I apologize for the horrible attempt at putting two words together in the title, but this blog will just be some thoughts and observations I've had in the world of sports recently.
It's a pity that the NBA and NHL couldn't have worked out some kind of deal in regards to their playoff schedules. With the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons each battling deep into their respective post-seasons, one figures it'd be a joyous time to be a Detroit fan. However, due to issues between the leagues (that I assume involve mainly money), the Stanley Cup Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals are not only being played on the same nights, but at the same TIMES (give or take 25 minutes). This move forces fans in Detroit to essentially pick sides, or desperately try to balance the two (I saw a few fans in the Game 4 crowd in Detroit wearing Red Wings jerseys). Even me, as a Bostonian, wishes there was some other arrangement. While my Bruins are eliminated, I find nothing more exciting than playoff hockey, especially the Cup Finals. I've found myself flipping back and forth trying to watch both games, while considering getting TiVo instead. It's a shame that this has probably ended in the NHL getting lower ratings. A casual fan would probably be more inclined to watch the NBA, as the Celtics and Lakers resurgence has been well broadcast across the media spectrum. With this being the NHL's big chance to showcase some of its best young and old talent, a dispute over dollars may have the teams playing in Kevin Garnett's shadow.
The NBA has decided to come down on "floppers", taking a page out of the NHL's book (cracking down on diving and embellishing). I'm not sure what effect this will have on the game as a whole, but I wouldn't be surprised if offensive fouls drop drastically, either because of perceived flops or because of players getting set late because of hesitation. I'd rather see the NBA promote a "Let the boys play" approach. It seems like every drive results in some ticky-tacky foul, and if no foul is called, the players look around, hands raised, mortified at what just happened. Enough with the weak fouls, and enough with the whining. These players act like children when they don't get their way, sulking down the court and glaring daggers at the referees. Grow up.
The Celtics have a chance to set up a throwback NBA finals, as a win tonight would undoubtedly bring back Celtics-Lakers memories of old. I'm a little too young to remember any kind of fierce rivalry, but my father and uncles certainly do. Hopefully the Celtics can advance, and can give the fans a generation ahead of me a Finals to look forward to.
A lot seems to have been made on this website about Jason Whitlock's piece on tattoos. I tend to agree with the multitudes here when I say I don't really think it's that accurate. Yes ratings are up, but does that have anything to do with tattoos? The ratings boost could just be because of the rivalries that have made up these conference finals, or, taking a Boston-centric view, because two of the league's more storied franchises in Boston and LA are seemingly on a collision course. Far be it for me to judge Jason Whitlock, as he is a great writer, but it seems like the took two unrelated statistics and fused them together here. I can honestly say that I've never looked at an NBA player and said "Wow, I'm changing the channel, this guy has too many tattoos". On a more logical note, during play it's not exactly easy to pick out tattoos anyways, but that's just nitpicking. There's my $0.02 on the latest buzz on FoxSports.com
So after remarkably predicting the exact score of Game 5 (tongue in cheek patting on the back here), I decided to write a few quick words about tonight's game six.
In a way, I almost feel like this is a type of must win for this Celtics team. Yes, they have a solid core of veterans, but of veterans who are of the "close but no cigar" mold. With every road loss, the "Celtics can't win away from Boston" rumblings have grown louder and louder, to the point where one must wonder if it is beginning to get inside the players' heads a bit. I suspect that it may just be fan/media chatter, but one can't help but wonder if the Celtics are starting to feel the pressure. If the C's can't win on the road tonight, yet still manage to win a seventh game, imagine the pressure that's going to be on them to win in Detroit. Yikes.
I think the loss of Daniel Gibson may prove big for the Cavs. Yes, he's a bench player, but is a dependable shooter, especially from long-distance. Also, is Delonte West's eye/allergy problems continue, losing Gibson could be even more devastating.
Overall, game five was a pretty good game for the Celtics, despite some near hairy moments at the end. They came back strong, played pretty good defense, and held off the late charge. One thing I did notice, however, at the repeated prompting of TNT's broadcasters, is that the Celtics seem to be playing lock-down defense for 20 seconds each possession. Any time the Cavs started really passing the ball around almost in shot-clock expiring desperation, it seemed like the Celtics began to scramble a lot. It'll be interesting to see if Mike Brown tests this theory with some plays designed to slow the game down, and draw the Celtics defense out of sync.
And on a final note, Jay-Z has been banned from the TD Banknorth Garden for life and fined $25,000 for flashing gang signs at an unknown member of the crowd.
Finally, in an attempt to gain a reputation as a FoxBlog Fortune Teller, a score prediction:
A back and forth game, but the Celtics manage to get the "Can't Win on the Road" #### off their backs and end King James' 2008 Reign:
Celtics 99, Cavaliers 93
Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave comments.
I haven't
posted in a while, as I've been writing in some other blogs, but
figured now would be a good time for a basketball post. Enjoy.
