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!

Bruins/Leafs Game One: Leggo!

So playoffs are here and obviously I’m super excited hence the “leggo” in the title. With such a speedy shortened season, we found regular season for the Boston Bruins end Sunday. Well now it’s Wednesday and the quest for Lord Stanley’s cup has officially become. It all starts tonight and it starts against round one opponent the Toronto Maple Leafs. Eastern Conference Quarterfinals LEGGO (yes I’ve now mentioned this word three times).

Boston sits in the fourth seed for the Eastern Conference while Toronto ended up right behind them in fifth. All that separated the teams was a mere five points. Both teams had the opportunity to place higher but they stumbled to the finish of regular season losing more than winning. But it’s playoffs now so that’s all a thing of the past.

Expect Horty to be back in action TONIGHT! (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Let it be known that this is the first time since 1974 (14th overall) that both teams have met in Stanley Cup Playoffs aka this is a pretty big deal. I’m talking Original Six rivalry big deal!

Redemption Time:
Remember that time the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago? That was pretty great…no that was amazing. Remember that time they lost in the Quarterfinals to the Washington Capitals last season? Yeah, not so great. The Bruins are looking to go much further in the playoffs like Stanley Cup Finals further. But to do so they need to put the regular season slump in the past and rely on Bruins hockey to go the distance.

Toronto on the other hand is in the playoffs for the first time since the 2004 playoffs. They were eliminated that year second round thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s nine years of no playoffs aka I expect the Maple Leafs will be hungry for victory with Boston being the first victim.

THANK YOU KESSEL!
Expect to hear this said quite often this week Maple Leaf’s fans. Sorry I’m not sorry in advance! One of the obvious key points in this match up will be former B’s player Phil Kessel and current B’s player Tyler Seguin. Let me refresh your memory in case you forgot. Back in September of 2009, Kessel was traded to Toronto for three draft choices, two of whom turned out to be first-rounders. Those first rounders are Seggy and rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton, both of which have been key for the Bruins this season. In 16 games against Toronto, Seguin has 10 goals and six assists. Expect to see plenty of Kessel related signs in the TD Garden tonight and through out the series.

It’s Officially Tuukka Time:
Back in 2011, Tim Thomas was a playoff goalie god for the Bruins while Tuukka Rask was backup chillen. With Thomas out of the picture, it’s Rask in position number one for the B’s, and needless to say he has big shoes to fill. His regular season record is Vezina worthy for sure (check out my nominee preview today on Intermission Report), and I think he’ll be reliable tonight and for the rest of the playoffs for the Bruins. In his last 14 games, he hasn’t allowed more than two goals more than six times. In regular season he finished with a .929 save percentage and 5 shutouts.

Key Players Return:
Both teams will be getting some pretty necessary key scorers back from injury. For Boston, it’s Nathan Horton who has missed the past five-games with an upper body injury. Horton as we all remember was clutch for the Bruins in their 2011 Stanley Cup run and I have no doubt that he will be just as influential this time around. Jaromir Jagr should also be back in action for the B’s after missing both games this past weekend with flu-like symptoms. Jagr, the ever so amazing veteran, has been an ideal offensive fit for the B’s and should be extra beneficial during the playoffs. Toronto will have Tyler Bozak back in action who missed the last two games due to an upper body injury. Bozak finished his season with the Leafs with 12 goals and 16 assists

So tonight is Game one and with Boston having the home-ice advantage, it’s being played at the TD Garden!

Here’s a look at the rest of the schedule (so you can play your life around it like me!):
Game 2 @ Boston: Saturday May 4, 7:00pm
Game 3 @ Toronto: Monday May 6, 7:00pm
Game 4 @ Toronto: Wednesday May 8, 7:00pm
Game 5 @ Boston: Friday May 10, 7:00pm
Game 6 @ Toronto: Sunday May 12 (if needed)
Game 7 @ Boston: Monday May 13 (if needed)

Puck drops at 7pm TONIGHT and you can check out the game on NESN!
BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

Bruins Shut Out Panthers; Snap Losing Streak

Today the Boston Bruins took to the ice against the Florida Panthers with one thing in mind: picking up a win. As the season comes to a close, the Bruins have been less than stellar lately. Whether it be because of emotion or injury, it was time for the B’s to get back on track. Today they looked to end their four-game losing streak while the Panthers are looking to preventing losing four of four on their roadtrip.  Tuukka Rask would start his second game in two days opposite the Panthers Jacob Markstrom. 

Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid would both be out of lineup with injuries, meaning Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton would make their way back in.

Rask earned the shutout today! (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

It took only 3 minutes and 3 seconds into the first period for the Bruins to get the first goal of the game. Jaromir Jagr would score his second goal as a Bruin with Chris Kelly and Carl Soderberg getting the assists. Jagr has two goals and six assists in just nine games with the black and gold. And lets not forget that Soderbergs assist was his NHL point. I have a feeling that’s the first of many. That would be the lone goal of the first period but it was clear that the B’s knew they needed to come out of this game with two points. Also, I would like to point out that Rask was playing yet another solid game stopping all seven shots on net.

Second period came around with the B’s fighting off the remainder of a Rich Peverley slashing penalty. Florida would be unable to get any goals past Rask and we would be back to an even game. The Bruins would get a chance to go on the power play and though they wouldn’t register any goals, they did get many shots on net. 8 minutes into the second the B’s were outshooting the Panthers 10-1. With 6:27 left in the period Dougie Hamilton would score his fifth of the season with a drive from the right point that was a thing of beauty. That goal would not have happened without Shawn Thornton on the assist keeping that puck in the offensive zone the entire time.

Coming into the third it should be noted that the B’s are 14-2-2 with a two-goal lead going into the final period. With 1:22 remaining in the game, the Bruins sealed the win with an empty net goal from Brad Marchand assisted by his lineys Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron. Marchand leads the team with 18 goals. And with that the Bruins snap their losing streak. Rask earned his 15th career shutout with 28 saves today.

The three stars of the game are 1. Rask, 2. Jagr, 3. Hamilton.

After the game the Bruins took part in their annual “shirts of their back” ceremony. The jerseys usually go to season ticket holders. Hower with recent events, the ticket holders opted for their jerseys to go to first responders that helped during the Marathon bombings and all of the events that took place in Boston this past week. This ceremony was truly inspiring and is further reason why I love my Boston Bruins!

B’s are back in action Tuesday night in Philly against the Flyers.

 

Eastern Conference Showdown: Bruins Versus Islanders

After winning last night against the New Jersey Devils, the Boston Bruins return back home to take on the New York Islanders. With the win last night, the Bruins moved into first in the Northeast division and are a point ahead of the Montreal Canadians. Both the B’s and the Habs play tonight so the Bruins will need a win if they are trying to stay the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.

Can Pevs maintain his point streak? (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

A Costly Battle for the B’s:
The Bruins were already without Patrice Bergeron, now the question is how serious was the elbow to the head Brad Marchand took last night? Bergeron was seen practicing on the ice this morning so hopefully that means he’ll be back before playoffs. However, Marchand was being evaluated this morning and there is still no word on his injury. Another bright side because let’s be serious with all these injuries we could use one, is that Adam McQuaid may return to the lineup tonight. Quaider is a solid defenseman and I have been saying the B’s defense is weak lately so maybe this will turn that around.

Islanders Playoff Bound:
For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the New York Islanders are on the verge of clinching a playoff invitation. In their past nine games, the Isles are 7-1-1. They are currently tied for 7th place with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers with 44 points. Needless to say they will be coming into this game looking for two points.

Bruins Look for Sweep:
This is the third and final meeting between the two teams in regular season with the Bruins having one the previous two. In those games, the Isles were outscored 8-3. Tuukka Rask got the start for both those games and with him sitting out last night, it’s expected he’ll start tonight. If playoff’s started today the B’s would be the second seed and the Isles the seventh, meaning they would play each other. When you watch the game tonight keep that in mind!

Who’s HOT?
Jaromir Jagr (four assists) and Rich Peverley (one goal, three assists) have each tallied four points over the past two contests. Isles center John Tavares has three goals and three assists over the past five games, while winger Josh Bailey is 2-3-5 over the same span.

You can check out the game tonight at 7pm on NESNPLUS!

