Bruins Making History With Inspirational Victory

“That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die…” –Joffrey Lupul via Twitter

Photo Credit: dougthethughamilton/Tumblr

As Nazem Kadri scored the fourth goal in 5:29 into the third period to put the Leafs ahead by three, an unsettling silence settled through the TD Garden. People rose from their seats to the exit thinking the Bruins had blown it again, they had failed to meet the expectation set in front of them and it was pointless to watch them flounder around. However, as the seats emptied Nathan Horton injected a ray of hope as he snapped a rebound shot up and over the shoulder of James Reimer with just over half of the period remaining. As the period dwindled on, so did the faith from the fans. With under two minutes remaining the Bruins decided to pull out all the stops.

“After Krech’s [David Krejci‘s] line got that first one for us, it started the climb back. We could see the emotion on the bench and guys starting to believe. That’s what we needed.”- Brad Marchand(via Bruins.com)

As the seconds ticked away, nearing the end of their season, the Krejci line teamed up once again in a push to inch closer. As the clock struck 1:22, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton camped out in front of the goal and were able to once again bank in a rebound shot to pull the team within one. Thirty seconds later the Bruins cycled the puck around and as Zdeno Chara set a screen in front of Reimer with his seven-foot self, Patrice Bergeron released a bomb from inside the blue line the found the back of the net to tie the game and force overtime. It had never been done in the history of the NHL to have a team down by three and make such a substantial comeback in such a short amount of time.

As the puck dropped commencing the extra period the Bruins knew they needed to bring their momentum to the next level and continue on the push they were on. It took all of 6:05 as the Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin line redeemed their absence of the series and crashed the net to get the go-ahead goal and advance the Bruins to the second round of the playoffs.

“We stayed resilient—I guess that’s what I can say…We found a way.” – Patrice Bergeron

Now the Bruins look to keep the momentum in their favor as they take on a team that has posed a problem to them all season long, the New York Rangers. The first game of the second round is set for Thursday night at the Garden with the puck dropping at 7:30PM.

Thank you Seguin, Late Blooming and Game 7, Oh Joy!

Milan Lucic netted the only goal for Boston tonight in the final seconds. (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

The Bruins knew they could seal the deal once again tonight with a victory against the Maple Leafs, but failed to show up for the third period for the second game in a row. With a careless mistake the Leafs took control and skated away with it, tying the series 3-3 with a shutout 2-1 victory.

Through the first twenty minutes the Bruins played a fairly solid and sound game. They weren’t overly physical, but used their strengths well. They were able to get the puck in deep and generate some cycling plays to create the opportunities. Their biggest asset came from stronger puck management in the neutral zone, keeping the turnovers at a minimum. Both teams showed they knew what the stakes were as they battled it out for the first twenty. The focus for the second, pushing their momentum to the next level and upping the intensity. They needed to execute their plays better and ensure their shots on net.

Bruins Contain the Leafs to Control the Series

Last night the Boston Bruins faced the Toronto Maple Leafs for what could rightfully be the last time of the season at the Air Canada Centre.  While the game couldn’t be decided in the allotted sixty-minute time frame, the additional sudden death overtime pushed the Bruins to new limits and put them on top 4-3.

David Krejci is one positive the Bruins have right now! (Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

Scoring got underway early on in the first period as the Leafs beat Tuukka Rask on their first shot on goal with Joffrey Lupul breaking through the defense to light the lamp. The goal came at just 2:35 into the frame, but the Bruins didn’t give up. From that point on they stepped up their defensive game and created a lot of pressure in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, as the clock winded down, the Leafs would find a way to use the Bruins defense as their own screen, with Zdeno Chara blocking the netminders’ view and allowing Cody Franson to net one from the blue line at 18:32. The Bruisd owned the Leafs on the shot clock, but fell short when it came to finding the back of the net, David Krejci seemingly having the best opportunity as he rang a bad angle shot off the post.  Down by 2, the Bruins needed to step up their physicality and find the back of the net.