Well,
the Celtics managed to dig themselves into another hole, now facing
what is essentially a must-win home game tonight after dropping two
straight to the Cavs on the road. Game 3 was a total loss from the
opening tip, while the C's couldn't seem to combine a basket with a
defensive stop to save their lives in the fourth quarter of Game 4. So
now it's back to the Garden, where the Celtics better right the ship
fast, or risk being kicked out of the playoff party a little early by
King James and Co.
Speaking
of James, the incident with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, James, and his
mother, Gloria James (upon reading that sentence a second time, it
sounds like the beginning of a bad dirty joke) was probably one of the
funnier moments I've seen in sports recently. I had no idea the woman
was James' mother, and actually wonder if KG knew who it was.
Nevertheless, she didn't hesitate to get right in Pierce's face, only
to be deterred by Garnett and James, who supposedly said something to
the effect of "Ma, sit your #### down!", which only makes the situation
more funny. Check out the death look she's giving as the play develops:
What
I don't understand is the people who are defending her, saying "Good
for her, that was a cheap play", or "I would have done that too, he
could have hurt LeBron!" Spare me. Pierce did the right thing in that
situation. He didn't want to give up an easy two points, so he fouled
James, and wrapped him up, clearly trying to prevent him from falling
into the net or crowd. The two's momentum carried them into the stands,
where Mommy Dearest came roaring to the rescue. The foul wasn't a big
deal, but fans in the Q screamed bloody murder, as they do (and this
isn't to pick on Cavs fans, all fans do this with their superstars)
whenever James is touched, whether it be a clean block or a hard foul.
After the "fracas" subsided, James and Pierce exchanged a sort of
fist-pound, something to the effects of "Hey man, no hard feelings,
keep playing, etc." Both Pierce and James seemed OK with the play, and
it only ended up counting for two points, but Gloria James jumping into
the action made it a much bigger deal than it was.
Another
note on this series: Having not seen many Cavs games this year, I've
been shocked at the play of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Any Cavs fans who
stumble across this post may be able to enlighten me further, but has
he always shot like this? The guy seems to have a smooth stroke from
beyond the elbows and free throw line, and has been the Cavs best
player at times. This series features two big men who can shoot (the
other being KG), and it's been great to watch so far.
If this series ends in favor of the Cavs, there will almost certainly be calls for Doc Rivers' head to be mounted atop the Zakim Bridge.
While this would be extreme, and I'd be shocked if he were fired with a
series loss, I have begun to question some of his moves this series.
Bill Simmons wrote on ESPN.com something to the extent of "the only way
the Celtics aren't going to the NBA Finals is if Rivers overcoaches
them". I'm not sure that he's overcoaching as much as he just isn't
making the right moves. Why was Glen Davis out there deep into the
fourth quarter, with the game still in the balance? Why does Rajon
Rondo continue to be stapled to the bench in big situations? Yes, he's
not as experienced as Sam Cassell, but Cassell hasn't done much either,
besides fill George Costanza's
role as a "chucker", shooting whenever he gets the chance. Rondo has
been great this series, creating plays and scoring on some nice looking
drives. Let the kid play, Doc. He's gotta learn somehow.
On
another King James note, it's good to see the media kowtowing to him
continues. Sure, I'll probably be ripped for this by Cavs fans, so let
me preface this by saying the following: Yes, he is the best player in
the NBA. Yes, he is going to be one of the greatest players ever. Yes,
he does deserve praise and credit. Yes, I'd love to have him on the
Celtics. Anything else? Now that the disclaimer is out of the way
(though I still expect comments like "Don't be jealous!"), TNT's
gushing of all things LBJ is getting old. I'm not entirely sure which
of the trio it is, though I believe it's Jeff Van Gundy. For example,
Van Gundy spent plenty of time gushing about a pass that James made
when he left his feet. From hearing Van Gundy talk, one would think
James just dunked it from the three point line. Other things that have
been said:
"Wow,
Kevin Garnett actually knocked James DOWN on that foul! Wow! Usually,
it's James who knocks the person down while he gets fouled and he
scores too! Wow!"
"Eddie
House just fouled Lebron! Now he'll be able to tell all of his
grandchildren that he knocked down the King once! Awesome!"
Again,
don't get me wrong. Lebron is an amazing player, and deserves some
praise, but come on Jeff. Take off the LBJ23 Nikes and chill a little.
Now for
some actual predicting. Game 5 is going to be huge, and I don't really
see a blowout coming on either side. I think the Cavs are going to put
up a lot more of a fight than they did the first two times in Boston,
and that the Celtics may be feeling a little pressure, with all of the
"they can't win on the road!" talk building. The scary thing about this
series, from a Celtics fan's perspective, is that James really hasn't
gone off yet. Yes, he's been a catalyst, and huge for the Cavs, but he
hasn't played to his full capacity yet, which is terrifying. Celtics
fans who watch the rest of the NBA may have had nightmares last night
about James' performance against the Pistons in last year's playoffs,
in which he took control and essentially beat Detroit by himself.
