Can the Bruins Go Two Up Against Leafs?

The Boston Bruins took Game one over the Toronto Maple Leafs and are looking to go for win number two. The B’s played a full 60-minutes Wednesday and came out on top 4-1. It was the first time in a while that all four lines of the Bruins stepped up and the win displayed that. While it looked like a complete domination against Toronto, I’m not counting them out.

Tonight the game will end with the B’s being up by 2 games and carrying the momentum that goes with that or the Maple Leafs tying up the series.

(Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Bruins Change It Up:
With Andrew Ference being suspended for tonight’s game, the Bruins have no choice but to change up their defensive pairings that were so successful Wednesday night. Ference is a player that isn’t afraid to make his presence known against any team and Coach Claude Julien has the job of putting someone in his place that will take on that responsibility. So tonight either Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, or Aaron Johnson will be back in the lineup in place of Ference. If I’m betting on this, I think Dougie will make his NHL playoff debut as he is the one out of the three who has had the most ice team this season. Also in terms of defense, Adam McQuaid was paired with Zdeno Chara at yesterdays practice which means Quaider could be potentially facing off against Toronto’s top line tonight.

Another thing to note is Wednesday Rich Peverley was a healthy scratch for the forwards so there’s a chance he’ll jump back into the lineup as well.

Toronto Takes a Step Back:
It’s no secret that the Maple Leaf’s didn’t leave Game One feeling like they gave it their all. They were out shot 40-20 and simply outplayed. But that game is in the past now and they Leafs are looking to make a comeback tonight. Most of the Toronto players are newbies when it comes to playoffs and the team has said that those nerves have been shaken off and their ready for Game Two.

The Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Mike Kostka after he broke his finger in the second period of Game One. Either Ryan O’Byrne or Jake Gardiner will be added into the lineup for Game 2. Also, expect to see some line changes for the Maple Leafs.

Bergeron Line FTW:
It’s no coincidence that every time Phil Kessel was on the ice with his line, the Patrice Bergeron line was also there. Bergeron along with Tyler Seguin, and Brad Marchand have been one of the B’s most consistent lines all season and they continued that pressure in Game One. Kessel, who lead Toronto with 20 goals and 52 points during the regular season was limited to just one shot in under 14 minutes of ice time on Wednesday. Bergeron, who is easily one of the best two-way players in the league, can be blamed for that.

Who’s Hot?
Boston players Milan Lucic and David Krecji. Looch has one goal and five points in the past three games, while Krejci has two goals and five points in four games. Krejci was the player of the game for the Bruins and was sporting their “player of the game Army Ranger’s jacket” after the game.

Expect Tuukka Rask to get the start for the Bruins as he was nothing but solid Wednesday night.

Puck drops TONIGHT at 7pm and you can check it out on NESN!

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

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 Drop Three-Goal Lead in OT

Dougie Hamilton earned his third of the season tonight instilling the Bruins a 3-0 lead for the second time this season. (photo credit: Steph Vail/ Flickr)

Tonight the Boston Bruins headed to the Capitol in hopes of bouncing back into the win column and exacting revenge on the Capitals after last season’s playoff elimination. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and the Bruins blew a three-goal lead from the first period and dropped the ball in overtime.

The first period was exactly what was needed from the Bruins. They found themselves on the penalty kill with a hooking call from Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand, being one of the B’s best penalty killers, jumped at a shorthanded opportunity. In the process he was hooked and slashed by none other than Alex Ovechkin and was awarded a penalty shot. Marchand brought the puck in, deked left and waited for Holtby to commit and found a way to stuff the puck five-hole on Holtby for an early 1-0 lead.

Back pressure from Milan Lucic helped the Bruins score their next goal as he helped bring the puck up ice after a turnover and help break up a two-on-one opportunity for the Caps. He was able to bring the puck back into the offensive zone for the Bruins, find Chara who unleashed a slapshot a little high, hitting Krejci in the leg, and then banking in his own rebound for a 2-0 lead.

