Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy New Year to all of the readers out there!
As you can see if you read this blog, I fell very far behind in these game blogs. I've realized that there are plenty of places to read a game story, and that a FoxSports blog is probably not the first place one would look. I'm still going to comment on most of the games, just in less o####ame report fashion.
Since that last post on the December 20th game against Pittsburgh, the Bruins have fallen on rough times indeed. At that point, the Bruins sat in 4th place in the Eastern Conference, and were within reasonable striking distance of the first place Ottawa Senators. However, since scraping a point out of that Penguins contest, the B's lost to the Blues at home, the Pens in Pittsburgh, the Hurricanes in Raleigh, were destroyed by the Thrashers in Atlanta, and won a good game against those same Thrashers on New Year's Eve. Also, before that OTL on the 20th, the B's had lost at home to the Senators. So what does that all mean? It means that the Bs went from fourth place in the conference to being tied for tenth before Monday afternoon's game by going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Currently, the B's are tied for seventh in the conference with 42 points (same as the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders), and have fallen to third place in the Northeast division, 3 points behind second place Montreal and a whopping 12 behind the Senators. To make matters worse, the B's have yet to beat Montreal or Ottawa this season in six tries.
Maybe, but Monday's win certainly was encouraging. After falling behind 2-0 early, the Bruins scored 5 straight goals to avoid another embarrassment at the hands of the Thrashers. The team showed some resiliency after falling behind early, and really dominated the second and third periods of that game. I consider tomorrow a must win against the Caps here at home, simply because the Caps are in 14th place, and this is a game the Bruins should win.
(On a historical note, Dennis Wideman scored the Bruins' franchise's 18,000th goal, the first of the game on Monday. They are the second team to reach that milestone, with Montreal being the first.)
What's the deal with this trade? Hard to say, really. The B's added another defenseman, filling a void after Aaron Ward has been hurt, as has Andrew Ference. The B's defense has been their strong point, and they faltered when their d-men got hurt as of late. Hnidy also brings a physical and intimidating presence to the ice, making the B's a bit tougher of a team overall.
Why did Bochenski have to go? A few different reasons, really. He wasn't fitting in here, and wasn't really playing well (when he was even playing). He didn't seem to fit in Claude Julien's system, and didn't really show many flashes of that offensive firepower he showed towards the end of last year when he came from Chicago in exchange for Kris Versteeg. To put it plainly, he wasn't doing what the B's needed from him, and Anaheim must have expressed an interest in him. Best of luck to Bochenski in Anaheim. Let's hope he's not another former Bruins who goes out West and revives his career. Who could that be?
All in all, this is really meant to be a "get caught up to now" post. Nothing too detailed, nothing too in depth. Right now, the B's find themselves in a tough spot, needing to stick it out through these difficult times, or they risk seeing their great start fall through the cracks.
In the spirit of the New Year, here are some resolutions for some Bruins players:
Chuck Kobasew: Keep up the good work! Kobasew has been the Bruins most consistent offensive player this season, and is making the Brad Stuart trade seem pretty lopsided at this point. Before Milan Lucic added a goal in the closing seconds last time out against Ottawa, Kobasew had been the only Bruin to score this year against the Sens. He has shown toughness, determination, and a great work ethic. Hopefully he can keep it up, as he seems to be on pace for a career year, which the Bruins would certainly appreciate.
Marco Sturm: Wake Up! Sturm has fallen off the map as of late, and at the worst possible time. The B's need offense desperately, and with Glen Murray out for an unknown amount of time, Sturm can't afford to get cold now.
(For evidence of how intense Sturm is, check out this picture...of a table tennis game. And no, this isn't sarcastic at all. Have a look.)
Phil Kessel: Keep on keepin' on! Kessel is a great talent, and cannot get down on himself. After a lackluster effort (in Julien's eyes) against the Penguins, Kessel suffered what may have been the first benching of his entire hockey career. He didn't take it too well, but did seem to respond the next time out. He worked hard on both ends, and scored a goal in the third period. Kessel is the future of the B's, and can't let all of the doubters who cited his bad attitude be proved correct. These past few weeks could prove to be little more than growing pains for Kessel, who should be on his way to becoming an NHL star very soon.
