-4-3 on the season.
The Bruins' defense was so dominant that Washington's only goal on the day came courtesy of a Krejci clearing pass glancing off the skate of defenseman Johnny Boychuck's skate and into the open net past a stunned Khudobin. The goal was credited to Marcus Johansson.
The Bruins' defense stepped in and challenged and mirrored whatever the Caps tried to do on the offensive end, leading to favorable opportunities for themselves on the other end. Two goals came from the high slot, Horton's a wicked drive and Ference's a long range snap shot that Caps' goalie Michal Neuvirth had no chance of stopping.
The other two came from directly in front of the net where the Bruins simply outmuscled and outhustled the overmatched Capitals, Krejci taking a Lucic feed from behind the net for an easy score, then Peverley stood tall in the middle of chaotic scrum to tap home the final goal.
Now the Capitals have to get back to Washington to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night, then they embark on an old fashioned AHL road trip, hitting Pittsburgh on Tuesday night before heading out for a back to back "double header" at Winnipeg on Thursday and Friday while the Bruins embark on a four games in six nights road trip starting tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, then Winnioeg on Tuesday, Ottawa on Thursday, winding up in Toronto for a faceoff with the Maple Leafs.
The Physical play was great to see, but it was even better seeing that it was a contained aggression, nothing wild or out of control - just hard nosed Hockey.
Boston Bruins Hockey.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Bruins blow late lead, fall to Pens 3-2
Furious Penguins' rally or stunning Bruins' collapse?
Either is appropriate, depending on your point of view.
Entering the game with a chance to take over sole possession of both the Northeast division and Eastern Conference leads, the Bruins lost the game and the opportunity by yielding 3 final frame goals, the game winner by Brandon Sutter with just 2:03 left in regulation as Pittsburgh posted a dramatic 3-2 come from behind victory over Boston at the CONSOL Energy Arena on Tuesday night.
The goal was the second of the period for Sutter, who scored just three and a half minutes earlier as part of a three goal explosion in just over four minutes.
Boston entered the 3rd period with a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals by both Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin. Chara scored just 4:45 into the match on the power play, his drive from the point finding paydirt past Penguins' goal keep Marc-Andre Fleury, while Seguin's goal came from in front of the crease, his legs swpt out from under him as his wristed the puck past Fleury on his way to the ice.
After an uneventful second period and over half of the third, the Bruins were seemingly on the verge of pasting a shutout on Pittsburgh, which would have been the first suffered at home in two years, but then the Penguins started finding their range against the exhasted Bruins.
Chris Kunitz got the Penguins within one with just over six minutes remaining in regulation with a blast from right circle, then Sutter tied in with a wicked drive from the left circle 51 seconds later. The game winner came from almost the exact same spot and gave the Penguines the improbable and biggest win of the season.
Anton Khudobin started in net for the Bruins and was spectacular, stopping 31shots until the defense started to collapse around him. Fleury had only to stop 14 of Boston's meager total of 16 shots for the win.
The Penguins now take their act on the road to Toronto for a Thursday night faceoff with the Maple Leafs before returning home to host the Rangers on Saturday while the Bruins get to go home, hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
The Bruins were tired, granted, but their trend of blowing late leads is disturbing - three of their last 4 have ended with blown leads, to Montreal, Washington and now Pittsburgh and all have been due to sloppiness on defense.
Perhaps with a little rest and bit of prodding from a frustrated coach Claude Julien, the Bruins will shore up the leaky D and move forward with confidence...right now all a lead does is give the fans a feeling of dread...
Either is appropriate, depending on your point of view.
Entering the game with a chance to take over sole possession of both the Northeast division and Eastern Conference leads, the Bruins lost the game and the opportunity by yielding 3 final frame goals, the game winner by Brandon Sutter with just 2:03 left in regulation as Pittsburgh posted a dramatic 3-2 come from behind victory over Boston at the CONSOL Energy Arena on Tuesday night.
The goal was the second of the period for Sutter, who scored just three and a half minutes earlier as part of a three goal explosion in just over four minutes.
Boston entered the 3rd period with a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals by both Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin. Chara scored just 4:45 into the match on the power play, his drive from the point finding paydirt past Penguins' goal keep Marc-Andre Fleury, while Seguin's goal came from in front of the crease, his legs swpt out from under him as his wristed the puck past Fleury on his way to the ice.
After an uneventful second period and over half of the third, the Bruins were seemingly on the verge of pasting a shutout on Pittsburgh, which would have been the first suffered at home in two years, but then the Penguins started finding their range against the exhasted Bruins.
Chris Kunitz got the Penguins within one with just over six minutes remaining in regulation with a blast from right circle, then Sutter tied in with a wicked drive from the left circle 51 seconds later. The game winner came from almost the exact same spot and gave the Penguines the improbable and biggest win of the season.
Anton Khudobin started in net for the Bruins and was spectacular, stopping 31shots until the defense started to collapse around him. Fleury had only to stop 14 of Boston's meager total of 16 shots for the win.
The Penguins now take their act on the road to Toronto for a Thursday night faceoff with the Maple Leafs before returning home to host the Rangers on Saturday while the Bruins get to go home, hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
The Bruins were tired, granted, but their trend of blowing late leads is disturbing - three of their last 4 have ended with blown leads, to Montreal, Washington and now Pittsburgh and all have been due to sloppiness on defense.
Perhaps with a little rest and bit of prodding from a frustrated coach Claude Julien, the Bruins will shore up the leaky D and move forward with confidence...right now all a lead does is give the fans a feeling of dread...
