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.

We’re Off to see the Capitol

Brian Rolston is one of the Bruins leading point scorers in the playoffs thus far (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Once again the Bruins embark on a journey to the Nation’s glorious capitol to take on, none other than, of course the Washington Capitals. Tonight marks Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals between these two teams. Thus far the series is tied at a game a piece, each needing additional time to decipher a winner. While the Bruins brought some great energy and effort to Game 2, there is still plenty of room for improvement.  Take a look at the two goals scored in the two games. That in itself is an issue, the fact that they can only manage to score a goal a game with a team that is known for their offensive depth. But taking an even closer look you will find that it is the team’s THIRD LINE that is producing all of the scoring. With Chris Kelly getting the overtime winner in Game 1 (assists from Pouliot and Rolston), and in Game 2 Benoit Pouliot tied the game with seven minutes remaining in regulation (assists to Kelly and Rolston).

Benoit Pouliot has shown that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get the puck past Braden Holtby, the playoff newbie for the Capitals who has been stone cold. He has shown grit, determination and persistence. Something that the top two lines are currently lacking.

Yesterday the Bruins Media interviewed Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin and asked them what they felt they needed to do to produce more goals.

When Bruins leading goal scorer Tyler Seguin was asked what he can do to improve he stated:

“I got to do better I think,” Seguin said. “There are a lot of areas I want to improve on. I think the main ting is being consistent. Playoffs is all about getting out of your comfort zone, whether it’s blocking a shot or hitting a bit more and going to the net more.”

For most of the Bruins players the key word, once again, is CONSISTENCY. Yes, I realize this is a word that has been juggled around, pretty much the entire season, however, the fact of the matter remains. The Bruins forwards need to keep their play consistent and as Seguin said, even. They need to take more shots, follow them and the goals will follow.

For forward Milan Lucic he was more concernec in his own game, feeling he needed to put more pressure on himself as he knows he can perform better for his team.

“I want to be better and I’m going to do everything I can to help this team win.” Lucic said.

The team is focusing on Game 3 and not looking at anything past that, they know the challenge they have in front of them and they are planning to tackle it head on. Tonight, their main focus is getting past the Washington defense. They are a team that doesn’t like to play deep so the Bruins have to find a way to pressure them back and get the shots on net. If they can manage to do that, they have a fighting chance at coming out on top of this one.  Perhaps even in regulation.

Tonight’s game is on NBCSN,CBC and NESN as well as being heard on 98.5 the Sporst Hub at 7:30pm EST.

*Quotes came from the Boston Bruins Official Site (bruins.nhl.com)

Keep Your Hopes Up B’s

Pouliot kept the B's in the game with a goal scored part way in the third (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Yesterday afternoon the Bruins took on the Washington Capitals for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final. It was Tim Thomas against the newcomer Braden Holtby in between the pipes for the two teams.  In the first period the issue was decision making and puck possession.  On Ovechkin’s first shift there was a noticeably different approach from him, as he initiated contact with both Chara and Seidenberg, drawing a holding call in the opening minutes.  Thomas was littered with shots from the Caps, but stood tall as the penalty expired and the B’s number one penalty killer escaped the box.  The Bruins did a great job on the penalty kill, but their handling through the neutral zone and five on five situations through the first twenty minutes was horrid, the Capitals shot the puck more at the net in the first twenty minutes of the game (9) than they had through the first forty minutes of game 1.  The best chance of the period came from David Krejci with a side-to-sode attempt in the slot that Holtby was able to get a blocker save on.  The score remained at zero after one with the Bruins holding a 10-9 edge in shots. The key going into the second period:

“Get more bodies toward the net, especially off the neutral zone plays…Making plays we wouldn’t usually make and force plays.”-Tyler Seguin (Intermission Report with 98.5 the Sports Hub)