Tim Thomas: Calm down! Any Bruins fan who has watched this team over the past few years knows that Tim Thomas has made some highlightreelsaves. However, an educated fan knows that many of these saves are necessary because Thomas finds himself horribly out of position at times. One of the reasons for his early season success was that he was a lot more sturdy in the net, and didn't find himself flopping around at all. Why is that? Some say it is his increased strength, others say yoga helped him. Either way, he has looked a little flustered out there in recent efforts, and needs to get back to keeping it simple, and stopping one shot at a time.
Peter Chiarelli- Look to the future! Chiarelli is on the hot seat, and is, in all likelihood, done if the B's don't make the playoffs this season. One of the things that bothers me about this is that he is almost like a GM with nothing to lose, willing to sell the farm to make it now. Barring a major Brad Richards/Martin St. Louis/Vincent Lecavalier/Marian Hossa level trade, this Bruins team isn't one that is going to be a Stanley Cup favorite. It is going to take another year or two, and the B's have one of the stronger farm teams in the league. Be patient (and the same goes for the Jacobs family in regards to firing Chiarelli), and the B's youngsters times will come.
That's enough Bruins writing for tonight. Let's hope the B's can get back on the winning track with their second straight tomorrow night against Alexander Ovechkin and Co.
Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to leave comments on this format change or on anything above.
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
Needing a win to get back on track, the Bruins turned to...Alex Auld?
The former Coyote was acquired by the B's on Thursday, in exchange for minor league forward Nate DiCasmirro and a fifth round draft pick in 2009. This must mean that Tim Thomas' injury is a little more serious than originally let on, or that Manny Fernandez will continue to be a $4+ million waste of space. Either way, Auld was in Toronto, and was ready to start.
Both goalies, Auld and Toronto's Vesa Toskala, probably wish they had their first goals back. Auld let a Jason Blake wrister go five-hole, and Toskala was beat by Chuck Kobasew's wrister while streaking in from the left wing. In any case, both teams clamped down, and played a very tight game the rest of the way. It was called "boring" by fans on TSN's message boards, and was very similar to the team's last game a few weeks back (Rask's debut, a 4-2 win), which was also quite boring. However, just like that game, the Bruins won, this time on a slap shot from Dennis Wideman that proved to be the difference maker. Both teams play a stifling defensive style that does, admittedly, lead to some pretty boring play at times. But hey, boring is great when it gets you a win, and that's what it did for the B's tonight.
Dennis Wideman has been, IMHO, the B's best defenseman of late. He has been ripped apart by B's fans since coming here, mainly because he was traded for Brad Boyes, who has been tearing it up in St. Louis. However, Wideman's game has improved, and likewise has his playing time. Claude Julien has been rewarding Wideman for his great play, and let's hope B's fans can get over Boyes' departure (finally).
Also, Auld played admirably in his Boston debut, slamming the door multiple times during flurries of pressure from the Leafs in the closing seconds. It's safe to say that the B's "held on" to win this one, and a lot of the credit should be given to Auld. The credit SHOULDN'T be given to Glen Murray, who made his goalie's life difficult by taking FOUR penalties in this game but, hey, a win's a win. Had they lost, I'd be ripping Murray apart. But they won, so keep up the good work, Muzz.
GOALS
Boston- Chuck Kobasew (12), Dennis Wideman (3)
Toronto- Jason Blake (4)
SAVES
Boston- Alex Auld, 25 saves on 26 shots
Toronto- Vesa Toskala, 18 saves on 20 shots
NEXT GAME: Monday, December 10 @ Buffalo Sabres, 7 PM EST
The Devils were one of hockey's hottest teams coming into this game, having won 7 straight before welcoming the Bruins to "the Rock" for the first time this season. Martin Brodeur had regained his true form, and had been playing some of his best hockey of the season. This looked like it may be a tough one for the B's to pull out, but they came out flying, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
I was feeling good about this team at this point, actually surprised at how well they were playing. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and this good thing came crashing down in a hurry. The Devils came roaring back in the second, and had the deficit cut to one at 3-2 after two periods. The Bruins spent most of that second frame desperately trying to stay afloat, very rarely (if ever) getting any legitimate pressure on Brodeur. The Devils had rush after rush up the ice, and it seemed like this one was getting away from the B's.