With 1:45 remaining in the period Alex Ovechkin was hauled off to the penalty box for a call that, honestly, shouldn’t have been made. Ovechkin placed a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Chris Kelly in the neutral zone in front of the bench area a half second after Kelly released the puck and got called for interference. However, the Bruins stepped up to the plate and did what they had to do to get the job done. They used their cycling game to move the puck from the corner up to the point where Dougie Hamilton was waiting to unleash a shot. There was a slight screen in front of Holtby, just enough for him to not realize what was going on and give Hamilton his third of the season and the Bruins their second 3-goal lead of the season.

Through the next twenty minute frame a completely different game began to evolve as the Capitals fought their way back on the scoreboard and contained the Bruins. Ovechkin helped the Capitals score the first goal of the game with an initial shot that led to a scramble out in front to which Ribeiro was able to put past the netminder. Tomas Kundratek would score the second goal for his first of the season right off of the face off.

The third period provided a lot of opportunities for the Bruins and Capitals alike, but it would be the Caps insistence that would eventually put them up with a game-tying goal from Wojtek Wolski thanks to a pass from Fehr in the final minutes. The game-winning goal in overtime came from an off-balance Eric Fehr who was able to beat the defense and Rask and win the game for Washington in a similar fashion as the playoff loss last season.

The Bruins next game is Thursday against he Toronto Maple Leafs where they look to earn their eighth straight win and second of the season.

Back Checks and Ballerina Moves Help the Bruins Beat the Panthers

Bruins celebrate after a goal scored in the black and gold scrimmage (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

This evening the Boston Bruins improved their record to 11-2-2 on the season in their first three-goal victory of the season, winning by a final tally of 4-1. Goals came from Zdeno Chara, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic and Daniel Paille while Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots to preserve the victory.

Milan Lucic got the Bruins on the board early on after David Krejci won the face-off and he used a quick lateral movement to center himself before snapping a wrist shot past Jacob Markstrom to put the B’s up 1-0.  A few minutes later captain Zdeno Chara showed his team exactly how it is done. When you’re 6’9” 255lb guy and you have a 12ft stick, you aren’t expected a  to be dirty your stick skills. We’ve known he’s got a power shot over 100mph but you can add sick mitts to his job description as well. As Chara got the puck,he pirouetted and backhanded the it past Markstrom to put the Bruins up 2-0 over the Panthers.

Tomas Kopecky was able to cut the Bruins lead to a single goal before the period’s end after some sloppy defensive work from Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid. Through the first twenty minutes of play the Bruins held a slight edge in shots and were up 2-1 on the scoreboard.

“I think we’re doing a good job moving our feet and getting the puck up the ice. [We] got rewarded off a pretty one from Z and mine off the face off, we’re off to a pretty good start.” – Milan Lucic during intermission.

To start the second period the Bruins found themselves on the power play early on as Brian Campbell found himself in the penalty box for Florida. After a power shot from Chris Bourque, Chris Kelly used his speed to sneak in and connect with the rebound off Markstrom’s pads that found the tape on his stick perfectly allowing him to flip the puck up and in with ease for a 3-1 lead. The goal would be Kelly’s first of the season.

“I’ve been wanting to score for a while and there’s no lying about that but when you’re not scoring you try to do other things and work on other aspects to help your team.”- Chris Kelly during second intermission.

While the scoring petered off from that point on, the Bruins didn’t give up. They kept the pressure and didn’t slack off despite having a two-goal lead like fans have seen them do in the past. Daniel Paille would net his first power play goal of his career as he registered the fourth and final goal for Boston on the empty net to give the Bruins their first three-goal lead and win of the season.

The Bruins now pack up their things and head to New York to face the Islanders on Tuesday for a 7pm face off looking for their fourth straight victory. With their win tonight they now sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second in the Division behind the Montreal Canadiens.

 

Bruins Beast the Rangers

It was Tuukka time in Boston tonight! (Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight your Boston Bruins took to the ice for the home opener of the 2012-2013 season against the New York Rangers and it was everything you could hope for in a home opener and so much more.