Monday, March 11, 2013
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Rask rescues sleepwalking Bruins 3-2 in shootout
Tuukka Rask is the man.
For the second game in a row, the Boston Bruins sleepwalked through the 1st period - particularly defensively as Rask was left exposed by turnovers and poor angles.
He gave up two goals in the period but stopped several other shots from the slot and point blank in the period, then after holding Ottawa scoreless in the final two periods and overtime, he stopped 3 of four in the shootout leading the Bruins to their third straight win, 3-2 over the Senators at the ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa on Monday night.
Defenseman Shawn Thornton scored his second goal of the season and Daniel Paille his fifth as Boston raised it's record to 17-3-3 for a total of 37 points, one behind Northeast Division and Eastern Conference leading Montreal. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci scored the shootout goals
The Senators had a lead before the fans had settled into their seats. Guillaume Latendresse took a pass from Sergei Gonchar and backhanded a breakaway attempt into the net for a very early Ottawa lead.
After Rask made several difficult saves, the Senators managed to light the lamp once more, as Kyle Turris took control of the puck at the blue line and swept in toward Rask keeping the defense on his back shoulder and fired a drive over Rask's shoulder and Ottawa had a 2-0 lead.
Turris also scored the only shootout goal for the Senators, who dropped to 13-8-5 on the season.
With less than a minute left in the opening period and the Bruins on the power play, Thornton jammed a shot into the pads of Ottawa goal tender Robin Lehner from a scrum in front of the net, the puck dribbling behind Lehner and barely over the red line to get the Bruins within one going into the second period.
The Bruins tied the score at 2-2 at almost the mid point of the second. Krejci placed a perfect pass right on the tape of a streaking Paille, who snapped the puck past Lehner.
The third period and overtime passed without incident, though both teams had chances to end the game in the extra session, and the game went to the shootout. Jakob Silferberg and Tyler Seguin both missed on the initial attempts of the period, then Turris and Bergeron traded goals before Daniel Alfredsson and Brad Marchand were stoned on their attempts.
Things got kind of weird after that.
Trapping the puck under the nose of his inverted stick, Ottawa's Kaspar Daugavins bore down on Rask, who held his ground, dropped his pads to ice level as Daugavins performed a Zdeno Chara-type 360 spin move that struck Rask's skate blade and dribbled back out onto the playing surface.
Krejci then tucked his attempt in past Lehner and the Bruins had won their tenth straight in Ottawa and gained two points in a game that they never lead.
Now the Senators head out on the road, first to Montreal for a face off with the Habs on Wednesday night and then to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Saturday night while the Bruins hop on the red eye to Pittsburgh where they take on the Penguins on Tuesday night, returning home to host the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
The Bruins may have won their past three games despite their sleepwalking ways early, but that isn't going hold up going forward as the Bruins play their toughest stretch of the abbreviated season.
Rask is game, but he can't stop everything, especially being put on the spot by sloppy defense. The Bruins will look to tighten that up against the Pens tomorrow night.
For the second game in a row, the Boston Bruins sleepwalked through the 1st period - particularly defensively as Rask was left exposed by turnovers and poor angles.
He gave up two goals in the period but stopped several other shots from the slot and point blank in the period, then after holding Ottawa scoreless in the final two periods and overtime, he stopped 3 of four in the shootout leading the Bruins to their third straight win, 3-2 over the Senators at the ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa on Monday night.
Defenseman Shawn Thornton scored his second goal of the season and Daniel Paille his fifth as Boston raised it's record to 17-3-3 for a total of 37 points, one behind Northeast Division and Eastern Conference leading Montreal. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci scored the shootout goals
The Senators had a lead before the fans had settled into their seats. Guillaume Latendresse took a pass from Sergei Gonchar and backhanded a breakaway attempt into the net for a very early Ottawa lead.
After Rask made several difficult saves, the Senators managed to light the lamp once more, as Kyle Turris took control of the puck at the blue line and swept in toward Rask keeping the defense on his back shoulder and fired a drive over Rask's shoulder and Ottawa had a 2-0 lead.
Turris also scored the only shootout goal for the Senators, who dropped to 13-8-5 on the season.
With less than a minute left in the opening period and the Bruins on the power play, Thornton jammed a shot into the pads of Ottawa goal tender Robin Lehner from a scrum in front of the net, the puck dribbling behind Lehner and barely over the red line to get the Bruins within one going into the second period.
The Bruins tied the score at 2-2 at almost the mid point of the second. Krejci placed a perfect pass right on the tape of a streaking Paille, who snapped the puck past Lehner.
The third period and overtime passed without incident, though both teams had chances to end the game in the extra session, and the game went to the shootout. Jakob Silferberg and Tyler Seguin both missed on the initial attempts of the period, then Turris and Bergeron traded goals before Daniel Alfredsson and Brad Marchand were stoned on their attempts.
Things got kind of weird after that.
Trapping the puck under the nose of his inverted stick, Ottawa's Kaspar Daugavins bore down on Rask, who held his ground, dropped his pads to ice level as Daugavins performed a Zdeno Chara-type 360 spin move that struck Rask's skate blade and dribbled back out onto the playing surface.
Krejci then tucked his attempt in past Lehner and the Bruins had won their tenth straight in Ottawa and gained two points in a game that they never lead.
Now the Senators head out on the road, first to Montreal for a face off with the Habs on Wednesday night and then to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Saturday night while the Bruins hop on the red eye to Pittsburgh where they take on the Penguins on Tuesday night, returning home to host the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
The Bruins may have won their past three games despite their sleepwalking ways early, but that isn't going hold up going forward as the Bruins play their toughest stretch of the abbreviated season.