Sure enough, it got away, and the Devils tied it up with a little under six minutes to go in the third. So what happened? It's been said that a 2 goal lead is the hardest to defend in hockey, which must mean that a 3 goal lead is all the more difficult. Did the Bruins get complacent? Maybe, or maybe the Devils woke up. They played a pretty crappy first period, and seemed to turn it on for the rest of the game.
As if the collapse wasn't enough, the Bruins rock in net went down as well. Tim Thomas left the game with what was termed a "lower body injury" (sounds like the Patriots injury report, doesn't it?), and from what I saw on the replay it looks like a knee sprain, or possibly a hamstring or groin pull. Either way, he was out, and Tuukka Rask came on in relief. There was no way that this was going to end well, and I said to my friend who was watching the game with me that it felt like it was only a matter of time before the Devils scored again. Voila, Patrik Elias pots the winner with under two minutes left in overtime. Game over, and the B's let one get away.
This would have been a good win, a momentum win to carry home against the Canadiens. However, in true optimist fashion, the B's did get a point from a very good Devils team. It was also good to see some offense from Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman, and to see Glen Murray continue to produce. Hopefully, the B's can carry some positives from this game into tomorrow night's contest, and leave the collapse behind.
GOALS
Boston- Zdeno Chara (4), Glen Murray (9), Dennis Wideman (2)
New Jersey- Patrik Elias (5,6), Zach Parise (13,14)
SAVES
Boston- Tim Thomas, 28 saves on 31 shots; Tuukka Rask, 2 saves on 3 shots
New Jersey- Martin Brodeur, 23 saves on 26 shots
NEXT GAME: Thursday, December 6 vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7 PM EST
The Bruins rolled into "Le Centre Bell" for their first game of the season against the hated Canadiens, and probably would have preferred that they missed their flight. On a nationally televised game (or, perhaps more specifically, a game on Versus) the Bruins were outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game. I missed most of the first half of the game, and caught it with the B's down 2-0. Manny Fernandez got the start again, and, to be honest, I don't fault him for 4 of the 6 goals that were scored on him. The first two goals were scored off of faceoffs on which he had little chance, the third was on a 2 on 1, the fourth was on a well executed power play, the fifth was another 2 on 1, and the sixth was on another power play.
Fernandez, I think, should have saved the third and the sixth. Though the third was on an odd-man rush, the pass went right through Fernandez' crease, probably an inch from his pads. Had he simply attempted to stop the pass or poke the puck away, it never would have found its way onto Steve Begin's stick. The other one he should have saved was the sixth goal. Even though it was a nice wrist shot, it was, after all, simply a wrist shot that Fernandez didn't stop. He left an opening over his shoulder, and let the Habs get their sixth goal of the night.
As for the Bruins, there wasn't much to be proud of in this game. Claude Julien was right when he called the game "humbling", as their 4 game winning streak was quickly and violently snapped. The power play was OK, keeping up the pressure, but they couldn't hit the net at all. They didn't really challenge Cristobal Huet much, though he did make a spectacular save on Glen Murray, who admitted that he misfired badly on the puck. Milan Lucic nearly changed the game around in the third, as he made a great individual play: he took the puck through center ice into the Montreal zone, absorbed a hit, kept the puck and unleashed a laser from the slot that beat Huet, but struck the post and bounced away. Zdeno Chara then couldn't keep the puck in the zone on the ensuing rebound, and the Canadiens scored their fifth goal on the odd-man rush that followed. It was a 2 goal swing that locked up a game that was essentially over anyways.
The Bruins need to play much better in their defensive zone, and really need to work on faceofffs. No, one can't expect them to win every faceoff, but at least don't lose them so cleanly, as Marc Savard did on the two Habs goals. They also need to work on hitting the net more with their shots, which I'm sure will come with practice. Claude Julien most likely didn't take kindly to the blowout, and I'm sure the team was worked hard this week. Let's hope they come up with a better showing the Thursday's second original six matchup of the season, this time against the Chicago Blackhawks.
GOALS:
Bo ston- Dennis Wideman (1)
Montreal- Chris Higgins (3), Alexei Kovalev (4), Steve Begin (1), Patrice Brisebois (1), Mikhail Grabovski (1), Andrei Markov (3)
SAVES:
Boston- Manny Fernandez, 14 saves on 20 shots
Montreal- Cristobal Huet, 31 saves on 32 shots
NEXT GAME: Thursday, October 25 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 7:00 PM EST
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.