So what happens tonight? Only time will tell, but here's my guess:
There's a lot going on in the world of sports this weekend, so I figured I'd touch on a few different things for this post.
As far as the NFL Playoffs go, all four games this weekend were pretty entertaining. I didn't catch much of the Seahawks-Redskins game, or of the Titans-Chargers. I have to say that I was hoping the Titans would win against San Diego, for two reasons: One being that I like the underdog, and two being that LT is a huge whinebag, and seeing him and Philip "I was just cheering on my teammate" Rivers exit in the first round again would have been pretty sweet. It seems like taunting is OK, as long as its your team doing it, huh LT? Regardless of whether or not I like him, however, LT is the best running back in the game, and their matchup with the Colts next weekend should be a good one. (One of the good things about the Seahawks winning is we get to see a Matt Hasselbeck vs. Lambeau Field rematch. You gotta love Matt's enthusiasm here, but let's hope it turns out better for him this time around...)
The other game that I thought was interesting was the Steelers-Jaguars game. When I originally saw the score, the Jags were way up, and I figured the game was over. Kudos to the Steelers for coming back, but I think their go ahead score was helped along by a questionable pass interference call. I can't find a video link to it, but the replay clearly showed that Ward had his hand in the Jags' player's facemask the entire time, letting go at the end to...complain to the ref. In the end, the Jags' prevailed, and have earned the right to face the Patriots next week. This should be a good game, as Garrard certainly showed some composure down the stretch, and Jones-Drew and Taylor are a formidable one-two punch. Saturday night will be fun in Foxboro.
Boston College hosted a marquee matchup at the Heights on Saturday, and got absolutely steamrolled by the Kansas Jayhawks. It's good to see that BC continues to be completely inept when it comes to winning big games. Take THAT for not accepting me...
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to get stellar goaltending from journeyman Ty Conklin, who is now 7-0 as a starter. And I thought it was just the Bruins who made third-string goalies look spectacular...
The Celtics got a huge win against the Pistons on Saturday night, and got a huge performance from "Big Baby", Glen Davis. Davis was all over the place down the stretch last night, going after rebounds like Cookie Monster after some snacks. Davis had a couple of And-1's and a key offensive rebound late, all amounting to a clutch fourth quarter performance. This was a big win for the C's, as they avenged their only home loss of the season and showed the Pistons that they aren't ready to just accept second place in the Eastern Conference. These two teams should engage in some more great battles down the stretch, and may be primed for an Eastern Conference Finals showdown.
No post would be complete without some Bruins comments, as the B's have been playing a lot better since ending their losing streak last Monday. They've now one three straight, over the Thrashers, Capitals and Devils. They held on last night, and got a timely save from none other than Glen Metropolit in the closing seconds. Brian Gionta continues to try and start with Zdeno Chara, then watches as everyone on his team comes to his defense, mainly because Chara would send Gionta into next week with one punch. The B's are in what I'm going to call a "proving ground" stretch of their schedule, with games this week against the Devils, Hurricanes and Canadiens, all teams they have yet to beat this season (with the exception of beating the Devils yesterday). If the B's can emerge from this 3 game stretch at 2-1, and they're in good shape, having won the first one, I'd be thrilled.
The Flyers propensity for throwing huge/borderline hits finally came back to hurt them, this time quite literally. To be honest, I can't throw much blame on Hatcher for the hit, but it was a questionable hit to throw in the first place. It's unfortunate that he hit his own teammate, and hopefully Lupul will be OK. I do wonder, however, if Flyers' fans are going to come out in droves again, calling this simple Old Time Hockey. Hmmmmm...
The Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee carousel continues to turn, with essentially each calling the other a liar. I didn't see the 60 Minutes piece, but my brother who did said that it was essentially Clemens simply saying "No, I didn't do it" over and over again, without much elaboration. This article on ESPN.com tells a similar story, with one of Clemens' lawyers saying that anyone who didn't believe Clemens after seeing that interview is "not a well person". Uhhh...OK. Basically, this is amounting to a case of He said-He said. Clemens says it was lidocaine and B-12, McNamee says it was testosterone. Basically, one of these people is going to be shamed publicly and called a liar. If it's Clemens, many of his accomplishments may (whether it's the right way to view it or not) be invalidated. If it's McNamee, does this invalidate the whole Mitchell Report, to which he was a big contributer. Basically, it's the word of a 300 game winner against that of a "clubhouse mole". Hopefully, the "true truth" will come out, but it isn't going to be easy, and will probably get a lot uglier before this all ends.
That's enough for a big sports weekend, and next weekend is shaping up to be just as big. Let's hope the Patriots Pain Train keeps on rolling...