Rask is game, but he can't stop everything, especially being put on the spot by sloppy defense. The Bruins will look to tighten that up against the Pens tomorrow night.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Boston Bruins Gameday: Thornton, Bruins hammer Flyers 3-0
An effective leader acts quickly when he sees a potential problem, calmly and efficiently, never losing touch of the fact that he's dealing with human being...
...and there stood Shawn Thornton, a handful of Philadelphia Flyers' Zac Rinaldo's sweater, landing right hands to the side of his head, swiping Rinaldo's hand away from his own vestments, then unleashing a barrage of uppercuts that quickly had the Flyers' center on the ice and the referees escorting the two to their respective cells.
Thornton was matter of fact about his job. He saw an issue - in this case Rinaldo hammering teammate Johnny Boychuck into the boards hard enough to send the husky defenseman sprawling - and he took action.
And all of this after Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille scored rapid-fire goals within 2:18 of each other in the first period for a 3-0 score that would hold until the end.
“I was just reacting to the hit, I thought they were running around a little bit and I thought I’d address it." said the rugged Thornton. "I don’t think it was a dirty hit by any means, but it was probably the third or fourth by him, so I tried to address it.”
Tyler Seguin scored the game winning goal at 11:53 of the opening period, starting the short, intense scoring burst for the Boston Bruins as they routed the bottom feeding Flyers 3-0.
For a while, it looked like neither team was particularly interested in being indoors and playing hockey on such a gorgeous day in Boston - the players floating around as if enjoying a leisurely skate on the pond before enjoying hot chocolate and smores on the shore...
...then a seeing-eye, power play goal by the Bruins and Philly's daydream shattered onto the ice like cheap glass.
Seguin's goal came with the man-advantage, taking a feed across the crease from Milan Lucic and easily flipping the puck into the net behind a surprised Flyers' goalie Ilya Bryzgalov - the goal opening the flood gates for an offensive barrage that saw all of the scoring take place within a 2:18 window of the 1st period.
A minute and a half after Seguin opened the scoring, Chris Kelly took a feed from newcomer Jordan Caron off the back boards, again easily beating a surprised Bryzgalov with a wrister, then less than a minute later the Bruins' fourth line got involved in the scoring, Gregory Campbell tapping a sweet pass to Daniel Paille who had set up shop on the left post and easily backhanded the puck into the net for a 3-0 Bruin lead...
...and this time there was no blowing a three goal lead. Tight defense and aggressiveness on offense kept the Flyers well clear of Rask and out of the slot, an issue in the past three games.
"This was one of the best defensive games we've had in a long time" beamed an obviously pleased Bruins' coach Claude Julien.
Tuukka Rask stopped all 23 shots that came his way in recording his second shutout of the season, while his counterpart stopped only three of the six shots in the first period, but Bryzgalov regained his composure to pitch a shutout in the final two frames.
In truth, Bryzgalov was excellent in net, his three goals allowed the result of sloppy defense in front of him that allowed the Bruins free roam in the slot - coupled with solid team passing by the Bruins and the acrobatic saves he made from point blank range, his effort in the net is to be lauded.
The Flyers returned home this afternoon to prepare to host the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the they have a few days to recover before heading to New Jersey on Wednesday the first part of a home and home series with the Devils that concludes on Friday while the Bruins travel to Ottawa for a Monday night face off with the Senators, catching the red eye to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins the following night.
Defense, check. Enforcers enforcing, check. All lines contributing on offense, check.
Sounds like the Bruins are back to being the Bruins.
Thornton was matter of fact about his job. He saw an issue - in this case Rinaldo hammering teammate Johnny Boychuck into the boards hard enough to send the husky defenseman sprawling - and he took action.
And all of this after Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille scored rapid-fire goals within 2:18 of each other in the first period for a 3-0 score that would hold until the end.
“I was just reacting to the hit, I thought they were running around a little bit and I thought I’d address it." said the rugged Thornton. "I don’t think it was a dirty hit by any means, but it was probably the third or fourth by him, so I tried to address it.”
Tyler Seguin scored the game winning goal at 11:53 of the opening period, starting the short, intense scoring burst for the Boston Bruins as they routed the bottom feeding Flyers 3-0.
For a while, it looked like neither team was particularly interested in being indoors and playing hockey on such a gorgeous day in Boston - the players floating around as if enjoying a leisurely skate on the pond before enjoying hot chocolate and smores on the shore...
...then a seeing-eye, power play goal by the Bruins and Philly's daydream shattered onto the ice like cheap glass.
Seguin's goal came with the man-advantage, taking a feed across the crease from Milan Lucic and easily flipping the puck into the net behind a surprised Flyers' goalie Ilya Bryzgalov - the goal opening the flood gates for an offensive barrage that saw all of the scoring take place within a 2:18 window of the 1st period.
A minute and a half after Seguin opened the scoring, Chris Kelly took a feed from newcomer Jordan Caron off the back boards, again easily beating a surprised Bryzgalov with a wrister, then less than a minute later the Bruins' fourth line got involved in the scoring, Gregory Campbell tapping a sweet pass to Daniel Paille who had set up shop on the left post and easily backhanded the puck into the net for a 3-0 Bruin lead...
...and this time there was no blowing a three goal lead. Tight defense and aggressiveness on offense kept the Flyers well clear of Rask and out of the slot, an issue in the past three games.
"This was one of the best defensive games we've had in a long time" beamed an obviously pleased Bruins' coach Claude Julien.
Tuukka Rask stopped all 23 shots that came his way in recording his second shutout of the season, while his counterpart stopped only three of the six shots in the first period, but Bryzgalov regained his composure to pitch a shutout in the final two frames.
