And I had the privilege of being there to witness it.
But, the boys did make a good comeback, and taking a point out of this game is
something to be proud of. However, this team never should have let itself get
in that big of a hole to begin with.
There really isn't much to write about this game, but to me this game set this
team apart from last year's version, which is why I disagreed with Kevin Paul
Dupont's Globe article (see Game 32's post) in the first place. This isn't last
year's team, this team has some pride and has a coach who will not let his team
show him up with a stinking performance.
A loss is a loss, but this team showed that it had some pride and some fight in
them by stealing a point from the Penguins.
Hopefully, the B's can learn something from their performance tonight, and put
together a good performance on Saturday, when I'll be there to witness the
return of old friend Brad Boyes, who scored his 20th goal tonight and is on
pace for 50+.
Tying this game up after being down 4-0 makes me feel good about this team, and
this was one point that was certainly hard earned.
Also, credit Zdeno Chara for attempting to light a fire under his team with two "fights" against Penguins' enforcer and league-renowned tough guy, Georges Laraque. While neither of the two bouts were much in the way of fights, Chara showed that he is able to take control of his team and do something to get them going, even if it means putting one's health on the line. Kudos to Chara for trying to get his team to show some "fight".
Speaking of fights, the Crosby-Ference fight was decent. It's ridiculous that Ference got the additional two minutes for roughing, considering that Crosby was punching at him before the fight began too. Of course, Crosby is the Golden Child, and can do no wrong. Ference got cut from the visor on his own helmet, not from a Crosby punch. Both TSN and ESPN are saying he fought to "at least a draw", which I guess I could agree with. I'm glad Ference fought him, and Chara threw some hits against him. I actually like the Penguins, and like Crosby and Malkin, just not when they're playing the Bruins.
Speaking of Malkin, he really is an amazing player. He is an incredibly strong skater, and seems to have some serious chemistry with his linemate Crosby. I remember first hearing of Malkin in the Olympics a few years back, and it's been great to see him develop into such a talented player. Again, however, not against the Bruins.
Go B's Go.
GOALS
Boston- Marco Sturm (11), PJ Axelsson (5), Petteri Nokelainen (3),
Dennis Wideman (4)
Pittsburgh- Evgeni Malkin (12,13), Sidney Crosby (16), Erik Christensen
(4)
SAVES
Boston- Tim Thomas, 25 saves on 29 shots
Pittsburgh- Ty Conklin, 37 saves on 41 shots
NEXT GAME: Saturday, December 22 vs. St. Louis Blues, 1:00 PM EST
In a week late response to your question, Kessel is doing OK this season. He's shown flashes of being a great player, but he has also struggled to fit into Claude Julien's defensive minded system. He was the subject of some minor trade rumors after he got benched on the 23rd in Pittsburgh for the entire 3rd period, but he has responded well to said benching, and has played well since. All in all, he has been having a decent year, and seems to still have a great upside. Thanks for the question.
I'm a 20 year old kid from Dorchester, MA, who one day hopes to be a sportswriter for a big time newspaper, and figure this is a good place to start. I'm in college at Suffolk in downtown Boston now, and it's awesome. I love all sports, with the Bruins and Red Sox being my favorite teams, thought I'm also a big Patriots and Celtics fan. I think it's ridiculous how no one in this town cares about the Bruins anymore. I like college sports too, no particular teams, especially any big bowl games and March Madness. I hate fairweather fans, especially everyone who jumped on the Sox bandwagon in 2004. The "pink hats" and "OMG Varitek's so hot!!" drive me crazy, just like anyone else who's a real baseball fan. Pick a team, know the players, stay loyal and be a real fan- in good times and in bad.