To begin the second period they used the man-advantage carrying over from the first period to their favor. As Zdeno Chara took a blast, Jaromir Jagr and Patrice Bergeron crashed then net to jam in the rebound just 32 seconds into the frame to cut the Leafs lead to 1.  The power play goal gave the Bruins the added confidence and momentum they had been seeking as their focus dialed in to scoring. At 12:59 Brad Marchand would snipe a shot toward James Reimer that David Krejci would get a piece of for a re-direct and tie the game at 2.  The goal came for the 18th point of the postseason for the Krejci line, a feat unheard of through the regular season. However, the goals didn’t start there as the David Krejci train kept on rolling as just three minutes and some change later he would snap a shot that beat Reimaer once again for the go-ahead goal.  However, it seemed as though the Bruins celebrated a bit too long as just 54 seconds later MacArthur beat Rask to re-tie the game at 3 a piece. The Bruins still held the edge in shots with 29 to the Leafs 23, but were prepared to come out dominant in the final frame in order to come out on top.

The third period consisted of high-paced back and forth puck movement between the two teams. The Bruins managed to get a four-minute powerplay after Nazim Kadri threw a high-stick into the face of Chris Kelly, but unfortunately couldn’t convert. Then there came this:

 

Joffrey Lupul getting hit with his own stick that resulted in a penalty on Zdeno Chara. How? We’re not exactly sure, but the Bruins were able to fend off the Leafs in what could have been a deciding goal and push the game into overtime.

As we all know overtimes are heart attack city in themselves, let alone the added pressure of playoffs and such, or the fact that they are twenty minutes long as opposed to five. However, the Bruins didn’t give up as they fought through pain and no doubt exhaustion to overcome the Leafs. At 13:06 Nathan Horton took a hit from the Leafs sending his stick flying and himself into a huddle on the ice to create a play for David Krejci and Milan Lucic. As they went up the ice, Krejci slowed the puck down making it look like he was going to pass it to Lucic and then snapped a shot past Reimer for the game-winning goal and his second career postseason hat trick.

The Bruins now head back to the TD Garden in hopes of ending the series and advancing to the next round of the playoffs to become the first Eastern Conference team to advance. Game time is Friday night at 7:00PM ET.

Bruins Take it to Toronto; Win 5-2

Emotions were high in Toronto as the Boston Bruins took on the Toronto Maple Leafs for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Once again it would be Tuukka Rask in net against James Reimer. This is the first playoff game played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto so needless to say Toronto fans brought their A-Game with cheers and emotion. At the end of this game, one team would hold a one-game lead over the other.

Adam McQuaid scored his first playoff goal EVER tonight! (Credit:Flickr/Slidingsideways)

Right from the start both teams came out of the gate looking refresh and ready to win. Both Goalies were making the stops and both teams were getting shots on net. It was a pretty back and fourth start to the game. With 6:18 remaining in the first, the B’s would win the face off and with a quick release Adam McQuaid would get the Bruins on the board first. This is Quaider’s first career playoff goal through 35 playoff games. Thus far the Bruins have scored 7 goals in this series and four of them have come from defensemen. Milan Lucic would get his fourth assist of the postseason and David Krejci would get his second. Toronto would get the first power play of the game off of a Jaromir Jagr tripping penalty with just over two minutes left in the game. B’s would kill the penalty and the first period would come to an end. The Bruins would end the first with 17 shots on net, while the Maple Leafs had 12.

Early into the second period, the Bruins would get their first power play of the game after Ryan O’Byrne gets two for an interference call. The B’s PP I would say is a “work in progress” as in it’s been working on getting better for as long as I can remember so needless to say they couldn’t take advantage of the extra man. At 14:03 Jagr with the takeaway feeds it to Rich Peverley who would make it 2-0 for the Bruins. Its the first points for both Pevs and Jagr of the postseason. The Maple Leafs would go on the power play but it would be short lived since they would soon get a penalty of their own. We had ourselves a little four-on-four action and then the B’s would have an extra man for 40 seconds. Neither team would get anything from the PP and at this point Toronto was looking a little desperate. This wouldn’t be the last of the Toronto man advantage in the period and with 6:15 left in the second they would finally use it. Jake Gardner would get the Leafs on the board and make it a 2-1 game. 50 seconds later Nathan Horton would score another goal for the Bruins making it 3-1 B’s. The Bruins would give Toronto ANOTHER PP but this time it would be the B’s who would utilize it with Daniel Paille scoring a shorthanded goal off a pass from Phil Kessel with 3:23 left in the period. THANK YOU KESSEL (it never gets old).