In truth, Bryzgalov was excellent in net, his three goals allowed the result of sloppy defense in front of him that allowed the Bruins free roam in the slot - coupled with solid team passing by the Bruins and the acrobatic saves he made from point blank range, his effort in the net is to be lauded.
The Flyers returned home this afternoon to prepare to host the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the they have a few days to recover before heading to New Jersey on Wednesday the first part of a home and home series with the Devils that concludes on Friday while the Bruins travel to Ottawa for a Monday night face off with the Senators, catching the red eye to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins the following night.
Defense, check. Enforcers enforcing, check. All lines contributing on offense, check.
Sounds like the Bruins are back to being the Bruins.
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Bergeron line dominates Maple Leafs, Bruins take 4-2 win
The Bergeron line is on fire
Never mind that the Bruins were limping into tonight's game having blown late leads in the previous two games and losing their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin never wavered, and the brief two game losing streak is history.
Seguin scored twice, Bergeron once and Marchand tallied two helpers to lead the the Bruins to a lunch pail 4-2 win over the gritty and fast Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at TD Center in downtown Boston.
David Krejci also scored for the Bruins, who kept pace in the Northeast Division as well as the conference with a record of 15-3-3, the 33 points one short of the Conference leading Montreal Canadiens.
Nazem Kadri and Jay McClement scored goals for the Leafs, who fell to 15-10-0. Toronto goal tender Ben Scrivens stopped 21 of 24 shots but it wasn't enough as backup Anton Khudobin recorded 25 saves in another solid start.
The Bergeron goal was almost an "excuse me" happenstance, the result of some serious board work in the neutral zone by Marchand to knock the puck loose to a streaking Tyler Seguin who blew past the Maple Leafs' defense and put a wrister right into the pads of goal tender Ben Scrivens...
...and Bergeron, who like everyone else was trailing the play, had the rebound pop right in front of him from point blank range to put the Bruins up 1-0 to end the 1st period.
The Leafs tied it up at 2:32 of the second, Nazem Kadri taking a perfect cross ice pass on a break from center Jay McClement, the puck hitting Kadri's tape at the bottom of the left circle to easily beat Khudobin, who was getting the start for a resting Tuukka Rask.
Five minutes later Seguin put his snap shot on display, blasting a wicked drive from the right point off a feed from Marchand to give the Bruins a one goal lead, then David Krejci scored the eventual game winner on a pretty backhander, floating in from the left behind the defense and taking the odd angle rebound and sliding it into the open net behind the sprawling Scrivens for a 3-1 lead.
Things got a little tense in the final frame, as the Maple Leafs attacked relentlessly, finally paying off when Jay McClement redirected a spinning drive from Mikhail Gabovski to get Toronto to within one goal, but the Bruins were finally able to close out a game with a lead in the third, Seguin hitting the empty net at a deep angle for the final 4-2 tally.
Despite the loss, the Leafs hold the 5th seed ion the conference with 30 points, and their path to the playoffs now take an easier stretch as they play seven of their next ten at home, including a home and home series with the Bruins later in the month. Saturday finds them at home hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins before traveling to Winnipeg on Tuesday.
The road is much tougher for the Bruins starting on Saturday when the Philadelphia Flyers invade TD Center for a 1:00pm start before going back to back on the road at Ottawa on Monday and then to Pittsburgh on Tuesday - the roadie a part of a stretch where they play 6 of their next 8 on the road.
If the second line continues to play as aggressively as they have the past three games, the goaltending continues to be solid and they can pick up some offense from the other lines, the toughest stretch of their season should be their finest hour.
Now about that interior defense...push those guys out from in front of the net, will ya?
Never mind that the Bruins were limping into tonight's game having blown late leads in the previous two games and losing their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin never wavered, and the brief two game losing streak is history.
Seguin scored twice, Bergeron once and Marchand tallied two helpers to lead the the Bruins to a lunch pail 4-2 win over the gritty and fast Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night at TD Center in downtown Boston.
David Krejci also scored for the Bruins, who kept pace in the Northeast Division as well as the conference with a record of 15-3-3, the 33 points one short of the Conference leading Montreal Canadiens.
Nazem Kadri and Jay McClement scored goals for the Leafs, who fell to 15-10-0. Toronto goal tender Ben Scrivens stopped 21 of 24 shots but it wasn't enough as backup Anton Khudobin recorded 25 saves in another solid start.
The Bergeron goal was almost an "excuse me" happenstance, the result of some serious board work in the neutral zone by Marchand to knock the puck loose to a streaking Tyler Seguin who blew past the Maple Leafs' defense and put a wrister right into the pads of goal tender Ben Scrivens...
...and Bergeron, who like everyone else was trailing the play, had the rebound pop right in front of him from point blank range to put the Bruins up 1-0 to end the 1st period.
The Leafs tied it up at 2:32 of the second, Nazem Kadri taking a perfect cross ice pass on a break from center Jay McClement, the puck hitting Kadri's tape at the bottom of the left circle to easily beat Khudobin, who was getting the start for a resting Tuukka Rask.
Five minutes later Seguin put his snap shot on display, blasting a wicked drive from the right point off a feed from Marchand to give the Bruins a one goal lead, then David Krejci scored the eventual game winner on a pretty backhander, floating in from the left behind the defense and taking the odd angle rebound and sliding it into the open net behind the sprawling Scrivens for a 3-1 lead.