So is it finally time for the real season to begin? After the first 22 games were little more than a stroll through Boston Common, the Celtics are set to embark on what is said to be the first true test section of their schedule: vs. Orlando on December 23rd, at Utah and L.A. Lakers on back to back nights (December 29th and 30th), at Detroit (January 5th), then back to back games again, this time at New Jersey and at Washington (January 11th and 12th). The Utah/LA games will serve as the end of a four game West Coast swing, which is never an easy task for any NBA team.
On ESPN earlier last week, Bill Walton said that this was the time when the Celtics would show if they were truly one of the league's elite teams (which, according to Chauncey Billups after last night's game, is true). Their early schedule was pretty much a cakewalk, with only occasional challenges from Orlando and Toronto thrown in the mix.
20-3 is quite impressive, but the Celtics still need to prove that they can run with the big boys, and last night's game against Detroit was one of those tests. Even though they lost, the Celtics proved that they are a tough team, and had many chances to win that game. Paul Pierce's ill-advised jumper sealed the deal, as he had plenty of time to up-fake, drive to the net, or even kick the ball out to someone else. There were way too many offensive rebounds for the Pistons, something that a team cannot allow when it is trying to make a comeback. Also, too many stupid fouls (no, not Tony Allen's...everyone in the building was sold on Billups' up-fake) that occurred away from the play or on loose balls. These are all things that the Celtics can build upon, and they should come away from this game angry that they let it get away, not proud that they were able to "hang in there" against Detroit.
That said, last night's game had a great atmosphere, and was a lot of fun to watch. It felt like a playoff game, something that hasn't been seen in the Garden since the Pacers blew the Celtics out of the water a few years back. Ray Allen's clutch three-pointers were incredible, as was the sharpshooting of Billups, who abused Rajon Rondo down the stretch. Basketball was fun again in Boston last night, despite the loss.
Who knows, maybe we'll see some more Celtics-Pistons games down the road, say, in June?
The Bruins came out pretty flat in the second game of this home and home series, and honestly deserved this loss. They were winning most of the game, but were unable to hold off the Isles offensive attack, and were unable to do much down in Rick DiPietro's end. This was a very frustrating game to watch as a Bruins fan, because they couldn't get anything going, and it almost felt like it was only a matter of time before the B's lost the lead.
As far as bright spots, there weren't many. It was good to see PJ Axelsson get on the board again, on a great pass from Marc Savard. Tim Thomas played another pretty good game, but the Andy Hilbert goal was pretty soft. He should have had that one. Other than that, this game sucked for the Bruins. Claude Julien said the B's were "outworked", and that's kind of an understatement. The players are in for one hell of a practice after this one.
GOALS
Boston- PJ Axelsson (2)
New York- Andy Hilbert (1), Richard Park (2)
SAVES
Boston- Tim Thomas, 27 saves on 29 shots
New York- Rick DiPietro, 20 saves on 21 shots
NEXT GAME: Monday, November 26, @ Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 PM EST
With a noon start on the day after Thanksgiving, one had to expect this one to be a little slow in the early going. That's exactly what happened, but both teams began to pick up their play as the game went on, and the Bruins, overall, played a pretty good game, powered by some offense from "the Glens". In some ways, it almost seemed like they stole a win in this game, as the Islanders hit the post with the net wide open at least twice, and Glen Metropolit's goal, which proved to be the game winner, was a shot that Rick DiPietro will stop most of the time. But hey, a win is a win, and it just so happened to be the B's first over the Islanders in regulation since before the Lockout.
Overall, Tim Thomas played well again. The goal that Mike Sillinger scored on him was perfect, there isn't a goalie in the league who would have stopped it. Other than that, he was consistent, making big saves when necessary. He did, however, give up a few pretty bad rebounds that led to wide open nets for Islander forwards. Thankfully for the Bruins, the Isles failed to capitalize on these mistakes, and Thomas emerged with another victory.
Milan Lucic got rocked early on by Bryan Berard on a hit that was clean but somewhat questionable. There was nothing dirty about the intent, just that the follow through was a little high. Lucic played another shift after the hit, and actually created a pretty good scoring chance, but never returned and isn't playing tomorrow. To take his place, the B's called up Vladimir Sobotka from Providence, who will make his NHL debut tonight.
It's also a good sign to see Glen Murray continue to find the net, as he now has 6 points in his last 4 games. The B's have won 3 of those 4, and need Murray to stay hot, especially in the absence of Patrice Bergeron.
With these two teams meeting again in about an hour, it'll be interesting to see if there is any carryover from yesterday afternoon. The game got chippy at times, but players seemed to hold back due to the tightness of the game. I don't know of any outstanding animosity between the teams, but playing 2 games in two nights can probably create some pretty quick. Hopefully, the B's can get a win tonight, and go into Philly on a roll on Monday.