Bruins Look for Series Sweep Against Devils

In the third and final regular season meeting between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils, the B’s currently have the 2-0 lead. Can they go for the third and sweep the Devils? I guess we’ll find out tonight as the B’s head to the dirty Jersey for one last regular season showdown.

(credit: Slidingsideways/ Flickr)

The last time these two teams met up was just six days ago, with Jaromir Jagr making his Bruins debut and managing to score the lone goal of the evening. Anton Khudobin would get the shutout for the B’s and there’s a good chance he’ll nab the start tonight with the B’s playing back to back tonight and tomorrow.

Devils Doomed?
With only 9 games remaining in New Jersey’s schedule, they are currently riding a seven game losing streak. They are currently sitting outside the playoff brackets and are going to have to pull it together if they want a chance to make a run for the Stanley Cup. This is the longest losing streak the Devils have been on since their ’85-’86 season. A big reason for their loses stems from their poor overtime performance this season. They are 2-7 in shootouts this season and with a rushed schedule, now isn’t the time to be losing valuable points (one of those losses comes from the B’s).

B’s back on track?
The Bruins offense certainly stepped it up on Monday with a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. That was the most goals the B’s have scored in a game this season. The line of Brad Marchand, Jagr and Gregory Campbell combined for two goals and two assists, while Tuukka Rask stopped 40-of-42 shots. However with the offense being on their A-game, it’s time for the B’s defense to step it up. There’s no excuse for why Rask had to stop that many shots. If the Bruins win tonight they will move past the Canadiens and regain first place in the Northeast division.

Who’s hot?
David Clarkson leads the Devils with 13 goals this season and scored their only goal in their most recent loss. Meanwhile, Tuukka time is 3-2-1 in his past six starts with a 2.16 GAA and .921 save percentage.

Injury Report:
B’s will be without Patrice Bergeron (head) and Adam McQuaid (shoulder). The Devils are most likely without Ilya Kovalchuk even though he did practice with the team on Tuesday. This will be Kovalchuks 8th straight missed game.

Puck drops at 7 and you can check out the action on NBCSN for Rivalry Night!

Bruins Blow By Hurricanes

 

After losing to rival Montreal, the Boston Bruins knew they would have to come out on top against the Carolina Hurricanes. With so few games remaining in the season, the B’s are so close to clinching the playoff’s but to do so they need wins. Chris Kelly would return to the lineup the featured some player swapping. Tyler Seguin would move to the third line with Kelly while Gregory Campbell would center the second line.

Tuukka Rask would get the start opposite the Canes Jusitn Peters.

Two goals tonight for Marchand! (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

The first period would kick off with Rich Peverley ending his 10-game goalless streak with a goal at 3:51. Pevs was able to get passed Peters with the wraparound goal with the assists going to Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference. Four minutes later Brad Marchand would notch his 15th goal of the season thanks to a perfect set up from his linemates Campbell and Jaromir Jagr. With that Justin Peters would be pulled after allowing two goals on four shots and  Dan Ellias would step up in net. Marchy wasn’t done for the period  because with 2:40 to go in the period he would score. Jagr and Seidenberg would each get assists on that. This is Marchand’s 8th career two goal game.

Second period would start just like the first did with a Bruins goal! This time it was Andrew Ference with his third of season. Seids and Soupy would get the assists on that review goal. This would be the third assist for Seidenberg and his first three point game as a Bruin. Just so we’re keeping track the Bruins are now up 4-0 against Carolina. Halfway through the second, Jordan Caron would make it a five goal lead with his first goal of the season. Caron’s liney’s Peverley and Shawn Thornton would get the assists for that beauty of a goal. With 21 shots on goal thus far, the B’s have scored five. Carolina has 30 shots on net but none managed to get past Rask. Tonight marks first four-goal and five-goal leads this season for Boston.

Third period wasn’t as exciting. In fact it dragged quite a bit. It dragged just like Eric Staal’s skate when he tried to kick in a goal with 10ish minutes remaining. Pretty sure that just added to the Canes frustrations BUT they would score at 10:03 thanks to a goal from Patrick Dwyer, his seventh of the season. So it wouldn’t be a shutout for Rask. 45 seconds later Drayson Bowman would score making this a 5-2 game. With 3:04 remaining, the Bruins would find the back of the net yet again with Dougie Hamilton setting up Nathan Horton for his 13th of the season. The Bruins now have six goals and this is the most they’ve scored in a game all season. Milan Lucic would also get an assist on that.