Things got a little tense in the final frame, as the Maple Leafs attacked relentlessly, finally paying off when Jay McClement redirected a spinning drive from Mikhail Gabovski to get Toronto to within one goal, but the Bruins were finally able to close out a game with a lead in the third, Seguin hitting the empty net at a deep angle for the final 4-2 tally.
Despite the loss, the Leafs hold the 5th seed ion the conference with 30 points, and their path to the playoffs now take an easier stretch as they play seven of their next ten at home, including a home and home series with the Bruins later in the month. Saturday finds them at home hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins before traveling to Winnipeg on Tuesday.
The road is much tougher for the Bruins starting on Saturday when the Philadelphia Flyers invade TD Center for a 1:00pm start before going back to back on the road at Ottawa on Monday and then to Pittsburgh on Tuesday - the roadie a part of a stretch where they play 6 of their next 8 on the road.
If the second line continues to play as aggressively as they have the past three games, the goaltending continues to be solid and they can pick up some offense from the other lines, the toughest stretch of their season should be their finest hour.
Now about that interior defense...push those guys out from in front of the net, will ya?
Thursday, March 7, 2013
“If you want to strengthen an enemy and make him exult - hate him.”
What exactly does Idries Shah have to do with Hockey? The answer is as cryptic as the reasoning behind slumps and the history of fisticuffs on the ice - but the sentiment that he tried to evoke with his message is that if a person causes you to hate them, they control you...
...Is that what is happening with the Boston Bruins and their sudden slide from the top of the Eastern Conference standings?
What exactly does Idries Shah have to do with Hockey? The answer is as cryptic as the reasoning behind slumps and the history of fisticuffs on the ice - but the sentiment that he tried to evoke with his message is that if a person causes you to hate them, they control you...
...Is that what is happening with the Boston Bruins and their sudden slide from the top of the Eastern Conference standings?
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. have to do with Hockey?
Absolutely nothing, yet his messages and sermons that broached the subject of anger and the controlling of such should be of great interest to the Boston Bruins, as they seemingly have lost sight of their goal, their judgement clouded by anger.
once sermonized that "I will not allow someone to control me by causing me to be angry with them."
“Hatred is a form of faith, distilled by passion to remove all rationality.”
― L.E. Modesitt Jr., The Elysium Commission
“When you end up in a fight with someone, make sure you don’t carry the feeling next day because if you do so, you allow a part of yourself to remember ignoring and hating someone unimportant each time you wake up.”
― Ram Mohan
“Guilt and rage, hatred and fear were pathways to weakness and clumsy choices.”
― Jonathan Maberry, Dust and Decay
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer.
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
“If you want to strengthen an enemy and make him exult - hate him.”
― Idries Shah, Reflections
Absolutely nothing, yet his messages and sermons that broached the subject of anger and the controlling of such should be of great interest to the Boston Bruins, as they seemingly have lost sight of their goal, their judgement clouded by anger.
once sermonized that "I will not allow someone to control me by causing me to be angry with them."
“Hatred is a form of faith, distilled by passion to remove all rationality.”
― L.E. Modesitt Jr., The Elysium Commission
“When you end up in a fight with someone, make sure you don’t carry the feeling next day because if you do so, you allow a part of yourself to remember ignoring and hating someone unimportant each time you wake up.”
― Ram Mohan
“Guilt and rage, hatred and fear were pathways to weakness and clumsy choices.”
― Jonathan Maberry, Dust and Decay
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer.
― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
“If you want to strengthen an enemy and make him exult - hate him.”
― Idries Shah, Reflections
Monday, March 4, 2013
Boston Bruins on Paper: Thems fightin' words...
By nature, Hockey doesn't promote shyness. So when Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien called out the Montreal Canadiens for wanton embellishment after Sunday night's 4-3 loss to the Habs, he pulled no punches.
"Right now they've got over 100 power plays so far, and it's pretty obvious why," Julien said after the game of the Canadiens. "We're trying to clean that out of our game, and it's got to be done soon because it's not about tonight, it's about the game, and the embellishment embarrasses our game."
Embellishment is an interesting choice of words, and in this circumstance he is referring to hockey's version of a flop, to which he suggests that Montreal has resorted to in order to gain a competitive advantage over their foes...and it has many synonyms, though simply claiming that a player is flopping or taking a dive usually does the trick.
Simply stated in sports vernacular, Julien is claiming that the Canadiens are cheating, and if you have to resort to cheating, how satisfying is the victory?
The Canadiens don't see it that way.
"Jealousy," claimed Montreal's Max Pacioretty of the motivation behind Julien's remarks,"We're at the top right now and reading comments like that is awesome. If we're in last place, they wouldn't be saying anything about us, but we're in first place and it's the best feeling in the world."
The lead for the next chapter in this storied rivalry has just been written, and it suggests dark malfeasance - and perhaps a ring announcer and a cut man.
"To me, those comments that he made were ridiculous and I think he was very frustrated to have lost that game." said Montreal coach Michel Terrien in response to Julien's remarks, then added, "Claude can concentrate on his team and I'll concentrate on my own."
It is certain that he's concentrating on March 27th, when the teams will meet in a rematch that will be nothing short of a brawl - he just has to make sure that the countdown to the season's most anticipated grudge match doesn't consume both he and his team before then...
...because if it does and the Bruins get caught looking ahead, the Canadien's "embellishment" will have had its desired result, and focus will have given way to gamesmanship.
The schedule leading up to this showdown is brutal for the Bruins, twelve games in 22 days, seven of the 12 on the road including four of five leading up to the rematch, so focus is essential...
...but the road to Boston is even tougher for the Habs. While playing only 10 games in same span, seven of those are on the road, including playing in Pittsburgh against the Penguins the day before.