GOALS
Boston- Glen Murray (4), Glen Metropolit (4)
New York- Mike Sillinger (3)
SAVES
Boston- Tim Thomas, 25 saves on 26 shots
New York- Rick DiPietro, 23 saves on 25 shots
NEXT GAME: Saturday, November 24 @ NY Islanders, 7:00 PM EST
This was honestly probably the happiest I've ever been after a Bruins loss. Sure, they lost the game, but they handed Montreal a beating as well. "Ehhhhh, ze penalty minutes vill not get you into ze playoffs!" Shut it, Frenchie. I don't care. The Bruins beat the #### out of the Canadiens, and showed that they wouldn't go down without a fight. Or two. Or three.
As far as the game itself went, it was pretty obvious that the Canadiens were the more skilled team. They have smaller, faster players who are more skilled with the puck. Does this mean that they are a better team than the Bruins? Not necessarily, just that they are a different kind of team. To their credit, they kept up the pressure even after allowing the Bruins to tie the game on three separate occasions. However, the Bruins were also able to come back, which speaks to the character of their team as well.
It was good to see Glen Murray get his offense going, as in the last game against the Leafs, he had about 2 or 3 chances that just hopped over his stick or were just wide. It must have been getting pretty frustrating for him, so let's hope he can keep the production going, and get the offense going in the right direction. As far as the offense goes, the B's were able to put up 4 goals again, so hopefully whatever Claude's been telling them is going to stick, as they have 9 goals in the last two games.
Defensively, this team is still somewhat suspect. Andrew Ference missed this game with another injury, but Matt Hunwick filled in admirably, playing a pretty solid game. Dennis Wideman had a bit of a rough game, making a few turnovers or ill-advised passes, but he has been the B's best defenseman for the past three weeks. Everyone's going to have "one of those games". Speaking of "good to see them getting on the board", Zdeno Chara got his first goal of the season on a laser from just beyond the faceoff dot. He needs to start using that powerful shot of his more, as it's going to take some real courage from the opponent to get down and block that missile.
Tim Thomas played fairly well again, but I thought the goal by "Gui Unit", Guillaume Latendresse, was a little soft. Unfortunately, that got the momentum going for Montreal, and they never looked back. Timmy may need a night off, so hopefully they get him one soon. Tuukka Rask will likely be back up, but Providence needs him as well. P.B's starting goalie Jordan Sigalet, who has multiple sclerosis, had an MS related episode during a game last week, and was face down on the ice and taken off on a stretcher. Needless to say, it was a scary episode, and best wishes to Jordan on a quick recovery.
However, my main interest in this game was the fight that the Bruins showed towards the end. After Montreal went up 6-3, my friend Billy, who is one of the biggest Bruins fans out there, and I both agreed that this game was all but salted away, and that we just wanted to see this team show some fight. Show some pride that they were losing. To put it plainly, we were looking for some balls from this team. Something to show us that they actually cared that they were losing.
Well, needless to say, we got it. Andrew Alberts, who is big but doesn't usually fight, took down Tom Kostopoulos it what was honestly probably the closest to an even fight that night. About a minute later, Mark Stuart, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite because of his willingness to take the body, beat the #### out of Andrei Kostitsyn. I'm sick of hearing people say how Stuart baited him into it, and how Kostitsyn isn't a fighter. Bull. If you don't want to fight a guy, don't slash and spear him a few seconds prior. This fight was one of the most lopsided I've seen in a while, and was just a complete beatdown for Kostitsyn. Needless to say, it'll be a while before he fights again.
Then, the head turtle of them all, Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau, started yelling at Claude Julien through the glass. Claude didn't back down, and Carbonneau ended up walking the other way, or supposedly being "restrained" by his assistant coach. Please. If there were ever coach fights, Guy Carbonneau vs. Anyone would be a pretty easy fight for the "Anyone" coach.
After this fight, we saw what a little fighting momentum can do, as Murray wired home his second of the night off of a faceoff to make it 6-4. Suddenly, it seemed like the B's may still have a chance, but Montreal was able to hold on, mainly because of Zdeno Chara's penalties. He took an elbowing penalty after he hit Alexei Kovalev, who is one of my least favorite players, after Mike Ribeiro, then charged right after Guillaume Latendresse and quickly dropped him with three right hands to the face. I'm honestly not quite sure why this fight occurred, but it was good to see Chara show some anger. However, the Habs scored easily on the ensuing 5-3, which isn't a surprise considering they have arguably the best power play in the league, and that was the end of the game for all intents and purposes.
However, Tom Kostopoulos decided he hadn't had enough of a beating yet, and decided to go after Mark Stuart. Thankfully for the B's, Kostopoulos started the fight, so he got the instigator, the suspension, and Carbonneau got the fine of $10,000. Oh, and Kostopoulos got another beat down. Good choice, Tom.
Overall, as I said at the beginning, I was thrilled with the result of this game, and it only could have been better if they had won. If any hockey fans actually came on these blogs, I'd expect plenty of backlash from Habs fans, who say that this was goonery and has no place in the league. However, I'm pretty sure I speak for most hockey fans, especially American ones, when I say that this is what the league needs. It needs the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry to be intense again, and needs some rough stuff to bring fans back. I'm in no way that disappointed with how the league is now, but I wouldn't be opposed to more roughhousing.