The third period would start with four seconds of 4-on-4 followed by yet another Toronto power play for 1:27 seconds. 47 seconds into that power play, Kessel would get a goal. For the record, I’m not taking back that TY Kessel from above. Now the game is 4-2 and the B’s have a little less breathing room. Four of the seven Toronto goals this series have been on the man-advantage. With the two minute warning, Toronto pulls Reimer hoping to make a comeback but it’s short lived with a Krejci empty netter. Jack Edwards said it best by referring to that goal as a “dagger in the heart” of Toronto.

Bruins would win 5-2 and now lead the series 2-1. They face off again in Toronto for Game 4 Wednesday night.

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

Toronto Brought the Body, Beat the Bruins 4-2

Boychuk making himself known in the postseason(Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

The Bruins knew going into tonight’s game that they would be dealing with an entirely new Toronto team, but came up short in preparations to contain them. Despite a late surge from the entire Bruins squad, the Leafs were able to hold onto a two-goal lead to tie the series, winning the game 4-2.

After twenty minutes in the books, the Bruins and Leafs were still tied at zero, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Tyler Seguin had a great first twenty, with numerous chances using his speed to beat the Leafs in the neutral zone and set up some great scoring opportunites. As a team, they came out ready to play a physical game and the Leafs were ready to respond. As the clock ticked down, the emotions began to rise and Colton Orr found himself in the box after a checking match with Brad Marchand ending with his fist connecting the the little ball of hate and himself in the box for roughing. Unfortunately the Bruins powerplay was short-lived as they found themselves in the box shortly after presenting some four-on-four play in the remaining minutes of the frame. Through the first frame the Leafs held a 12-10 edge in shots.

Turnovers Took Over the Leafs, Bruins Take Game 1

David Krejci (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight marked the first game of a possible seven for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, officially kicking off the 2013 Eastern Conference QuarterFinals. Finally the Bruins flipped the switch and played a solid 60-minute game resulting in a 4-1 victory.

One of the Bruins main focus points in tonight’s game was breaking the pucks out of the defensive zone and good puck management. Through the first twenty minutes, they had strong defensive pressure and numerous opportunities coming from all the lines creating golden breakaway opportunities.  The Maple Leafs were able to get on the board first as Tuukka Rask made an initial save on Tyler Bozak that left him sprawling to the net with James VanRiemsdyk waiting in the paint behind Seidenberg and Chara.  The Leafs goal was all the Bruins needed to get the emotions overflowing as the linesmen stood at high alert through the rest of the frame, containing each team to their proper positions after every whistle, despite the chirping and shirt-grabbing. The Bruins wouldn’t catch a break until the 16:20 mark with Wade Redden blasting a shot from the left faceoff circle to tie the game. With 2:02 remaining in the period the Bruins found themselves on the power play after Dion Phaneuf went to the box for slashing on Tyler Seguin. In the final 15 seconds Nathan Horton carried the puck up the ice and through the neutral zone, dropped it back to Krejci  who was able to feed it back to Wade Redden. Redden waited for the right moment and unleashed a quick shot that Nathan Horton was able to get the stick on for a re-direction into the net behind James Reimer and put the Bruins up 2-1 in the final 11 seconds of the first period. The Bruins owning the shots 15-7.

Providence Playoffs: Weekend Review

This weekend the Providence Bruins began their journey in the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Hershey Bears. After being deemed the 2012-2013 regular season Champions, they now fight to remain in the running for the Calder Cup, dropping the first two games of the series to the Hershey Bears.

Friday night the Bruins debuted against the Bears at home with Michae Hutchinson between the pipes, resting Niklas Svedberg for the first game of the series.  However, the ‘resting’ was short lived as Svedberg came in to replace Hutchinson after he let in three goals.  Combined the two netminders stopped 30 shots on the evening while Jamie Tardif and Christian Hanson scored the two goals for Providence.

Much like their major league affiliate, penalties killed the Bruins in their first game of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Bears getting an early lead int he first and running away with it through the next forty minutes. Despite a late effort from Providence, the deficit was too much to overcome and they ended up falling 5-2 in game 1.

Game 2 was played Sunday afternoon, this time Svedberg getting the start. In much of the same fashion the Hershey Bears got on the board first, when Stoa put a backhander past Svedberg just 3:14 into the frame. However, despite being down a goal, the Bruins dominated the play and after twenty, led the shots 25-8. Unfortunately, despite full-team efforts they headed into the locker room down 2-1, their best efforts coming from Camper and Tardif ringing the puck off of the post.

