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Three Games on the Docket Tonight

Apr 26

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Should be a fun filled night of hockey playoff action tonight as two of the games are do-or-die game 7′s and one is bound to be. Here are the match-ups and why you should or should not tune in.

Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens

More drama than a soap opera, the Montreal Canadiens look to tie up the series at 3 a piece. Starting in the regular season with the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty, the Habs fans tried to get Chara in hot water by calling the police to investigate the action. Failing to have Chara serve hard time before the series, the show continued. Game four brought another bit of excitement as Boston Bruins Andrew Ference was fined for displaying the California howdy to the Montreal crowd. Ference took a Janet Jackson defense claiming a wardrobe malfunction.

The games have been quite abnormal with a win-on-the-road series for the first four games. The  Boston Bruins have finally won one at home to lead the series 3-2. This was of course without lack of excitement as the win came in the second overtime. Expect Montreal to come out flying fast and peppering goalie Tim Thomas with pucks. The series is set-up to be going to game 7.

Buffalo Sabres @ Philadelphia Flyers

The Buffalo Sabres had the Philadelphia Flyers on the brink of defeat, only to lose on home ice in 5-4 loss in overtime. Traveling to the sea of Orange, the Sabres have a tall order to fill to win.

On a bright note, the Sabres look to bring back secret weapon Derek Roy after suffering a torn left quadriceps tendon. This will however be at the offsetting loss of Tim Connolly. Connolly was driven into the boards from behind by Flyers Mike Richards. Some might even call it a boarding. Richards, who you could say started the whole reason for taking blindside hits to the head more serious with his hit on David Booth, will not receive any suspension. After reviewing the tape, it was difficult to decide the severity of the hit and if it warranted a suspension…. if your name is Helen Keller. Connolly knocked out the for the series, hit from behind, can NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell be fired yet? I think the weather man/woman gets more calls right.

Regardless of the outcome of the game, one team needs to advance only to be eliminated in the next round. Watch if you have nothing better to do.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks

Welcome to the maiiiiiin event!

That’s right, the defending Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks look to eliminate the season leading record Vancouver Canucks. After losing the majority of their team in the offseason to salary cap issues, the Blackhawks barely made it into the postseason only to give the Canucks a run for their money. Losing the first 3 games and winning the last 3, momentum looks to be on their side.

Vancouver is in a panic and rightfully so. On the verge of being called the new San Jose Sharks with their lack of ability to produce in the postseason, the “untouchable on paper” Canucks can be eliminated. Media outlets are trying to pin point the turning point, saying the Canucks Raffi Torres hit on Blackhawk defender Brent Seabrook woke up the giant. I don’t quite buy that, but I do buy that Vancouver General Manager Mike Gillis is trying to deflect media attention from net-minder Roberto Luongo with his claim that the referees are out to get them. Sure Chicago has had 27 power-plays to your 16 in the series, 22 to your 12 in the last 4 games, but hey, who’s counting? OK, maybe Gillis has a point, but still, Luongo looks bad, real bad. With a career 2.57 goals against average and .915 save percentage for the playoffs, I think we know who to point the finger at and it is not the refs.

Should be a fast paced game and worth watching, even worth staying up late on the east coast. Either one of these teams very well could be in the championship this year, which one though will be decided tonight.

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Habs have Bruin’s Backs Against the Wall

Apr 17

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

In an unlikely event, the Montreal Canadiens have taken a 2-0 lead in their series against the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins are in a bad situation, and if history tells a story, the Bruins have yet to come back from a 2-0 deficit in all of their 26 attempts.

One positive that Boston fans can look forward to is the return of their Captain and big defensive presence Zdeno Chara. It has yet to be stated that he will return, but with 2 games down, it would be near improbable that he will not. In game two, Chara was hospitalized overnight after being dehydrated. It was an unfortunate event, as having the proper food and nutrients is pivotal to NHL players’ ability to play. Chara did skate for the pregame of game two yet felt dizzy and incapable of playing.

The next game will be in Montreal on Monday night. Expect the Habs fans to be in full effect with loud chants and an overall increased intensity for the game. If Boston wins game 3 they still have a fighting chance. If not however, it will be the end of the Bruins for this year, an end that not too many people saw coming, and an end to a series that fans would have liked to of seen gone 7 games.