Needless to say, I'm all ready to go get my tickets to the B's-Habs game at the Garden on December 6th. It should be a good one.
GOALS:
Boston- Glen Murray (2,3), Zdeno Chara (1), Marco Sturm (9)
Montreal- Saku Koivu (5), Tom Kostopoulos (2), Andrei Kostitsyn (3), Guillaume Latendresse (3), Roman Hamrlik (2), Mike Komisarek (3), Alexei Kovalev (10)
SAVES:
Boston- Tim Thomas, 45 saves on 52 shots
Montreal- Cary Price, 32 saves on 36 shots
NEXT GAME: Tuesday, November 20 @ Toronto, 7:00 PM EST
For this game against the Leafs, a friend and I were able to
walk down to the Garden 10 minutes before the game and grab two tickets off of
a scalper for face value. I guess that’s one of the perks of little interest in
a team. I was actually pretty surprised with this game’s attendance, as there
were probably around 15-16,000 people there.
The Bruins came out flying in this
game, with 2 shots in the first nine seconds of the game on “old friend” Andrew
Raycroft. They then scored 19 seconds in, on a nice one-timer off of the
faceoff. It was nice to see the offense finally come to life in this game, even though a few of the goals that Raycroft let in were suspect at best.
Apparently Peter Schaefer and Brandon Bochenski read this blog, because they certainly have been playing better since being invisible against Montreal. Schaefer contributed 2 goals and an assist, while Bochenski added 2 assists. The Bochenski-Metropolit-Schaefer line proved to be the best on the ice all night, so it's good to see the two of them are coming around. Maybe I should call players out more often?
As far as other aspects of this game, it was good to see the B's overcome some adversity. They twice allowed the Leafs to get within a goal, even after starting so strongly. However, they kept calm, and eventually just outplayed and overpowered Toronto.
Other quick notes from the game:
Tim Thomas continued to play well, as he was big in holding off late Toronto rushes. He made a few great saves, and the first Toronto goal was a little fluky, as it came off of a weird deflection over the back of the net. It was a good goal by Kyle Wellwood, but the deflection that led to it was kind of fluky. There was one save later in the game on the power play where Jason Blake whirled and fired a shot from the faceoff dot that Thomas was right in front of, positioning himself perfectly. He seems to have better instincts this year, and isn't out of position as much. Let's hope this kind of play continues.
The penalty kill was strong in this game, as the Leafs were able to set up their umbrella pretty well, but couldn't do much else. They had their five men set up well in the zone, but the Bruins settled into their box around the net and blocked all passing lanes. The Leafs got some shots on goal, but very rarely had a good opportunity to score.
Milan Lucic's fight with Mark Bell was one of the more lopsided I've seen this year. Bell seemed to be looking to the refs to stop the fight at one point, after Lucic connected with a strong right hand to his face. I don't know Bell as a fighter, and he may have been in over his head in this one.
It was good to see the offense come back, especially after Claude Julien said they worked hard on it in practice all week. It's good to see the players responding positively to their coach, and working hard to fix their problems.
Hopefully the progress can continue, and the offense will remain strong. The game coming up against Montreal is a big one, as the team needs to respond strongly after that horrible performance last week.
GOALS
Boston- Marc Savard (4), Marco Sturm (8), Glen Metropolit (3), Peter Schaefer (2,3)
After this game, the phrase "a win is a win" seems fitting. Yes, the Bruins won, but they were outplayed for most of the game. Tim Thomas had to make 45 saves to win this one, and he was up to the task. As is true in most sports, momentum can change very quickly, and we saw that firsthand in this game. Buffalo turned the puck over at the attacking blue line, and compounded that problem with a bad line change. This led to a two on one with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, and Savard put a fantastic pass right on Sturm's tape. All he had to do was flick it past Ryan Miller, and he had his 7th goal of the season.
So just like that, after all of the pressure Buffalo applied, the Bruins had the lead. They kept their heads above the water, but let up another shorthanded goal to tie the game. The way the Sabres scored that goal made it seem like THEY were on the power play, not the penalty kill. However, the Bruins kept up just enough of an offensive attack to take the lead on a highlight reel goal by Chuck Kobasew. Kobasew called it a "fluke", but he did a great job of deflecting the puck past Miller to give the B's the lead for good.
The Sabres kept up the pressure, however, and Tim Thomas was good enough to hold off the charge. The Bruins still need to tighten up their defense big time, as 46 shots is way too many to allow. Thankfully, they got the win, and were able to get back on the right track after such a horrible game against Montreal.
I fell behind in these game stories, which explains why many of them are short and not very insightful. Hopefully, I can keep up with the games now, and have more to say about them.
Thanks for stopping by.