1:09 into the middle frame, the Bruins tied up the game with Jordan Caron being on the receiving end of a neutral zone turnover and zipping it up ice to a rushing Craig Cunningham.  Cunningham then fed a pass over to Carter Camper who was able to get the puck across the goal line to give the Bruins a boost of confidence and a fighting chance.  Just past the half way marker the Bears regained the lead, but not for long. Just 20 seconds later Chris Bourque blasted a shot from the blue line and lit the lamp, tying the game once again.

Through the final twenty of regulation the two battled hard for the deciding goal, resulting in each team scoring, sending the game into overtime.

It would be a penalty once again that killed the Bruins as Garnet Exelby took a high sticking call, putting the Bruins at a disadvantage large enough to sway the momentum into Hershey’s favor for Jon DiSalvatore to score the game-winning goal in the remaining 13 seconds of the powerplay.

Both teams now head to Hershey, the Bruins in dire need of a victory to stay alive otherwise they’ll be packing their golfing bags earlier than expected. Their next game is Saturday, May 4 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

 

Bruins Finish Fourth in Regular Season

With it being the last game of the regular season for the Boston Bruins, two points have never been more important. With a win, the Bruins will win the Northeast division and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. With a loss, the Bruins will be the fourth seed in the division, but will have home ice edge. Basically TWO points decide the first round of playoffs for three different Eastern Conference pairings.

Since it’s a “need to win” kind of the night, the Bruins kept the same lineup as last night and Tuukka Rask would get the start opposite Robin Lehner. 

Peverley (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

The “need to win” vibe was definitely filling the TD Garden right from the start. Most notably I want to point out former Senator Kaspars Daugavins who would end up leading the team with 3 shots on net (of 13 for the B’s) after the first. He’s been very good the past few games and hopefully will pick up his first B’s goal soon. With 3:01 left in the first, the Senators would get the first goal of the night. Erik Condra would get his fourth goal of the season. Soon after, Milan Lucic would drop gloves with Chris Neil. Two fights in the last three for Looch, it’s safe to say he’s back! The Bruins would end the first on the PK with Brad Marchand getting a late slashing call. Despite being down, the B’s would be leading the Senators in shots on net 13-9.

Depite being on their supposed “A-Game” the Bruins haven’t been registering any goals on Lehner. It’s clear that they are trying to pick up the two points as much as the B’s. The Bergeron line once again brings pressure and gets several good shots on net but no goals past Lehner. With under 10 minutes to go in the second, Jared Cowen would make this a 2-0 game for the Senators. This is not the time for the B’s to be letting high point goals…or any kind of goals in. With exactly two minutes remaining in the game, the Bruins would go on the power play. Usually, that really doesn’t do much for the B’s scoring wise but apparently it woke the B’s up. With just 3.4 seconds to go Wade Redden would chip the puck to Rich Peverley for the Bruins to get a power play goal and make it a 2-1 game. Boston is still out shooting Ottawa 28-19 after two periods. Now the third period is more important than ever!

It took 14 seconds into the third but Dennis Seidenberg and the Bruins would tie the game.  Looch and the Daug Man would both get assists on the goal. That would be Daugavins first point as a Bruin and like I said earlier this was overdue. Just so we’re keeping track that would technically be two goals in 18 seconds for the Bruins. With 3 and a half to go, Ottawa would once again get the lead. Plain and simple, they caught the Bruins standing still. Jean-Gabriel Peageau would get that goal for the Senators. The Senators would seal the deal with an empty net goal.

With the loss, this means the Bruins are now the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. That series is set to start Wednesday!

 

Tuukka Shuts Out Tampa 2-0

Daniel Paille (Photo Credit: Stephanni Phillips)

Tonight the Boston Bruins played their sixty minute game the way fans expect them to play. They brought a strong physical presence, a full team effort through the entire game and stellar goaltending. This was a team that looked ready for the playoffs an ddeserved to come out on top, beating the Lightning 2-0 for a series sweep.

The first period started off slow for the B’s with the momentum escalating at its own pace. The motivation changer, Andrew Ference finding a dance partner in former Bruin Benoit Pouliot. The fight came shortly after a big hit placed on Keith Aulie from Milan Lucic who managed to have three hits and three shots on net through the first twenty minutes. A nice and welcomed change of pace for the power forward. At the end of the first the Lightning held the advantage in shots 9-4.