To begin the second period there wasn’t much change in the tempo as there was extremely slow puck possession from the B’s. Luckily Brad Marchand was being a good little brat and drew a penalty from Hamrlik for a cross-check after some chirping. You’ve got to love the little ball of hate some days for getting the ball rolling with his yapper. Bergeron presented the Bruins with a nice one-timer that trickled JUST wide of the net THROUGH Holtby’s pads. The Bruins were able to maintain possession for the next minute or so before Seguin let Alzner beat him to the loose puck in the offensive zone for a change in direction. As the period drew on, the tempers began to flare as Ovechkin threw his glove/stick in the German Hammer’s face. Shortly after Carlson elbowed Patrice Bergeron in the head and in retaliation, on the next shift Brad Marchand gave Carlson a stick to the face in displeasure, receiving a two-minute minor. With just over two minutes remaining in the period Troy Bouwer twould tuck the puck past Thomas and give the Capitals their first lead in the series with the assists going to Alzner and Ovechkin. The positive side, (if I have to find one) Tim Thomas created a new scoreless record of 161 minutes and 41 seconds.

“We’ve got to make plays and get it deep and not lose it at the blue line..They’re waiting for us to get fancy, we’ve got to put pressure on them, get it deep because they’re opportunistic and their [defense] don’t want to play deep.”-Joe Corvo (Intermission Report with 98.5 the Sports Hub)

As the third period began the Bruins came out looking stronger than ever, creating chance after chance against Holtby who is some sort of God-like beast in between those pipes, robbing Marchand for his 54th save in two games.  However with a little persistence and pressure, Bruins forward Benoit Pouliot would become the hero of the game as he chipped the puck past Holtby to tie the game at 12:13 off of a Brian Rolston shot. The goal would be Pouliot’s first ever playoff goal in 24 contests. Congratulations Pou-Bear! Just think, fourteen months ago Pouliot, Kelly and Rolston weren’t even Bruins and currently they are the only line that has scored. (Pouliot 1G, 1A : Kelly 1G, 1A : Rolston 2A) Though there would be much back and forth action in the third period, this game needed extra time as they headed into sudden death overtime.

“We need more pressure on Holtby.. We have to do what we’re supposed to do..Got to follow the game plan and we’ll be fine” –Brad Marchand (Intermission Report with 98.5 the Sports Hub)

Heading into Overtime this would be the first time the Bruins opened a series with consecutive overtimes since April 16-17, 1980 in the Quarter Finals against the New York Islanders.  In the opening minutes of the extra minutes the Bruins had a great pace and threw insane amounts of shots at Holtby, but there was no breaking him or Tim Thomas for the entire twenty minutes, forcing a double overtime. The issue for the Bruins being, they weren’t crashing the net for the rebounds. Sadly it wouldn’t be much into the double OT that Nicklas Backstrom would slap one past Thomas to give the Capitals the win and tie the series as the Series travels to the Nation’s Capitol.

The Bruins put forth a great effort against the Capitals today and it really comes down to scoring. The Bruins need to keep constant pressure on Holtby and crash the net for rebounds.  Their long shots and fancy plays aren’t going to cut it against this team. The next game is Monday night at 7:30pm EST on CBC,NBCSN,NESN or you can listen to the game on 98.5 the Sports Hub.

 

Maintaining the Momentum; Game 2 Preview

Will Chris Kelly have another big game? (Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

The Bruins are looking to carry over Game 1’s win on Thursday with another win today at home while the Washington Capitals are trying to split the series and build up some momentum of their own. Despite having 30 shots on net, the Bruins only managed to get one overtime goal past Braden Holtby, the rookie goalie making his NHL playoff debut. Not going to lie, I was VERY impressed with Holtby. On the other end, I was just as impressed with Tim Thomas. Thomas looked like the same goalie as he was during last year’s cup run and that’s a very good sign.

In game 1, Washington had a very strong defensive game which is in part why the Bruins weren’t able to make any of their shots on net count up until overtime. What they need to work on is their offense. The Capitals only managed 17 shots on net in the entire game. The Bruins capitalized on puck possession for 50 minutes of the game. In fact the only time I was really worried was the final ten minutes, when the Caps managed a random spurt of energy.