GOALS:
Boston- Marco Sturm (7), Chuck Kobasew (7)
Buffalo- Daniel Paille (3)
SAVES:
B oston- Tim Thomas, 45 saves on 46 shots
Buffalo- Ryan Miller, 20 saves on 22 shots
NEXT GAME: Thursday, November 15 vs. Toronto, 7:00 PM EST
I was at this game, and needless to say, it wasn't exactly a great
time. This was the most down I had been on this team since the end of
last season, and it's made worse by the fact that I paid money to
witness it. After getting blown out by Montreal last time around, I was
hoping to see the B's come out hitting, setting a physical tone early.
No such luck. They had no offense in the first period, and tested Habs
rookie Cary Price MAYBE once or twice. To compound the problem, Tim
Thomas, who has been the B's backbone with his stellar play, let up a
soft goal to Alexei Kovalev that turned all of the momentum Montreal's
way. He should have made that save, no question about it. Thomas has
kept the B's in games all season, and it's a shame that they couldn't
have bailed out their goalie on this one.
Plekanec's goal wasn't
as soft, and it gave the Habs what seemed to be an insurmountable 2-0,
considering the momentum of the game and the way the Bruins were
playing. They had 29 shots, but many of them were point shots or slap
shots of which Price had a clear view.
The B's also came up horribly short when the game was on the line. They had 1:57 of a 5-3 power play in the late third, and really didn't challenge Price much. They had a few point shots, but they were through way too much traffic to be of any danger. To make matters worse, the B's lost Aaron Ward to a questionable elbow right as the power play ended. I didn't see what happened, and neither did any of the friends I was with. I just saw Ward laying motionless on the ice, and saw one of the Bruins' players motion for a stretcher. Ward ended up skating off of the ice with some help, but he had been a great player for the Bruins as of late, so losing him is especially damaging. I haven't seen replays of the hit yet, so I won't comment on how dirty it was or wasn't. If anyone saw it and has an opinion, feel free to leave it in a comment.
This game was one of the most frustrating I've ever been to. Brandon Bochenksi played like he WANTED to get sent down to Providence. Peter Schaefer played like he didn't know he was on the ice. He would have been as effective had he gotten on the plane back to Ottawa with his old team on Sunday night. On a brighter note, Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic, Petteri Nokelainen and Glen Metropolit played well, as did Ward before he was injured.
After this game, I just wanted the team to get back on the ice as soon as possible. It was just a horrible game, and one that was hard to watch without getting angry.
Before I end this, I should say that I think Cary Price actually did play a good game. No, he wasn't challenged all that often, but I think some of that had to do with his style of play. He had fantastic control of his rebounds, often steering pucks into the corners or away from any oncoming traffic. His puckhandling skills were a little shaky, as he came close to making a few bad turnovers. Overall, he seems like he will be a solid goalie for the Habs. I was actually hoping Tim Thomas would get a night off after starting 6 games in a row. That way, we would see the rivalry of the future: Tuukka Rask vs. Cary Price. The future should be verrrrrrrrry intersting.
GOALS:
Boston- Marco Sturm (6)
Montreal- Alexei Kovalev (8), Tomas Plekanec (5)
SAVES:
Boston- Tim Thomas, 30 saves on 32 shots
Montreal- Cary Price, 28 saves on 29 shots
NEXT GAME: Saturday, November 10 vs. Buffalo, 7:00 PM EST
Looking to avoid losing back to back games to the Senators, the Bruins put forth another decent effort. This time, part of the blame for the loss lies on the B's themselves, not a better effort by the other team. They took an early lead on a goal by Chuck Kobasew in the first period, and seemed to be controlling play fairly well. The lead held until the third period, when the B's gave up a shorthanded goal in a scene that must have felt eerily familiar to B's fans (hint: see last season, where shorthanded goals were often a nightly thing). The B's never really recovered from this, and neither team came all that close to scoring for the rest of the game or in overtime.
In the shootout, Tim Thomas got beaten by two straight Senators, on two nice moves. Down the other end, Martin Gerber did his job, making a fantastic save on Phil Kessel to end the game before the Sens even got to their third shooter.
Tim Thomas continues to play excellent in net, but he isn't getting much offensive help. He "only" faced 36 shots tonight (that "only" is compared to the barrage he faced Saturday night), and held his ground on all but one of them. The B's need to tighten up defensively and get more going on offense, or Thomas' play is going to end up being all for naught.
GOALS:
u>Boston- Chuck Kobasew (6)
Ottawa- Antoine Vermette (3)
SAVES:
Boston- Tim Thomas, 35 saves on 36 shots
Ottawa- Martin Gerber, 21 saves on 22 shots
NEXT GAME: Thursday, November 8 vs. Montreal, 7:30 PM EST
The Bruins traveled to Ottawa for the first time this season to face the NHL's best team in the first game of a home and home series. This was a series that I figured the Bruins could use as a benchmark, to see how good their team really is or isn't. I must admit I was skeptical that they could beat this team, as Ottawa has looked like a true juggernaut early this season, even without Ray Emery in net.