Early on in the second period the Bruins made their presence known. They killed off a penalty kill to get the period underway and Brad Marchand played keep away from the Bolts defense, getting the puck up to Seidenberg at the blue line. Seidenberg released the shot which found its’ way through traffic and beat Anders Lindback at 4:22 of the second period for a 1-0 Bruins lead.  Shortly after Milan Lucic made his statement of the season, squaring off with Keith Aulie. As the period went on, the confidence in the Bruins built up. The best efforts coming from Tuukka Rask making spectacular saves and the fourth line playing one of their best games of the season. As Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell cycled the puck around they found a way to get it across the crease to Daniel Paille who released a one-timer and squeaked one past Lindback for a 2-0 lead that would hold them through the final frame.

Tuukka remained on his game through the final twenty minutes as he point-blank stopped Martin St.Louis after a drop down pass from Teddy Purcell. With the confidence of a goaltender comes the confidence from the players in front, with Milan Lucic and David Krejci pairing up for a total of eight hits. Despite being on the short-end of the stick when it came to power plays, the Bruins were able to contain the Lightning and keep them from getting on the board. Tuukka earned his fifth shutout of the season and helped keep the Bruins on top of the Northeast Division. With the Canadiens 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets the two teams are still tied in points, bringing it down to the wire for top seed.

The Bruins now head to Washington to take on the Capitals on their one-year anniversary of Game 7 last season. ( I know, it isn’t a statistic that we want to be reminded of.) If the Bruins continue to bring the game they brought today and improve on the little things, they should be in decent shape for the start of the first round, potentially the New York Rangers as it stands at this point.

Boston Bruins 2, Philadelphia Flyers 5: What is Defense?

David Krejci (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight the Bruins arrived in Philadelphia with every intention of winning and came out strong.However, due to giveaways and turnovers, the Bruins sank to a 5-3 loss against the Flyers.

The first period Scott Hartnell was able to get the Flyers on the board within the opening minutes, as his teammates transitioned the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone where Hartnell would wrist a quick shot by Anton Khudobin for a 1-0 lead.  However, the Bruins didn’t give up and kept the momentum going, the tying goal coming from Wade Redden, his first in 23 games. Redden was all over the ice for the first twenty minutes, registering at least three shots on goal, sinking one of them. He was playing arguably his best game of hockey since the season began.  Through twenty minutes the Bruins and Flyers were tied at one, their biggest focus being giveaways.

They carried some momentum with them into the second period, with Shawn Thornton trying to give a little more as he squared off with Jay Rosehill. Unfortunately, the momentum swung a little too much in the other direction as Matt Read was able to balance a bouncing puck and beat Dobby for a 2-1 lead with under half of the period remaining. Under seven secons later, Zdeno Chara tossed the puck from the corner in front to Khudobin to play it, with a bounce sending it off of the blade and into the net for a 3-1 Flyers lead. A visibly frustrated Anton Khudobin left the ice for Rask to fill in and went down the tunnel for the remainder of the frame, Seguin and Marchand riding the pine as well.

As the third period began the lines were noticeably changed with Jaromir Jagr alongside Marchand and Bergeron with Seguin being bumped down to the Krejci and Lucic line. The third line consisted of Peverley, Kelly and Soderberg, leaving Campbell with Paille and Thornton. However, they didn’t seem to be enough as Voracek was able to get through the neutral zone and breakaway into the offensive zone all alone with Chara providing weak back checking. As Tuukka sprawled, his shot went between the legs and in for a 4-1 lead just over six minutes into the frame.  At 8:20 David Krejci provided the Bruins with an inkling of hope to cling to as he patiently held onto the puck and earned his first point in five games and second in his last nine, cutting the Flyers lead 4-2. Before that goal was even able to be registered, the Flyers added another tally as Simon Gagne capitalized on another turnover, putting them up 5-2 with 11:27 remaining in regulation.

With 7:20 remaining the Bruins reinserted Anton Khudobin in net with the thought of, it can’t get much worse than it is right now. However, the best thing about the change is that no other goals were scored. The final score was 5-3 as the Bruins failed to earn an extra advantage on the Canadiens in the standings once again. For now they still sit in first with a game at hand over the Habs, and look to right the ship in Boston against Benny and the Bolts on Thursday.