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Boston Bruins

Sep 9

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Dennis Wideman, Miroslav Satan

Key Offseason Additions: Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton

Last Season Ranking: 6th in East

Offense:

The Boston Bruins were one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL last season. In fact, the team finished dead last in goals scored per game with an average of 2.39. This was mostly due to key injuries throughout the season, but it was also a partial testament to the lack of depth on the team and showed how much losing Phil Kessel actually hurt the squad in terms of goals. The team didn’t make many moves in the offseason, but they did manage to make moves that matter and should help improve the team’s offense.

NHL2.jpgThe first addition came via trade when the Bruins sent defenseman Dennis Wideman to the Florida Panthers in exchange for right wing Nathan Horton and depth forward Gregory Campbell. Horton is a hard-working player with a lot of offensive potential. If he gets time alongside a healthy Marc Savard this season, Horton could crack the 30-goal plateau for the second time in his young career.

The second addition was center Tyler Seguin, who the Bruins nabbed with their second overall draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. With 106 points in 63 games in the OHL last season, Seguin was a natural choice. Rumors have swirled that Seguin could see time on the wing of the second line this season in order to help acclimate him to the NHL game. He would also be more valuable to the team if he got second-line minutes instead of centering the third or even the forth line where he would play more of a grinding role.

Health will be a big factor coming into this season. Center Marc Savard was limited to only 41 games last season because of a knee injury and a concussion. When Savard is healthy, however, he is capable of producing anywhere between 80 to 90 points. Tough guy Milan Lucic will also need to stay healthy this year. The Bruins believe that Lucic is capable of tallying at least 20 goals a season, but last year he was limited to only 50 games and 20 points, including nine goals. Second-line center Patrice Bergeron is also capable of producing at a point-per-game pace, but, again, he will need to stay healthy and play a vast majority of the season if he is to be a valuable asset to the team. Players like David Krejci, Mark Recchi, Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder should all benefit from having a healthy squad as well.

Defense:

After being one of the best defensive teams in the NHL two years ago, the Bruins’ defense seemingly took a step back last season. Perhaps injuries on the front end plagued the defense as well, but only four of Boston’s defenseman was plus-1 or better last season with Zdeno Chara leading the way at plus-19. Look for Chara to again lead the way on the blue line for the Bruins in terms of both points and plus/minus.

With the departure of Dennis Wideman, the Bruins will need some younger talent to step up and help solidify the Bruins’ defensive core. Matt Hunwick is capable of playing much better than his minus-16 last season while guys like Dennis Seidenberg can certainly help chip in some points as well.

Goaltending:

The enigma about this team is that while they were last in goals scored for per game, the team was second-best overall in goals scored against per game with an average of 2.33. This was largely due to goaltending as the 23-year-old Tuukka Rask virtually took over in net and didn’t look back until he was leading the league in almost all of the goalie stat categories. Rask finished the season with an impressive league-leading 1.97 goals against average as well as a .931 save percentage. Rask was a proverbial brick wall in net and was a big reason why the Bruins finished as well as they did despite losing so many key players to injuries. Whether or not Rask is the go-to guy again this season remains to be seen. Tim Thomas is an outstanding goaltender in his own right and could work his way back to the number one position if Rask falters in his sophomore season. As it stands now, however, the Bruins have a solid tandem in Rask and Thomas.

Season Outlook:

The additions of Horton and Seguin will certainly help add depth to the Bruins roster, but remember that the team is currently over the cap, which means that one or more of the players mentioned may move before the start of the season. Current rumors place Savard, Ryder and Thomas all on the trading block and waiting to see who the right deal comes along for. Regardless, health will again be a big issue for the Bruins and the team’s defense needs to step it up a notch. Goaltending bailed them out last year, but it isn’t a guarantee that the same will happen again. For a team that has a lot of potential, there are still a lot of lingering questions going into the season and a lot of possibilities for how it could all play out.

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Zdeno Chara No Instigator Suspension

Apr 24

Posted by EB in News, Soap Box | No Comments

Boston Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara will not be suspended after receiving a minor penalty for instigating, a major for fighting and a game misconduct at the end of the game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The initial rule is as follows:

47.12 Instigator in Final Five Minutes of Regulation Time (or Anytime in Overtime) – A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at any time in overtime shall be assessed an instigator minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting, and a game misconduct penalty (see 47.22).