They stuck with the Sens through the early part of the game, and even took a 2-1 lead in the second, mostly due to the play of Tim Thomas. However, as usually happens, the better team distanced itself, this time with special teams. The Bruins took six penalties in the second and third periods, leading to the two Ottawa goals that cost them the game. The Senators, on the other hand, only had one penalty in the same span.
It was promising to see this team hang with the Sens, but they can't be content just to be in the same arena as them. Hopefully, the B's will come out with a similar effort tomorrow, and if they're more disciplined, perhaps they can pull out a victory.
GOALS:
Boston- Chuck Kobasew (4,5)
Ottawa- Mike Fisher (4,5), Dany Heatley (8)
SAVES:
Boston- Tim Thomas, 42 saves on 45 shots
Ottawa- Martin Gerber, 17 saves on 19 shots
NEXT GAME: Sunday, November 4 vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:00 PM EST
In the first game after Patrice Bergeron's injury, the Bruins began a stretch of 9 straight games against Northeast division rivals by hosting the Buffalo Sabres at the Garden. The Bruins started off strongly in this game, taking a 2-0 on goals by Glen Metropolit and Phil Kessel. The B's were playing a strong game, and seemed to have the game under control. I missed some of the last half of the second and most of the third period, and was surprised to see that the game had been tied. As had happened so many times last year, the Sabres were able to come back against the Bruins, and came just as close to taking this game as they did many of last season's. However, this Bruins team continued to distance itself from last year's, and came out strong in overtime. They won the game on a bit of a fluky goal, as Aaron Ward "waffled" a shot from near the blue line that Marco Sturm tipped past Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller to give the B's a win. Fluky as it may have been, a win is a win, and the Bruins got the job done in that regard.
It was important for the B's to start off this crucial stretch of games with a win, especially in the aftermath of Patrice Bergeron's injury. There were some good points in this game, as the Bruins came out strong and played well initially, but they weren't able to keep up the pace. They began to play sloppily, and twice blew 2 goal leads. All in all it was a success, but the20 defense needs to tighten up. It's not often that a 2 goal lead can be blown on 2 separate occasions and the team still gets a win.
GOALS:
Boston: Glen Metropolit (2), Phil Kessel (6), Marc Savard (2), Marco Sturm (5)
Buffalo: Maxim Afinogenov (3), Brian Campbell (2), Paul Gaustad (4)
SAVES:
Boston: Tim Thomas, 27 saves on 30 shots
Buffalo: Ryan Miller, 20 saves on 24 shots
NEXT GAME: Saturday, November 3 vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:00 PM EST
*****For anyone who hasn't seen the hit yet, you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xAEetam6HQ
I didn't see this game at all, and am almost glad I didn't. I got calls and text messages telling me that the Bruins best young player, and my personal favorite player, was taken off of the ice on a stretcher, and may have had a broken neck or worse. In Washington DC, I couldn't get any updates on Patrice Bergeron's condition, as ESPNNews wasn't reporting much, just that he was taken from the ice on a stretcher. Thankfully, Bergeron suffered only a concussion and a broken nose. Yes, that's how severe this hit was, only a broken nose and only a Grade 3 concussion. I finally saw the highlights, and it was hard to watch. Bergeron was prone when Randy Jones hit him, and his head went directly into the dasher on the boards. Bergeron crumpled to the ice, and wasn't moving much. He did twitch a few times, which I suppose could have been taken for good news, meaning he may not have been paralyzed. It still makes me sick to my stomach to see those pictures of Bergeron lying on the ice not moving, or being strapped onto a backboard and taken off of the ice on a stretcher. It doesn't matter what player for what team, a hockey fan or human being in general never wants to see an injury like that.
My friend told me on the phone that Bergeron was "hurt bad", and seemed to be fearing the worst, as was my brother. It turns out that Bergeron emerged in the best possible condition, having had no neck injuries or brain damage. Hopefully, he'll be back on the ice soon, though it remains to see how this injury will affect his play. It'll be hard to blame Patrice if he's somewhat skittish about going into corners after loose pucks now. Also, concussions aren't an easy thing to come back from for a hockey player, due to all of the bumping and jostling that occurs during a normal hockey game. Keith Primeau, Eric Lindros and Peter Forsberg are all proof of this, and that's just in recent years. Right now, the Bruins need to play their game on their own, but thoughts of their teammate certainly won't be far from their minds.
As far as the hit itself, my first thought upon seeing the highlights was that it was a dirty hit, and Randy Jones should be suspended for 20+ games. However, after seeing it a few more times, it seems like it was just a collision of bad, bad circumstances. Bergeron was in a horribly vulnerable position when he went into the corner by no fault of his own. Jones shouldn't have hit Bergeron from behind. That's an unwritten (and perhaps even written) rule in the NHL, that if you can see the numbers, it's time to pull up and put on the breaks. Jones' hit wasn't malicious, it wasn't meant to injure, it was just ill-advised.