Wednesday, March 27th at 7:30pm, TD Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Game on.
"Right now they've got over 100 power plays so far, and it's pretty obvious why," Julien said after the game of the Canadiens. "We're trying to clean that out of our game, and it's got to be done soon because it's not about tonight, it's about the game, and the embellishment embarrasses our game."
Embellishment is an interesting choice of words, and in this circumstance he is referring to hockey's version of a flop, to which he suggests that Montreal has resorted to in order to gain a competitive advantage over their foes...and it has many synonyms, though simply claiming that a player is flopping or taking a dive usually does the trick.
Simply stated in sports vernacular, Julien is claiming that the Canadiens are cheating, and if you have to resort to cheating, how satisfying is the victory?
The Canadiens don't see it that way.
"Jealousy," claimed Montreal's Max Pacioretty of the motivation behind Julien's remarks,"We're at the top right now and reading comments like that is awesome. If we're in last place, they wouldn't be saying anything about us, but we're in first place and it's the best feeling in the world."
The lead for the next chapter in this storied rivalry has just been written, and it suggests dark malfeasance - and perhaps a ring announcer and a cut man.
"To me, those comments that he made were ridiculous and I think he was very frustrated to have lost that game." said Montreal coach Michel Terrien in response to Julien's remarks, then added, "Claude can concentrate on his team and I'll concentrate on my own."
It is certain that he's concentrating on March 27th, when the teams will meet in a rematch that will be nothing short of a brawl - he just has to make sure that the countdown to the season's most anticipated grudge match doesn't consume both he and his team before then...
...because if it does and the Bruins get caught looking ahead, the Canadien's "embellishment" will have had its desired result, and focus will have given way to gamesmanship.
The schedule leading up to this showdown is brutal for the Bruins, twelve games in 22 days, seven of the 12 on the road including four of five leading up to the rematch, so focus is essential...
...but the road to Boston is even tougher for the Habs. While playing only 10 games in same span, seven of those are on the road, including playing in Pittsburgh against the Penguins the day before.
Wednesday, March 27th at 7:30pm, TD Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Game on.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Boston Bruins Gamenight: Bruins play rough, lose composure and game to Habs 4-3
So I'm watching the Hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens when in the second period there was a series of fights. After Bruins Defenseman Zdeno Chara instigated another fight she chirps "Why do they have to fight? It's a game!"
To which my 9 year old replied "Maybe they just don't like each other, Mom".
And so it goes with the Bruins and Canadiens.
No use to try and explain it, you just have to watch. It's addicting, I tell her - the speed, the grace, the violence..a bar fight on skates...
...that she understood. "But"' she continued, "it looks like that's all they want to do."
Hockey is speed, hitting, passing. When these hated rivals get together the game gets faster, the hitting gets harder and the passing crisper - but it looked like the Bruins didn't get the memo on passing getting crisper - or maybe their focus was too much on roughing up their oldest enemy.
Because in the end it was Montreal's speed and aggressive skating and constant peppering of Boston's goal tender Tuukka Rask that won out over the Bruins' rough and tumble, knock your block off intimidation game, the Canadiens scoring a 4-3 victory at TD Garden on Sunday night.
For sure, the Bruins flexed their muscles and bared their fists. winning the battles along the boards, but they lost the game in the neutral zone and at the point where the Bruins tried living dangerously with sloppy clearing passes that the Canadiens picked off time after time for clear shots at Rask.
David Desharnais scored two goals, including the game winner midway through the final frame when he wristed a puck into an open net as Rask sprawled on the ice during a scramble to the left of the net when the puck found its way to Dasharnais.
Just four minutes earlier Max Pacioretty had tied the game for Montreal with a wicked drive from the high point past a shielded Rask.
Tomas Plekanec started the scoring on a power play tip in as he redirected Michael Ryder's pass for a 1-0 lead that lasted just 50 seconds before Tyler Seguin redirected a Brad Marchand pass past Canadiens' goalie Peter Budaj that tied it at one. The tie lasted just seconds as a Desharnais pass slid off defenseman Johnny Boychuck's stick and into the Boston net.
Things got physical in the second period and the brutish intesity seemed to swing the momentum into the favor of the Bruins. Trailing 2-1 Seguin hit Patrice Bergeron with a cross-ice pass on a 2-1 break and Bergeron slapped in his own rebound for a 2-2 tie.
Five minutes later with the teams skating four a side, the Bruins took the lead at 3-2. Marchand fired a drive at Budaj, the rebound skipping to Dougie Hamilton who tucked in a rebound from a tough angle at the bottom of the left circle.
The rest of the period was dropping gloves and sitting in the penalty box, particularly Zdeno Chara, who came to the defense of Seguin who was cross-checked by Montreal's Alexi Emelin, Chara shoving Emelin to the ice, then letting him up to take a barrage of rights from the big defenseman...
...but it was his instigation of the brawl along with a fighting major and a ten minute misconduct that left the Bruins shorthanded for much of the third, leading to the 2 goal rally by the Habs.
The loss snapped Boston's 6 game winning streak and handed Montreal sole possession of first place in the Northeast division and Eastern Conference.
The win was important for the Habs, who started a five games in seven nights road trip that next finds them in Uniondale, New York on Tuesday for a match with the Islanders then Carolina on Thursday then Tampa Bay on Saturday before wrapping it up in Miami with a face off with the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Boston looks to get back on the winning track Tuesday night in Washington DC against the Capitals before returning home to host the Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
Perhaps the wifey was right. Perhaps the Bruins were more focused on roughing up their hated rivals than skating and passing and winning the race to the puck - I know my boy was right. The teams just don't like each other...