The NHL rescinded the suspension on Saturday under Rule 47.22:

47.22 Fines and Suspensions – Instigator in Final Five Minutes of Regulation Time (or Anytime in Overtime) - A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at anytime in overtime, shall automatically be suspended for one game. The Director of Hockey Operations will review every such incident and may rescind the suspension based on a number of criteria. The criteria for the review shall include, but not limited to, the score, previous incidents, etc. The length of suspension will double for each subsequent offense. This suspension shall be served in addition to any other automatic suspensions a player may incur for an accumulation of three or more instigator penalties.

Emotions are running high on both sides pertaining to the incident, Buffalo fans demanding a suspension while Boston fans in favor of the Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell’s decision.

After reviewing the play myself, I fell the decision to not suspend Chara is indeed the right call. However, upon my own feelings pertaining to the rule (Last year Stanley Cup Playoffs as Evgeni Malkin instigates a fight with Henrik Zetterberg), I feel that it should be more black and white. Any fight instigated within the last 5 minutes of the game should automatically be deemed a game misconduct for the following game. With such a black and white approach, this would disallow for the NHL’s biased suspension policy, one that allows for “known” players to dodge accountability for their actions.

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Boston Bruins

Sep 9

Posted by Chris in News, Season Previews | 1 Comment

The Boston Bruins were the best team in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season last year, but things didn’t pan out in the post-season like they had hoped with a second-round exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in a Game 7 overtime finisher. Plagued by injuries during their post-season run, the Bruins have recuperated and look poised to do some serious damage in the East again this season.

Not much has changed for this team in the offseason, except perhaps a stronger hunger for the Cup, so expect much of the same from the Bruins heading into this season. Strong play at both ends of the ice really propels this team to success. Offensively, the Bruins like to spread the wealth. 51625520Center Marc Savard led the offensive rush with 25 goals and 63 assists for a team-leading total of 88 points last season. However, Savard was one of eight different Bruins players who tallied 15 or more goals during the regular season, six of whom topped the 20-goal plateau. That type of depth makes the Bruins dangerous on offense night in and night out.

Defensively, Dennis Wideman led the blue line with 50 points and a plus/minus rating of plus-32. Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zdeno Chara was right there with 50 points and a plus-23 rating. What really sets this team apart, though, is the strong defensive work done by the entire team. Last season, 11 different players were plus-15 or better, eight of which were plus-20 or better. Of those eight, five were forwards. In fact, two of the top three plus/minus players on the Bruins last season were forwards, which is a big reason why the Bruins were the team to beat in the East last season. With all but one of those players coming back for the 2009-10 campaign, expect more of the same from the Bruins this season.

Goalie Tim Thomas (above) was another big reason for the regular-season success of the Bruins. Thomas put together an all-star season last year with a goals against average of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933, which were not only the best numbers of his own NHL career, but league-leading numbers among starting goaltenders. Thomas also posted 5 shutouts on his way to 36 wins in 54 games, and Thomas doesn’t look to be slowing down despite being 34-years-old. His numbers have gotten better each season with the Bruins, and 2009-10 should be another strong campaign.

While the major components of last season’s Bruins squad will be returning this season, two key players will be noticeably missing. Forward Phil Kessel, who amassed a team-leading 36 goals, has not been offered a contract by the cap-crunched Bruins. Despite the offensive depth, those goals will need to be made up somewhere if the Bruins are to continue their success. Free agent goaltender Manny Fernandez, who backed up Thomas last season for 16 wins and one shutout, will also be noticeable absent from the lineup. While still strong without these players, the Bruins will certainly need to generate the 36 goals lost by Kessel and put their faith in young backup goaltender Tuuku Rask to offset playing time with Thomas.

Veteran Mark Recchi, who was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, should be able to help fill the void left by Kessel. Recchi produced 10 goals and 16 points in 18 regular season games with the Bruins, and six points in 11 playoff games. Expect 40 to 50 points from Recchi this season with the Bruins. Also keep an eye on the young and gritty Milan Lucic, who will be coming into his third NHL season. Lucic accumulated 42 points last season along with 136 penalty minutes. However, Lucic also boasted a plus-17 rating. A big body who likes to hit, Lucic is a great grinder who can also contribute offensively. Expect him to continue to improve this season and play a slightly bigger role to help fill the void left by Kessel.

The Bruins are a team that thrives on strong offense paired with outstanding defensive play – a formula that wins championships. Key injuries contributed to an early exit in the playoffs last season, but with much of the same squad returning this year, the Bruins are again the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

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