The lack of offense from the Caps was due to the B’s bringing the defense. Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg  were on Alex Ovechkin the entire game. I was impressed by how well they held Ovechkin through out the game.

I think both teams have their share of things to work on . Obviously scoring goals is one of those things. I think the team that scores the first goal today will be very important.

Puck drops at 3pm and you can catch the game on NBC. BELIEVE IN BOSTON!!

Know Thy Enemy

Braden Holtby poses as the number one problem for the Bruins (Photo Credit:L kkthemook/Flickr)

Last night marked the first playoff game of the season for the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. Prior to the match up, there was speculation against the Bruins based on their heavy hitters and the like for Alex Ovechkin. After watching the first game, here are some conclusions that can be drawn up as well as what needs to improve for Boston.

The top priority last night for the Bruins was to shut down Alex Ovechkin and deny him any time or space with the puck, because it is a well known fact that when Ovechkin has the puck, he is dangerous. Through sixty one minutes and eighteen seconds of play Ovechkin only managed to post one shot on net in just under eighteen minutes of ice time. Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara did a phenomenal job contending the Caps leading goal scorer and if they bring that same effort to every game, there is no reason why the Bruins can’t take this series.

While they executed Operation: Shutdown Ovechkin, to a tee, their defense was slacking. They provided the Capitals with too many chances in the offensive zone throughout the third period, having issues clearing the puck. Thank the Lord Stanley that Tim Thomas was on his game last night.

Once the Bruins maintained possession of the puck, they did a fairly decent job of putting it where it belonged, outshooting the Capitals by a large margin and having seemingly high scoring opportunities. However, their downfall came from rebounding, or lack there of. I can only recall a handful of times where the surrounding forwards crashed the net. For a team like Boston, that has a lot of blue line or top of the key shooters, they need to remember to crash the net and bang in the rebounds. The majority of their goals come from deflections or rebounded shots. Perhaps the best opportunity of the night came from an opportunity between Chris Kelly and Benoit Pouliot, with Pouliot charging to the net as Kelly threw it in front.

If the Bruins are able to maintain control of the puck through the neutral zone and set up plays, their execution will be flawless. They need to get forwards like Milan Lucic set up in front and Shawn Thornton, bigger guys that can block the goaltenders view, in order to create more traffic.

As for the Capitals, I have to note that their first-game goaltender Holtby was spectacular. He ultimately kept the Capitals in the game last night, proving he deserved to be between the pipes. In my opinion, I say keep the youngster in net, he posed more threat to Boston and rattled them that he was so confident. However, this is the only props that I will give to the enemy. Well, that and their ability to kill a six minute penalty kill, because for a team that was ranked 25th in the League for their PK abilities, that’s pretty impressive. For more insight on this match-up you can head on over to VC Chillin‘, for a Washington Capitals perspective. You can applaud her efforts in trying to make the Capitals out to be a better team.

Playoff Game 1: Can You Feel The Heartbeat?

Bruins are looking to bring the Cup back to Boston (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight marked the beginning of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Boston Bruins as they took on the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden at 7:30pm EST.  The first period proved to be a test if you will, with each team feeling each other out. The physicality was clearly evident with Seidenberg and Chara unleashing on Ovechkin numerous times and Jay Beagle going to the box for a double minor for high sticking against David Krejci. However, despite efforts by Pouliot and the Bergeron line, the score stayed at zero through the first twenty minutes of play. They would start the second period with a man advantage for just over two minutes of play.

