AT

My original plan for this post was as follows:


This game sucked.

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".

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

I still think that the NHL has the best playoffs out of any major sport, with baseball probably being close behind. I'm sure I'll be ripped by fans of the NFL and NBA who claim that their playoffs are just as good, if not better. The NFL does sometimes hold my interest when the Patriots aren't involved, but I just cannot get into an NBA playoff game unless the Celtics are playing. With the NHL, I can watch every game, even without a vested interest in either side, and still be very entertained. Last year's Stanley Cup Finals was once of the best series I have ever seen in any playoffs, and most of the other series didn't disappoint either.

 I know at least a little bit about all of the teams in this year's playoffs, and know a lot about some of them too. I don't really have a favorite team this year, but there are some teams that I guess I "wouldn't mind" seeing hoist Lord Stanley in June.

 My favorite teams in this year's playoffs are:

-San Jose Sharks:  I've always liked the Sharks, for reasons that I don't really remember. It probably began when I just liked their cool logo back when they were an expansion team. Now, they have an exciting team, and also have some former Bruins with a guy named Joe and Kyle McLaren. They also have one of the better scorers in the league in Jonathan Cheechoo, an exciting young rookie in Milan Michalek, and a formidable goalie tandem in Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. They will be strong contenders for the Cup, but they do face a strong first round opponent in the 110 point-Nashville Predators.

 -Calgary Flames: I also don't know why I'm a fan of the Flames. I'm interested in seeing how Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart perform. Also, I loved the passion shown by the Calgary fans in the '03-'04 Stanley Cup Finals loss in seven games to the Lightning. I don't know what it is, but Calgary would be a cool winner, especially because they are an 8-seed out West, and I'm always a fan of the underdog.

-Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are what I wish the Bruins would be, mainly because of their physical style of play that seems to almost be the norm out West. They have a very strong defensive corps, led by Francois Beauchemin, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. They also have good offensive weapons in Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz and Rob Niedermayer. Like the Sharks, they also have a strong two-pronged goalie duo with Ilya Bryzgalov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. They are going to be very tough to beat out West.

I don't think it's any coincidence that no teams from the East are among my favorites, simply because they are all frequent opponents of the Bruins. I'd jump on the Pittsburgh bandwagon, because a Stanley Cup victory by Sidney Crosby's Penguins would be a huge marketing boost for the NHL, but I think that enough of the national sports media has climbed on the bandwagon, and it might be a little full.

Let's take a look at each series in the first round, with the predictions for each at the end in bold. Since I'm writing this after all of the series are in full swing, the current series records are in parentheses after the team names.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

 1. Buffalo Sabres vs 8. New York Islanders (Series tied 1-1)- This seems like it would be a completely one-sided series, since the Sabres have been amongst the best teams in the league all year. I wouldn't mind seeing the Sabres go down, mainly because Daniel Briere is my least favorite player in the league. The Islanders entered the playoffs in probably the coolest way possible (and eliminated the hated Leafs in the process) by winning a shootout against the New Jersey Devils. They have been riding the hot hand of Wade Dubielewicz, and got a solid performance from Rick DiPietro in his first game back in game 2. However, even with my overall distaste for the Sabres, I can't deny the amount of weapons they have as a team, and think they will prevail in the end. Sabres in 6 games.

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2. New Jersey Devils vs 7. Tampa Bay Lightning (Series tied 1-1)- This is a great match-up, with two of the league's top five scorers in Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis of the Lightning facing off against one of the greatest goalies in history in Martin Brodeur. The Devils have been playing really well all year, and even made a run at the Sabres for best record in the East towards the end of the year. I can't pick against solid goaltending, so I think the Devils will come out on top. Devils in 6 games.

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3. Atlanta Thrashers vs 6. New York Rangers (Rangers up 2-0)- This seemed like it would be a really close series, with both teams playing really well down the stretch to secure a playoff berth. The Rangers were on the verge of being out of it, then went on a tear and moved all the way up to sixth place. The Thrashers seemed rejuvenated with the arrival of Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. However, after the first 2 games, the Rangers seem like they have the series under control. They took the first two games on the road in Atlanta, and are now firmly in control of the series, and I can't really see them losing control. Atlanta will take one, but the Rangers will take the series. Rangers in 5 games.