But whatever it is, the Bruins need to get rid of it and regain their composure if they want to keep up with the speedy Canadiens in the division.
To which my 9 year old replied "Maybe they just don't like each other, Mom".
No use to try and explain it, you just have to watch. It's addicting, I tell her - the speed, the grace, the violence..a bar fight on skates...
...that she understood. "But"' she continued, "it looks like that's all they want to do."
Hockey is speed, hitting, passing. When these hated rivals get together the game gets faster, the hitting gets harder and the passing crisper - but it looked like the Bruins didn't get the memo on passing getting crisper - or maybe their focus was too much on roughing up their oldest enemy.
Because in the end it was Montreal's speed and aggressive skating and constant peppering of Boston's goal tender Tuukka Rask that won out over the Bruins' rough and tumble, knock your block off intimidation game, the Canadiens scoring a 4-3 victory at TD Garden on Sunday night.
For sure, the Bruins flexed their muscles and bared their fists. winning the battles along the boards, but they lost the game in the neutral zone and at the point where the Bruins tried living dangerously with sloppy clearing passes that the Canadiens picked off time after time for clear shots at Rask.
David Desharnais scored two goals, including the game winner midway through the final frame when he wristed a puck into an open net as Rask sprawled on the ice during a scramble to the left of the net when the puck found its way to Dasharnais.
Just four minutes earlier Max Pacioretty had tied the game for Montreal with a wicked drive from the high point past a shielded Rask.
Tomas Plekanec started the scoring on a power play tip in as he redirected Michael Ryder's pass for a 1-0 lead that lasted just 50 seconds before Tyler Seguin redirected a Brad Marchand pass past Canadiens' goalie Peter Budaj that tied it at one. The tie lasted just seconds as a Desharnais pass slid off defenseman Johnny Boychuck's stick and into the Boston net.
Things got physical in the second period and the brutish intesity seemed to swing the momentum into the favor of the Bruins. Trailing 2-1 Seguin hit Patrice Bergeron with a cross-ice pass on a 2-1 break and Bergeron slapped in his own rebound for a 2-2 tie.
Five minutes later with the teams skating four a side, the Bruins took the lead at 3-2. Marchand fired a drive at Budaj, the rebound skipping to Dougie Hamilton who tucked in a rebound from a tough angle at the bottom of the left circle.
The rest of the period was dropping gloves and sitting in the penalty box, particularly Zdeno Chara, who came to the defense of Seguin who was cross-checked by Montreal's Alexi Emelin, Chara shoving Emelin to the ice, then letting him up to take a barrage of rights from the big defenseman...
...but it was his instigation of the brawl along with a fighting major and a ten minute misconduct that left the Bruins shorthanded for much of the third, leading to the 2 goal rally by the Habs.
The loss snapped Boston's 6 game winning streak and handed Montreal sole possession of first place in the Northeast division and Eastern Conference.
The win was important for the Habs, who started a five games in seven nights road trip that next finds them in Uniondale, New York on Tuesday for a match with the Islanders then Carolina on Thursday then Tampa Bay on Saturday before wrapping it up in Miami with a face off with the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Boston looks to get back on the winning track Tuesday night in Washington DC against the Capitals before returning home to host the Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
Perhaps the wifey was right. Perhaps the Bruins were more focused on roughing up their hated rivals than skating and passing and winning the race to the puck - I know my boy was right. The teams just don't like each other...
But whatever it is, the Bruins need to get rid of it and regain their composure if they want to keep up with the speedy Canadiens in the division.
Boston Bruins Gameday: Marchand's late power play goal grounds Lightning
At this rate, Brad Marchand is going to get me kicked out of my building.
Marchand scored a power play goal with 2:16 left in regulation to give the Boston Bruins a come from behind 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night...
...interupting whatever my aged, crusty, intolerant old spinster of a downstairs neighbor was engaged in, as my entire flat exploded with noise when the little ball of hate scored the game winner. Usually she runs straight to the landlord when Marchand scores his goals, which always seem to be timely and dramatic, but this time she called the Po-po...
...who finished watching the match with us and even took some time to have some of my son's birthday cake, then went downstairs to have a word with the old woman.
The 1:00pm matinee offered us a reprieve, I thought, from the usual noise complaints. We were having my son's 9th birthday party at the same time, and when the Bruins completed their comeback from being down 2-0, well, you can just imagine the noise with 15 kids loaded up on frosting and soda...
The match itself had everything that's right in a 9 year old's wheelhouse. Fighting, unsportsman like conduct, more fighting, a nasty elbow and more fighting. The only things missing were a big explosion and zombies.
Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley scored goals for the Bruins, who posted their 6th straight victory and now stand tied with the Montreal Canadiens as the leaders of the Eastern Conference with 30 points - and, wouldn't you know it, the hated Habs invade TD Center on Sunday night, the winner taking over sole possession of the conference lead.
Anton Khudobin started in goal for Boston, and it appeared that it would be a long night for the backup net minder, giving up power play goals to Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn in the first period to fall into a 2-0 hole - but Seguin's man advantage goal and Peverley's drive on Tampa Bay's Mathieu Garon tied the match in the second, setting the stage for Marchand's game winner, his 11th on the season.
So...the Po-po are gone, but promised to be back if we again interupted the nasty old woman's nightly routine. Hopefully the Bruins blow out the Habs tonight so that the game won't be so exciting as to incite yelling and stomping...
...and if I get evicted, I'm calling Marchand so he can help me move - and he can bring Campbell and Thornton along as well, just in case there's trouble...I'm sure the officers will settle for autographs instead of hauling me downtown...