“We have to be better holding onto the puck down low..We did a good job playing the body and Z did a good job stepping up on Ovechkin and we have to keep doing that and take their time and space away.” –Dennis Seidenberg (via Intermission Report with Naoko Funayama)

At the start of the second period you could already sense the change in atmosphere as the Bruins came out roaring from the locker room. The intensity increased and through the first twelve minutes of play the Bruins managed to hold the Capitals to ZERO shots on goal, providing themselves with ten.  The Bruins peppered first-timer Holtby with shots and to give credit where it is due, he made a spectacular save on Daniel Paille off of a pass from Patrice Bergeron midway through the period.  Tempers began to flare after that with David Krejci having a run in with Holtby after a Carlson cross-check, creating a scrum behind the Caps net with both Krejci and Carlson getting two for roughing. The first four on four opportunity of the night. One of the best plays of the period would come from this advantage as Chris Kelly gets the interception in the neutral zone to Pouliot and then as Kelly crashes the net, Holtby pushes Kelly down and provides the Bruins with a four on three opportunity for a minute and a half.  You’re wondering if the Bruins capitalized here, right? Well, the answer to that question is…no. They had a great set up going, but were unable to light the lamp. In order to get ahead they needed to crash the net and bang in the rebounds. There were way too many pucks free right in front of the net.

After forty minutes of play the score remained at 0-0 with the Bruins holding the edge in shots on goal with 26-7, only two of those shots from this period for the Caps.  Star forward Alex Ovechkin shares absolutely none of those attempts, he failed to register a single shot on net, or even possess the puck for more than 3-4 seconds the entire period.

“We need to get the shots from the outside and try to get the rebounds. . . We feel alright were playing okay, anything can happen in a  game like this…We have to put in our best effort.” –Brad Marchand (via Intermission Report with Naoko Funayama)

Through sixty minutes of play the Bruins and Capitals remained scoreless. Forwards Benoit Pouliot and Chris Kelly had a GOLDEN opportunity, unfortunately the puck had a lucky bounce and skirted between Pou’s legs. Capitals got lucky on that one.  With just a minute and one second remaining Milan Lucic raced up the right hand side of the ice, looked over his shoulder to Krejci but was unable to connect the pass to muster a shot. Through the final twenty the Bruins had spurts of energy, but the Capitals held the advantage in the offensive zone, providing a tied score at the end of regulation of zero.

“We’ve got to keep shooting and crash the net…I think we’ve got to keep going defensively and we will get our chance.” –David Krejci (via Intermission Report with Naoko Funayama)

One minute and eighteen seconds into the extra period, sudden death Johansen takes a stab at Thomas, Kelly gets the rebound, takes it in and snaps one past the Caps goaltender, low glove side. Bruins take a series lead 1-0!!!! In celebration the Bruins busted plexi-glass, a very well fought game. Congratulations Bruins, we’ll see you Saturday!

 

 

 

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….

Operation Shutdown Ovechkin

Chara is ready to Overtake Ovechkin (Credit: Cerebusfangirl/Flickr)

It’s no surprise that come Thursday the Boston Bruins biggest threat will be forward Alexander Ovechkin. As pointed out by VC Chillin, our first round Aerys blog rival that I encourage you to all read up on, Ovechkin is the only Cap with 30+ goals, and 60+ points. Meaning Ovechkin will have a giant red bullseye on his back starting on Thursday. So who’s the man that was given the taste to shut down Ovechkin at all costs. Well it’s none other than oh captain my captain Zdeno Chara. And Chara couldn’t be more prepared.

“It’s something that motivates me,” said Chara. “It’s something that . . . I enjoy competing against the best players. Obviously they have a few great players on their team. Sometimes the matchups are hard to get, especially on the road. But when you do get them, you want to make the best of them. Overall, I love to compete, I love to work hard against whoever I’m playing against.”(VIA CSNNE)

Chara will be paired with Dennis Seidenberg in hopes that they will recreate the magic that was last year’s Stanley Cup run. The Capitals have a lot of talent besides Ovechkin offensively but it is no secret that if the Bruins want to beat Washington they’ll need to keep number 8 quiet. What better way than 6’9″ defenseman?

“The big thing is Chara against Ovechkin,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “Chara takes pride in shutting down Ovechkin, so I think obviously you’re going to see that matchup.”(VIA WEEI)

So I have to ask is it Thursday yet?!