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4. Ottawa Senators vs 5. Pittsburgh Penguins (Ottawa up 2-1)- This is the series that everyone is watching. The Senators have been perennial playoff disappointments, and the Penguins have been the league's darlings all year. Everyone wants Sidney Crosby's team to succeed. To his credit, his team has had an amazing turn around, one of the top 5 point turn-arounds season to season in NHL history. They have a great group of players in Crosby, Colby Armstrong, Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and a great young goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. The Senators have a strong team as well, with Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and the always-entertaining Ray Emery in net. This series is going to be a dogfight, but I think the Senators will be able to pull it out. Senators in 7 games.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Detroit Red Wings vs 8. Calgary Flames (Detroit up 2-0)- Detroit has been a quiet success, not receiving much media attention while accumulating 113 points and tying Buffalo for the most wins at 53. Calgary snuck in as the 8 seed, squeezing in ahead of the surging Colorado Avalanche. Detroit still has a ton of talent, and the steady playoff hand of Dominik Hasek in net. Calgary also has talent, with plenty of toughness as well in Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regher. They also have one of the best goalies in the league between the pipes in Miikka Kiprusoff. After losing the first two games in Detroit, I think Calgary will be able to take at least one of the next two at home on the Red Mile. Even so, Detroit is too good to blow this series lead. They have been dominating this series so far, outshooting the Flames 97-35 in the first two games, and will be able to close it out without much of an issue. Detroit in 5 games.

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2. Anaheim Ducks vs 7. Minnesota Wild (Anaheim up 2-0)- When Minnesota came to Boston in early March, I was surprised to hear that they were in solid playoff standing, simply because I hadn't heard much about them. They are a good young team, led by Marian Gaborik and Brian Rolston, and have pretty solid goaltending with Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom. Even so, I don't think there is a chance for the Wild to win this series. They may sneak one in at home in front of those rabid Minnesota hockey fans at the Excel Center, but the Ducks will win the series. Anaheim in 5 games.

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3. Vancouver Canucks vs 6. Dallas Stars (Vancouver up 2-1)- Before even getting into who has the advantage in this series, I have to say that game 1 between these two teams pretty much captured what is so great about playoff hockey. FOUR overtimes! That's nearly 140 minutes of full tilt, pedal to the metal, playoff intensity hockey. Vancouver had 3 players with more than 50 minutes of ice time (Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa), and Dallas had 2 (Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher). Zubov led all players in ice time at 55:08. That's nearly 56 minutes on the ice, which is almost a full game. Roberto Luongo made 72 saves in his first career playoff game. SEVENTY-TWO!!! An amazing game, one that I wish I had been able to watch but couldn't due to Versus not being offered on my dorm's TV. Either way, I read stories and saw highlights, and this game was everything that the playoffs should be. As far as the actual series goes, it should be a good one. Vancouver has been quietly fantastic all year, as has Dallas. Both teams have solid goaltenders in Luongo and the Stars' Marty Turco, and both also have proven scorers in Dallas' Mike Modano and Vancouver's Markus Naslund. This should be a great series, though it may seem like a let-down after such a thriller in game one. I think Roberto Luongo will be the difference maker. If he can continue to play as well as he has (and I think he will), the Canucks will be able to hold of Dallas. This series does have the potential to go the distance, especially after another overtime game in game 3, but Vancouver will prevail. Vancouver in 6 games.

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4. Nashville Predators vs 5. San Jose Sharks (Series Tied 1-1)- This series, when I looked at the seedings, really surprised me. Nashville with 110 points at number 4, and San Jose with 107 points at number 5? Both of these teams are very talented, and are only numbers 4 and 5 respectively because of who else is in their division (Detroit for Nashville and Anaheim for San Jose). This is probably going to be the best series of the playoffs, and it's hard to decide which way to go. In the end, the duo of Toskala and Nabokov could prove too much for Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg and the Preds. San Jose in 7 games.

