Love For Lokomotiv

Chara is to play in the charity game in memory of the Lokomotiv team (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will be taking part in the charity game being held on August 4 to remember those that were lost in the plane crash carrying the Lokomotiv hockey team last fall.  He is among a group of European and Russian players who were deeply touched by the tragedy with the news hitting close to home as one of the players, Pavol Demitra-a Slovakia native and friend of Chara’s, died soon after take-off when the plane crashed.   Chara left Bruins practices last September to attend Demitra’s funeral services and was understandably emotional while talking about the untimely death of one of his closest friends in hockey.

The game is being held in Switzerland and is being known as a “Memory Night.” In this game there will be two teams, the Swiss League’s Kolten Flames against an All-Star team that is consisted of current and retired NHL players.  Among the players are: Evgeni Malkin,Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Beyzgalov, Sergei Gonchar and Alex Semin.  Alexei Kovalev, Alex Yashin, Sergei Fedorov and Sandis Ozolinsh are among the retired NHL players/current KHL players that will take part in the exhibition.

“Memory Night” reminds us how much of a short time it has actually been since the tragic accident took place, a day in hockey that will certainly never be forgotten. May the memories of those lost on that tragic day forever live on in our hearts.

Bruins Drop the Puck; Game 5 Recap

Marchand scored his first 2012 playoff goal today (Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

Today the Boston Bruins returned home for game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals with new lines and new focus. Coming off of a tough loss against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, the B’s look to bounce back and a take a 3-2 game lead. This series literally has come down to one goal decisions in all 4 games because Tim Thomas and Braden Holtby have been brick walls.

The Bruins get the first chance on the power play but considering they were 0 for 12 thus far on the PP I was less than optimistic. And yeah they didn’t do anything with it. Boston is the only time without a power play goal in the playoffs. First period the shots on goal between both teams were 21 however the score was 0-0.

Second period was boring. No goals until 8:14 remained when  Alex Semin got the Caps on the board first. I don’t like to argue goals but moments prior Joe Corvo went down on the ice after the puck hit his knee and there was no whistle. HELLO REFS?! Corvo had to be helped down the tunnel. Not even three minutes later, Jay Beagle gets a shot in off of Johnny Boychuk‘s stick. The Bruins need a goal and they need it now. Unfortunately, Patrice Bergeron headed to the dressing room after a hit to the head. Because Bergy has a history of concussion, things like this make me nervous. Fortunately, he returned soon after and with Corvo.

And then this happened. With 2:39 remaining, Dennis Seidenberg got the Bruins on the board. 28 seconds later Brad Marchand poked the puck past Holtby and friends we have a tied game. Needless to say Marchy is making his presence known on the 4th line.

Third period it’s the Caps who get the lead thanks to Mike Knuble and a lucky rebound. With 11:13 left, Boychuk literally let loose a rocket to tie up the game once again. But that didn’t last. With 1:27 left Troy Brouwer would get the game winner.

And it’s back to D.C. we go…

B’s Capitalize Against Caps; Game 3 Recap

Zdeno Chara scored the game winner for game 3 (Credit:Dinur Blum/ Flickr)

The Capitals may have scored the first goal of the game but it was the Bruins who would get the last and the win. In a series that is turning into WHEN WILL SOMEONE SCORE as opposed to who will win, it was nice to see the B’s get the dub. Tim Thomas made his epic return to DC after the fiasco that was the Bruins white house visit and he was definitely reminded of it thanks to a few clever Caps fans and our presidents face. But like the amazingly talented goalie that he is, Thomas didn’t budge.

Washington didn’t make this game easy. In fact it was so back and fourth that I would literally throw my phone and then have to pick up to tweet my excitement two minutes later. Like I said before, the Caps got the first goal thanks to a power play opportunity towards the end of the first. It was Alexander Semin who got credit for the goal. The B’s wouldn’t score in the first but Rich Peverley would score 38 seconds into the second to tie the game. No sooner did us fans start cheering then Alex Ovechkin would get past Thomas to give the Caps the edge once again.

But that wouldn’t be the end of the scoring. With half the game remaining, Daniel Paille  evened up the game thanks to some smart puck handling and a great rebound off a Greg Zanon shot. To start off the third, Brian Rolston got a BEAUTIFUL rebound past Braden Holtby to give the B’s the lead for the first time in the game. With six minutes remaining, Brooks Laich decided hey I love playing in overtime, let me tie the game again. And so he did. Fortunately for us, we have Zdeno Chara or oh captain my captain on the team and sir steps up when necessary so with less than two minutes to go, he sealed the win with a goal.

The Bruins have off tomorrow and return for game four on Thursday.

Boston’s MVP vs. Washington’s Rookie; Game 1 Preview

TIm Thomas will get the start tonight! (Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

Tonight in the Bruins net will be last year’s playoff MVP and Venzina winner Tim Thomas. In the Washington Capitals end will be Braden Holtby making his NHL playoff debut. You would think this alone should indicate the odds being in Boston but I wouldn’t count out the Caps.

“Timmy’s a great goalie,” Boston forward Chris Kelly said Wednesday, “but the minute you start thinking you have advantages over teams, I think you’re setting yourself up for trouble. … We need to be at our best in order to have success, regardless of who they have.”(Via Bruins Official Site)

The Bruins hold the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Capitals are number 7 but regular season wise it was the Caps that got the 3-1 game edge over the B’s. 21 year old Holtby played in none of those games. He’s up against a goaltender with 17 years on him in the form of Timmy the tank. The Bruins will do what they can to test the rookie and if our offense is up to par we should be good because defensewise the Caps are lacking. In regular season they were in the bottom three of penalty killing, defense, and goals allowed.

Washington however has an explosive offense that needs to be stopped. I’ve already pointed out operation shut down Alex Ovechkin and though he is the leading scorer on the team, he is not the only one that the B’s need to watch out for. Alex Semin, Jason Chimera, and Nicklas Backstrom are just a few more names the Bruins should be weary of. But we’re not called the “Big Bad Bruins” for nothing so if the Capitals want to have a chance of making it to the net they’re going to have to make it past Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic, and Shawn Thornton just to name a few.

Lets not forget that the Bruins have home ice advantage during the series and us Bruins fans are some of the most passionate fans in the world. So whether you’re going to the game tonight, or watching it from home be loud and proud and represent your black and gold like there’s no game two!

“All our focus is focused on Game 1 and Game 1 only.”said Milan Lucic (Via Bruins Official Site)

The puck drops tonight @ 7:30 on NBCSN. For live twitter action during the game check out @Aerys_NHL. LETS GO BRUINS!!!!

And just to get everyone in the mood….