The B’s for the most part stuck to a similar lineup as last season but tonight brought the debut of Boston native/ Ray Bourque’s pride and joy Chris Bourque. Tonight was also the first time that the B’s first round draft pick of 2011 Dougie Hamilton would play in the NHL. Tuukka Rask is now the starting goalie for the Bruins and he faced off against Henrik Lundqvist, a man who doesn’t exactly let up against the Bruins or against any team in general.

Tonight was an exception as the Bruins beat the Rangers 3-1.

Let me break down the game by period for you.

Captain Chara Returns Home

(Credit:Flickr/Slidingsideways)

Our last and most important member of the Boston Bruins family is returning from overseas. With the lock out coming to an end today, Captain Zdeno Chara was the lone skater of the B’s club still playing European Hockey.

Today he was pulled out of his game playing for the HC Lev Prague of the KHL, and told to get ready to head back to Boston as reported by Joe Haggerty.

In 25 games with the club, Chara finished his stint with 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) and a plus-5 rating. And the best part of all? Our captain is in prime shape!

Chara will be back in Boston on Tuesday and with that all of our boys will be in the Bean!

Zdeno Chara is Back From Europe

Zdeno Chara (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Currently the KHL, Swiss and Czech leagues are on a 10-day holiday break so along with Tyler Seguin, Zdeno Chara has come back to Boston, at least for the time being.  The break couldn’t come at a better time for Chara as coincidentally he has reportedly lost his friendship with former teammate Miroslav Satan after this hit:

Here in the NHL this would be ruled a legal hit, Satan’s head was down and Chara made an open ice hit. The issue here is that in Europe they like to see more skill and fast paced hockey as opposed to the heavy hitting we are all accustomed to here.  Satan’s choice words regarding the incident:

“The plate between my sixth and seventh vertebrae in my neck is displaced by 4.5 millimeters, I am lucky I was not paralyzed.  Fortuniately the headaches have subsided… I’m not saying that he intended to seriously injure me, but knowing who I was and that I did not see him. To risk the health and life of a human that he calls a good friend…” (Ran through Google translate, via Chara Risking My Life!)

Chara told the media after the game that he did not know it was Satan that he hit until after the fact and that it was a normal ‘hockey play.’

Chara joined teammate Shawn Thornton in skating today along with Keith Yandle (Phoenix), Jay Pandalfo and Ryan Whitney (Edmonton) while Rask, Marchand and Lucic took the day off.

Providence Profiles: Torey Krug

Krug in his first NHL game! (Credit:Flickr/Slidingsideways)

Torey Krug , if not for the lockout, would most likely be on the Boston Bruins roster right now. He was signed back in March coming in from Michigan State University with just 7 games left in the Bruins regular season. Krug ended up playing in 2 games with the Bruins before the season getting his first NHL assist. But with the lockout continuing until at least the end of 2012, Krug has spent his season with Providence.

Looking at Krug you wouldn’t exactly think defensive weapon; he’s 5’9″ and 175 pounds. Obviously I’m saying this in comparison to defensive GIANT Zdeno Chara. But if those 2 games with the B’s last season were any indication, Krug has no fear playing with the big boys. His competitive nature and strength are definitely a huge asset that Boston could use.

This season in 20 games for Providence, Krug has 1 goal and 5 assists. Krug is the the kind of player that every team needs; he’s that guy that’ll do whatever necessary to secure a win and that is what makes him the kind of player that the Bruins need!

Here’s a clip of Krugs first NHL point thanks to a Milan Lucic goal!

 

Bruins Abroad: Breaks Are Coming

Zdeno Chara (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

As we all know nine members of the Boston Bruins organization are currently playing overseas in Europe for various clubs.  In recent news it was reported that goaltender Tuukka Rask had re-injured his groin, an injury that sidelined him from March of last year right up through the playoffs.  We also got word that forward Patrice Bergeron had an upper body injury, but that it wasn’t that serious.  Bergeron spent a week resting an injured hand and returned to the HC Lugano line up today.  He managed to post a goal and two assists in his debut game since the injury, contributing in all three goals the team scored today in their 4-3 loss.

Rask, was back to work on Friday, the 27th proving that his groin injury is not a major concern.  His return was exciting for Boston fans around the nation as we were able to breathe a sigh of relief, but also because he was taking on teammate David Krejci.  Rask was able to lead HC Plzen to a shootout victory entering the game with a 93.55 save percentage and now holding a 7-2 record.