So there you have it, playoff predictions just a week late...

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No blog post is complete without Bruins news or thoughts, and this one is no excuse. Here are some "quick hits" from the Bruins.

• The Bruins took a lot of grief all year from Toronto and Montreal fans, so one can imagine my happiness as both teams were eliminated from the playoffs in the last two games of the season. So what did these two teams gain by being "this close" to the playoffs? Nothing. They are still taking an extended summer vacation, and are actually worse off than the Bruins are, since they are now picking further down in the draft. Taking joy in others' misfortunes isn't usually an admirable thing do to, but rules are out the window when dealing the Toronto and Montreal.
• In looking at the above playoff predictions, one thing stands out. A lot of the elite teams have 2 dependable goalies, and their success isn't just a coincidence. The Bruins have a wealth of goaltenders in their system, and just need to figure out what their plan is for the future. In talking with my brother the other night about this team, the tough position that this team is in came to light. They showed flashes of excellence this season when Tim Thomas was on his game, and he can be a solid goalie. However, the team is in a bind as to what to do next. Should they bail on Toivonen and bring in a Toskala, Nabokov or Giguere? The sticky situation gets worse when thinking about how young Hannu is, and a team never wants to give up on a young player who has shown so much talent at times. He just needs a little more experience and more development. Also, bringing in a high-caliber goalie would probably delay the NHL arrival of the "Chosen One", Tuukka Rask. Even this has a catch though, as Rask is going to need some time. He is likely going to spend all of next season in Providence, then see where he is headed after that. Should the team really base the next 2 years (at least) on the possibility that Rask will be the goalie of the future? By all accounts, Rask will be great. He is already near the top (if not the number one) goalie prospect in the world, but it's never good to put that much pressure on such a young kid. My opinion? Do nothing. Keep Thomas and Toivonen, let them play 1-2 next year, and let Dave Lewis ride the hot hand in 2007-2008. This team's problem last year was both inconsistence and defense. If the defense can be shored up with a small trade or free-agent signing, that would be the best solution. Toivonen and Thomas can do the job, and if Toivonen steadies his game, Bruins could be looking a Finnish-tandem of Toivonen and Rask a few years down the road.
• In watching "The Bricks", Andy Brickley's end of season awards show for the Bruins that highlighted the best plays of the year, it became apparent that this team's offense really fell apart with the loss of Glen Murray. The flak that this guy gets is puzzling. Sure, he's not that young, but he's also no Chris Chelios. He had 28 goals in 59 games, missing a bulk of the end of the year due to injury. As the show showed highlights of the great goals of the season, the Bruins' power play worked like clockwork at times. Pass from Bergeron to Chara, Chara to Savard, Savard back across to Bergeron, Bergeron across to Murray in the slot, Murray into the back of the net. Bing, ####, boom. This is why the "TRADE MURRAY!" complaints are so puzzling. He is one of the key cogs to this offense, probably second only to Marc Savard's amazing playmaking ability. Sure he may be getting up there, and he does have a pretty large contract, but he's still a pure scorer and a great player.
• Dave Lewis' job has been all but secured for at least the START of next season, and I'm really not disappointed. I think he deserves another shot, considering he was as new with his players as they were with him. If he doesn't start off well next year though, Chiarelli won't hesitate to let him go. If next October is as sluggish as October '06, Dave Lewis will be looking for a new job.
• Please, please, please, please, PLEASE don't trade Patrice Bergeron. This came up in an article by Kevin Paul Dupont in the Boston Globe a few weeks ago. Dupont said that if a trade was to be proposed to San Jose for Nabokov, a Murray/Toivonen package would no longer cut it due to Murray's injury, and Dupont then elaborated, saying that Sharks GM Doug Wilson would probably ask for Patrice Bergeron instead. If this trade happened, it would push me away from the Bruins probably for good. I don't think Chiarelli is this rash or, to put it bluntly, this stupid, but I felt like it needed to be said.