B’s Back in Playoff Mode

The TD Garden is back in playoff mode! (Credit: NHL Bruins Twitter)

Today the Bruins had practice to start preparing for Round One playoffs against the Washington Capitals. Besides Adam McQuaid, the rest of the lineup was on the ice practicing including Johnny Boychuk and Tuukka Rask. Rask was the first on the ice this am working with strength and conditioning coaches and goaltending coaches. Though not yet ready to suit up for a game, it’s great to see that Rask is in good spirits. Boychuk also worked with the strength and conditioning coaches and is looking like he will be making a return very soon. **Crosses fingers for Thursday!

Lines at practice were the following:
Lucic- Krejci- Peverley
Marchand- Bergeron- Seguin
Pouliot- Rolston- Kelly
Paille/Caron-Campbell-Thornton

The Bruins are eager and excited to get playing and they know that they have a tough opponent ahead.

“The excitement of being in the playoffs is a little different…[but] you can’t let the pressure crush you.” Adds: “Thrive on it.”^BISH”(Via NHLBruins)

Besides the boys getting playoff ready, the city of Boston and the fans are getting ready. Today the playoff banner went up and the picture is above.

As the playoffs get under way, stay with A Cup A Bruin for all your up to date updates on the team! BELIEVE IN BOSTON!!!

Playoff Preview: Bruins and Capitals

With confidence and momentum the B's can take the Capitals in the first round (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

The regular season has come to an end and the Bruins are now facing the first round of the playoffs. With the Ottawa Senators doing everything in their power to not play Boston, they provided the Bruins with the Washington Capitals for the first seven game match-up.  Now, this match-up can go one of two ways. (obviously) The Bruins can continue to carry their momentum they have had at the tail end of the season and blow through the first round like it is nothing, or this five-day break could throw them off balance and hurt them in the long run.

While the month of October provided the Bruins with the infamous “Cup Hangover,” it was also coming off of a long, tedious break from on-ice action. Granted the team works out in the off-season as much if not more than they do during the regular season, but the lack of competition and team togetherness has to have some sort of effect.  Take a look at how strong the Bruins became after their pre-season over seas in 2010. They were able to bond together and build chemistry off the ice that was able to be carried over into games.

Granted, this year provided the Bruins with a lot more injuries than last year, at one point with up to six roster players sitting out at one time.  While there are still a couple of players out heading into the playoffs, they are both listed as day-to-day and expected to be 100% ready to go by Thursday. A nice, healthy, ripe and ready to go team for the playoffs would provide the Bruins with a positive advantage heading into the first round.

Taking a look at how the Bruins performed against Washington this year provides fans with little confidence as they went 1-2-1 in the regular season.

“They’re a team I think defensively that has really tightened up their game,” Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien said about the Capitals earlier this year. “We see them doing what most teams do around the league now, collapsing and overloading the one side of the ice in the D zone and certainly that structure is there. We know they’re a good offensive team… and that’s been their strength for years.”(via Bruins Official Site)

With names like Alex Ovechkin ans Brooks Laich, the Capitals are definitely a force to be reckoned with. However, when it comes to playoffs, the Capitals seem to crack under pressure. It is a wonder if the change in coaching staff will play a major role in the playoffs, after the firing of Boudreau. They have been a team that when they’ve needed to perform this year, they have been able to capitalize, of course being led by Ovechkin. With Nicklas Backstrom being back, they are better than ever. It makes them a much different team with a greater dynamic. It is going to come down to a battle between confidence. How much confidence do the Capitals bring to the table. If the Bruins come out strong and take the lead early, it may just be enough to rattle the Capitals.

With the depth scoring of the Bruins, the defensive pairings and stellar offense, it is definitely possible that the Bruins can take round one,providing they show up with confidence and their momentum carries over. It may take all seven games to do so, but it can and will be done. Why? Because it’s the Cup.

The first game is Thursday, April 12 at 7:30pm EST being broadcast on NBCSN and 98.5 the Sports Hub.

To check out what the Washington Capitals writer has to say, go to VC Chillin.