Now the Bruins won and that’s great but there are a few things that they need to work on. Rask may have stopped 40-of-42 shots but he shouldn’t have to face that many if the defense was doing their job. And I think it’s best that I don’t speak of our ever terrible power play.

Hey a win is a win and the Bruins have proved that on home ice they do pretty well. The boys are back in action Wednesday in New Jersey to take on the Devils.

 

Bruins Battle Canadiens for First

As with every meeting these teams have had this season at the end of tonights game, either the Boston Bruins or the Montreal Canadiens will be number one in the Northeast division. Because this is the last meeting in regular season between the teams and the season is nearly over, tonight is important. Currently the Canadiens are in first with 53 points but the Bruins are right behind them with 52 points (Montreal also has an extra game on the B’s). This race for first just adds a little flame to one of the NHL’s most heated rivalries.

Could Chris Kelly be back in the lineup tonight? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

B’s look for four in a row:
The Bruins are coming off of a shutout win Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils and are looking to carry that momentum on over to this game. It was Jaromir Jagr in his black and gold debut that would score the lone goal of the game and though it wasn’t pretty, it was a win. This will be Jagr’s second game for the Bruins skating on a very “youthful” line with Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand. This line has the potential to leave its mark in Montreal tonight. Tonight will also mark the Bruins debut of Wade Redden on defense.

Canadiens feeling the pressure:
Tonights game will be Montreal’s fifth game in seven days. However that hasn’t stopped them from losing first place. In fact you could say they’re very comfortable there. Prior to Friday’s game, Montreal was fourth in the League in goals per game (3.11). They have built up solid consistency that they are looking to maintain. Let’s not forget that Montreal has beaten the Bruins two out of three games thus far, which each game being decided by one goal. They are looking to take three out of four from the B’s this season.

Back so soon?
Both the Bruins and the Habs have crucial day-to-day injuries that could make a difference come game time. Chris Kelly isn’t ruled out for tonight’s game though the odds are he’ll sit it out. However it’s definitely progress that Kelly will be making his way back into the lineup soon. On Montreal’s end they could be without Tomas Plekanec, who missed Thursday’s game with a groin injury. Plekanec leads Montreal in with a goal and four assists in three games against the Bruins this season so it could be Boston advantage if he wasn’t playing.

Puck drops at 7pm tonight and you can catch the game on NESN! I’m not just saying this when I say this is a must see game.

Tuukka Time Takes Down Devils

While the Boston Bruins looked to continue their win streak, the New Jersey Devils were looking to end their losing streak.  With the season winding down, the B’s are trying to get every two points they possibly can in hopes of catching up to the Montreal Canadien’s, who currently lead the Northeast division.

Tonight’s matchup had Tuukka Rask facing Martin Brodeur in net. Rask has had the past two games off and looked to come back with a vengeance and pick up the win for his team.

TUUKKA TIME! (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

First period came and went with neither team being able to get passed the goalies. The only thing that really went well for the Bruins in that period was Rask. With the B’s without Patrice Bergeron, they weren’t able to win many faceoffs. Shots on net also heavily favored New Jersey.

The second period opened and the Bruins clearly had some sort of wake up call because it took 1:20 for them to get on board. And who better to get that goal than newly acquired Jaromir Jagr. Jagr made his Bruins debut tonight and boy did he make it known that he was here to play. Credit Jagr’s liney Brad Marchand and Captain Zdeno Chara for the assist on the goal. Welcome to Boston Jagr!

Little did we know at the time that this would be the only goal of the game. The Devils would try and make a comeback but it was unsuccessful against Tuukka time. Rask would make 40 saves in the game and earn his 3rd shutout of the season and 14th shutout as a Boston Bruin. He obviously was the first star of the game, with Jagr getting the second star.

The Bruins are now  24-8-4. They have now won three in a row and will play Saturday in Montreal against the Canadiens with first place in the division on the line.