Rask played the entire game against HC Pardubice and saved 29 of 32 shots he faced, coming up big in the shoot-out.  His health will continue to be questioned by Bruins fans as we sit with anticipation for every game he is in net for, but for now we can be proud of his triumphs.

While we have all been hearing about Tyler Seguin and how the Swiss love him with his scarves and 15 points in 11 games, David Krejci hasn’t been doing bad either.  In nine games he has five goals and four assists, not bad for the struggling center.  It seems as though he has found his style of play again, let’s just hope he can keep up the consistency if and when the NHL season starts.

For captain Zdeno Chara, he got to play for a new head coach on the 29th, scoring a power play goal for Lev Praha instilling an early 2-0 lead.  While the lead didn’t withstand, and Lev lost in overtime to Metallurg Novokuznetsk.  However, the captain will have a bit of a break coming up from November 4 – November 13 along with forwards Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley.  Goaltender Anton Khudobin will also have a break while the Finland Karjala Cup and German Deutschland Cup are being held.  Both are round-robin tournaments that are a part of the Euro Hockey Tour used to find future talent for World Championship teams.

While it has been reported that Tyler Seguin is expected to come home on his break and visit Boston and Toronto, it has yet to be determined if the rest of the Bruins members will do the same.  Only time will tell, until then we will keep cheering them on from across the ocean. Keep up the good work men!

European News In Exchange For Bruins Season Opener

Tuukka Rask and his team NC Plzen are set to take on the Knights today at 2:30ET (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight was supposed to mark the beginning of the 2012-2013 season for the Boston Bruins, who were set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on nationally aired television.  But alas, we must settle for ESPN 3 online coverage of the KHL.  Don’t get me wrong, the European games are intriguing and fun to watch, but it’s not the same.  I would rather watch the teammates play on the same team rather than against each other, it makes it seem more like a scrimmage than a real game.  Yet, some hockey is better than no hockey at all, right?

Today Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask‘s team NC Plzen is set to take the ice at 2:30EST against Kladno.  The last time Tuukka was in goal for NC Plzen he helped lead the team to a 2-1 victory.  In the three games that Rask has been in net for NC Plzen, he has provided 78 saves and two victories.  Today Tuukka will face his old Stanley Cup teammate Tomas Kaberle along with Jaromir Jagr and Tomas Plekanec. The last time these two teams met up the Indians(plzen) fell to the Knights 4-0 on home territory. As they head back to the Kladno Knights ice they are looking to bounce back and earn themselves a win.  This game has a lot of hype around it and according to the Indians’ preview, tickets have “long since sold out.” If you would like to see this game, you can watch it here.

Other European News:

While Tuuka’s team may be the only game on the television-internet today, there are plenty of other players with some pretty cool news.  For instance Patrice Bergeron debuted in his first game for HC Lugano of the Swiss League a couple of days ago and managed to put up four points. Yeah, you read that correctly.  Perfect Patrice scored two goals and had two assists for four points in his first game.  If that isn’t a current-reigning Selke Winner showing his talents, I don’t know what is.

Patrice isn’t the only one showing off his skills on the ice from the Bruins squad either.  Take a look at this swift pass from Seguin for the game-winning goal for HC Biel (Grey team):

Also his first goal for HC Biel was c’est magnifique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH 8uhA-xcis

Captain Zdeno Chara also had his fair share of excitement as his team Lev Praha faced off against Alex Ovechkin‘s team Dynamo Moscow.  It was the first time the two captains met since the Capitals eliminated the Bruins in Round 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Quarter-Finals. Just as the announcers were stating the KHL isn’t as physical as the NHL, Chara unleashed a heavy check sending the home-crowd into a roaring cheer.  Unfortunately this game came down to a single goal, one scored by none other than Alexandre Ovechkin himself.  A goal that could have easily been waived off per NHL officiating as goaltender interference.

For now this European stuff will have to suffice until the NHL decides to stop being stubborn.  We can still dream dear Bruins fans.