Marchand scored a power play goal with 2:16 left in regulation to give the Boston Bruins a come from behind 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night...
...who finished watching the match with us and even took some time to have some of my son's birthday cake, then went downstairs to have a word with the old woman.
The 1:00pm matinee offered us a reprieve, I thought, from the usual noise complaints. We were having my son's 9th birthday party at the same time, and when the Bruins completed their comeback from being down 2-0, well, you can just imagine the noise with 15 kids loaded up on frosting and soda...
The match itself had everything that's right in a 9 year old's wheelhouse. Fighting, unsportsman like conduct, more fighting, a nasty elbow and more fighting. The only things missing were a big explosion and zombies.
Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley scored goals for the Bruins, who posted their 6th straight victory and now stand tied with the Montreal Canadiens as the leaders of the Eastern Conference with 30 points - and, wouldn't you know it, the hated Habs invade TD Center on Sunday night, the winner taking over sole possession of the conference lead.
Anton Khudobin started in goal for Boston, and it appeared that it would be a long night for the backup net minder, giving up power play goals to Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn in the first period to fall into a 2-0 hole - but Seguin's man advantage goal and Peverley's drive on Tampa Bay's Mathieu Garon tied the match in the second, setting the stage for Marchand's game winner, his 11th on the season.
So...the Po-po are gone, but promised to be back if we again interupted the nasty old woman's nightly routine. Hopefully the Bruins blow out the Habs tonight so that the game won't be so exciting as to incite yelling and stomping...
...and if I get evicted, I'm calling Marchand so he can help me move - and he can bring Campbell and Thornton along as well, just in case there's trouble...I'm sure the officers will settle for autographs instead of hauling me downtown...
Saturday, March 2, 2013
"We know we're a better team, we know we can play better," coach Claude Julien told the Bruins' official website. "I'm certainly not criticizing our team for how they played because they still battled through. We didn't have our legs, so it's not because they didn't want to, but certainly Saturday's game I'm looking for our team to be better and hopefully we'll have gotten into our groove at home."
The Bruins are 5-1-1 at home despite going 0 for 26 on the power play.
Their current overall run includes last Thursday's 4-2 win at Tampa Bay. Boston didn't have one power play in that contest, but its league-best penalty kill snuffed out three Lightning opportunities and Nathan Horton scored twice at even strength.
"That's what we've got to aim for, beat that kind of team," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said that night.
Tampa Bay (9-10-1) is desperate for a win against anybody following three consecutive regulation defeats. Multiple Lightning players called Thursday's 4-1 road loss to the New York Rangers "embarrassing" after the team was outshot 35-11 in the first two periods.
"I don't really know what to say," said star forward Steven Stamkos, who had a six-game goal streak snapped. "Guys aren't competing hard enough, and they wanted it more than us.
"It's getting to a point where it's embarrassing. We talk about work ethic, but it's not there right now."
The Lightning are 3-9-1 since their promising 6-1-0 start, and they're 3-6-0 on the road following the first stop on a challenging trip that continues in Pittsburgh and New Jersey next week.
They may catch somewhat of a break Saturday if the Bruins opt to start Anton Khudobin in net. Tuukka Rask has played throughout Boston's win streak, posting a 1.38 goals-against average, but he could get a rest with an eye toward Sunday night's matchup with archrival Montreal.
Khudobin has made eight NHL starts and has never played in a home game for the Bruins.
Goaltending continues to be a problem for the Lightning. Anders Lindback gave up four goals on 26 shots against Boston last week and has not played since being pulled after one period of Sunday's 5-3 loss at Pittsburgh.
His 3.27 GAA ranks among the worst in the NHL, but Mathieu Garon hasn't been any better at 3.31 while losing five of his last six starts
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2013/03/02/31240_preview.html#ixzz2MOQEyJ3t
The Bruins are 5-1-1 at home despite going 0 for 26 on the power play.
Their current overall run includes last Thursday's 4-2 win at Tampa Bay. Boston didn't have one power play in that contest, but its league-best penalty kill snuffed out three Lightning opportunities and Nathan Horton scored twice at even strength.
"That's what we've got to aim for, beat that kind of team," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said that night.
Tampa Bay (9-10-1) is desperate for a win against anybody following three consecutive regulation defeats. Multiple Lightning players called Thursday's 4-1 road loss to the New York Rangers "embarrassing" after the team was outshot 35-11 in the first two periods.
"I don't really know what to say," said star forward Steven Stamkos, who had a six-game goal streak snapped. "Guys aren't competing hard enough, and they wanted it more than us.
"It's getting to a point where it's embarrassing. We talk about work ethic, but it's not there right now."
The Lightning are 3-9-1 since their promising 6-1-0 start, and they're 3-6-0 on the road following the first stop on a challenging trip that continues in Pittsburgh and New Jersey next week.
They may catch somewhat of a break Saturday if the Bruins opt to start Anton Khudobin in net. Tuukka Rask has played throughout Boston's win streak, posting a 1.38 goals-against average, but he could get a rest with an eye toward Sunday night's matchup with archrival Montreal.
Khudobin has made eight NHL starts and has never played in a home game for the Bruins.
Goaltending continues to be a problem for the Lightning. Anders Lindback gave up four goals on 26 shots against Boston last week and has not played since being pulled after one period of Sunday's 5-3 loss at Pittsburgh.
His 3.27 GAA ranks among the worst in the NHL, but Mathieu Garon hasn't been any better at 3.31 while losing five of his last six starts
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2013/03/02/31240_preview.html#ixzz2MOQEyJ3t
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