Bruins Trade Deadline Transactions

Welcome to trade deadline day for the NHL! While the Boston Bruins signed Jaromir Jagr earlier this week in exchange for Lane MacDermid not much else went down for the Black and Gold (I refuse to speak about the trade gone bad). But with today being the end of any sort of player trading, Peter Chiarelli and Co. cracked down and made some moves that’ll hopefully help with the B’s quest for the cup!

Welcome to Boston Wade! (Credit: Flickr/ CS Smith)

At one pm today it was confirmed that the Boston Bruins had traded Providence Bruins player Max Sauve to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Rob Flick. Flick has most recently been playing for the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate the Rockford IceHogs. He has played in 51 games this season for the IceHogs and has registered three goals and two assists with 97 penalty minutes.

The London Ontario native was drafted in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. While Flick hasn’t contributed much scoring wise, he’s 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds and has no problem throwing his weight around. In his first two AHL seasons alone, he’s racked up over 100 PIMs.

Flick will most likely head to Providence for the next few years to build but there’s no doubt that he’ll most likely be there if the Bruins are looking for a call up.

In a late trade, the B’s also acquired defenseman Wade Redden from the St. Louis Blues  in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick in 2014. However, if Redden plays in one or more games during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Bruins, that draft pick will change to a sixth round.

Redden is a former teammate of Captain Zdeno Chara and center Chris Kelly. He will serve as a strength defenseman that could come in handy as the Bruins head towards playoffs. This year, Redden appeared in 23 games with the Blues, scoring two goals and three assists with 11 penalty minutes. The 35-year-old has skated in 1017 NHL games between the  Ottawa Senators (1995-2008), New York Rangers (2008-2010) and the St. Louis Blues (2012-2013).

Overall it wasn’t the trade that’ll make headlines, but these are deals that could help the Bruins with the rest of this season  and in the future.

Bruins Become Team #6 For Jagr

Jaromir JAGR (Czech Republic) – France – Czech Republic – (World Championships Preliminary Round 2010-05-09) – SAP Arena – Mannheim – Germany (Patxi64/Flickr)

Prior to tonight’s face off the Boston Bruins announced that they had acquired NHL star and legend Jaromir Jagr for forward Lane MacDermid, prospect Cody Payne and a conditional 2nd round draft pick.  The draft pick would be bumped up to a 1st round pick should the Bruins make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jaromir Jagr is no stranger to the game of ice hockey, entering the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-1991 season and helping them win two Stanley Cups along the way.  Jagr has seen the likes of Pittsburgh, Washington, New York (Rangers), Philadelphia, Dallas, registering 50+ points per season. He has appeared in 1,380 games registering 679 goals and 1,000 assists. Still not impressed?

Along with being a known goal-scorer, Jagr is also a pivotal play-maker when it comes to power play units, entering the Bruins squad with 14 goals and 12 assists, 6 goals coming from the power play, making him the teams’ points leader. He will be tied for Marchand in goals scored.

When the team was asked about what they thought of the transaction, they all sang a similar tune in stating ‘he will add depth offensively and that he’s a great player.” General Manager Peter Chiarelli was elated at the deal and reiterated the same sentiments, but was also quick to state that Jagr isn’t going or expected to be a savior, he is expected to fit in with the team.

We can expect to see the likes of the stellar star alongside Rich Peverley on the third line, but to make some transitions along the way. It is possible to see him alongside David Krejci for a couple of shifts as well and move Horton down to the third line, as the Bruins are always cycling players around.

“Obviously there’s a need on the third line,” Chiarelli said. “He’s got a higher-line pedigree. What I said to Jaromir is that we pride on ourselves on four strong lines. He’s an important part, but not the part to success. He could be on the third line. There are times when our fourth line’s been our third line and vice versa. It depends on who’s going. We try to even it out. He seemed very receptive to that.”(via Boston Globe)

Jagr is expected to be in Boston Wednesday morning to practice with the team and is set to make his debut in the Black and Gold sweater on Thursday night as the Bruins take on the New Jersey Devils at the Garden looking for their third straight victory. Welcome to Boston Jaromir, we look forward to being a part of your successes.