2013-14 Boston Bruins Thread (the offseason)

[BDL]

Love the update but I would hate for Cam Ward to get the credit for allowing only one goal because I think that honor goes to Chad Johnson! GO BRUINS!

Whoooooooops...

My bad. Damn leprechauns must be typing on my keyboard when I'm looking away. Good catch.

 

[mommasita]

Boy are the Bruins ever playing well.. Hats off to them... Quite a ride

That game Saturday gave me .... I went upstairs as I thought it was over, ,came down in time for the first goal, and I told my daughter we would tie it up... She thought I was a loon..

I have to agree.. Bad officiating.. We have been on the other end, and it sucks, so I did feel for Ottawa.. However, we didn't win the game, they lost it.. Have been there many times as well... Hoping this can turn things around....

Happy St. Patrick's Day.. Awesome day.. My son turns 18 tomorrow on the 18th, so we are already celebrating that... Legal age here

 

[DB&KS]

Whoooooooops...

My bad. Damn leprechauns must be typing on my keyboard when I'm looking away. Good catch.

Dang leprechauns trying to give Cam Ward credit. I love Chad Johnson and I wish he got some more playing time but I get it, I guess we will be seeing Rask in goal tonight, 2 u's 2 k's 2 points, works for me!

 

[BDL]

It was a great game on St. Pat's Day. The Bruins won 4-1. And Iggy celebrated his 1300th game with a 2 goal effort. Not a bad way to celebrate Evacuation Day.

Once again it took the Bruins the 1st 10 min of the game to get going. But once they did, they brought the heat. Throughout the game, Minnesota were masters of passing. When a Wild player sent the puck across the ice, they knew it was going to end up on a teammate's tape. I'm sure somewhere in the NHL.com archives there are the stats for passes completed, but I can't find it. And on this game, the Wild's pass percentage would have been 90+%. Bruins by contrast, still seem to turn pucks over and chase down 3 or 4 breakaways a game. Luckily Tuuk stood on his head again. When the B's realized that the Wild were diagramming the ice like they were, the Bruins started throwing their weight around. Big hits in the open, along the boards and in the corners. All this with Boychuk sitting in Level 9. This physical play helped lead to Reilly Smith finally breaking his goal drought. And it was a nice thing to name hometown boy Charlie Coyle the 3rd star of the game. If only he wasn't teammates Cooke, it would be easier to cheer for the Wild when they weren't playing the B's.

There is no time to celebrate the 9th victory in a row. The following night, the B's faced off against THE Jagr and the Devils, in NJ. The 1st per ended on a high note. Bergie got the Bruins 1-0 lead with just over 5min to go. So the period ends and my inner fan boy got the best of me and I changed the channel to the Marvel Movie special on ABC, for a bit. I turn it back 3min into the 2nd, and all of a sudden, it's 3-1. HUH!?!?!?! Thankfully, they replayed that 153 second duration, and I was all caught up. Elias scored a PP goal. Marchand responded with a SH goal. And then Iggy scored. In the 3rd, Kelly made it 4-1. When it was all said and done, the Bruins won 4-2 and 11 Bruins had a point in the contest (13 if you include Ryder and THE Jagr).

Getting back to the passing. I think I have an answer to why the blue liners, like Hamilton and Bartkowski, are having a problem with this lately. Though we've known their names for a while, they are still fairly green. They are thinking to much. They are not commiting in their passes, and as such, the passes are off target, stalling or being whiffed on all together. If you half-heart anything in sports, you risk being hurt and you risk hurting your team and teammates. These guys need to get out of their own heads. Think Rube Walker in the Major League series of movies. A catcher who could not get the ball back to the pitcher, cuz he was always in his own head. The Bruins need to bring in Tom Berenger or Scott Bakula to help the D-men with their problems.

Tonight is a game that I said at the beginning of the season would be a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Avs have had some peaks and valleys lately but I still stand by my prediction. 3rd place in that division, 5th in the West is nothing to sneeze at in those locales. Face-off at 9 tonight.

On a closing note, if you saw the butt-ending incident from last night's Pens/Wings game, you know that Legwand deserved the 5 and game. But what hasn't been mentioned and I'm fairly certain will never be brought up, why was no penalty called on Malkin for his stick work before the incident? The ref was right there and Malkin ran his stick over Legwand's head and neck like he was trying to scrape ice off a windshield. You call Malkin for high sticking, and he is not singing an octave higher today. By the way, the Wings fended off the 5min major into OT and won the game with .4 seconds left. How did they win? Well, for the 3rd time in the game, a Pitt D-man, let the puck bounce off of him and into his own goal.

Face-off... 9pm, NESN. What do you think the over/under on how many Bourque and/or Roy references Jack makes tonight? I'm guessing at least 10.

 

[BDL]

I forgot to include a couple of points in the previous post.

1) Minnesota travels well. Granted, 1/2 of their fans were wearing North Star sweaters, with Modano on the back. But the point is that they were there.

2) If the Bruins win tonight's game, they clinch a playoff berth.

Let's Go Bruins!

 

[BDL]

11 in a row. But even better, the Bruins are the 1st team to qualify for the playoffs! I can't wait for the t-shirts to come out.

 

[BDL]

And that makes a dozen. It was precarious there for a while. Once again, the Bruins came out flat in the 1st period, short of Meszaros playing short stop at the blue line and getting the helper on Bergie's goal. But then they contiuned to play flat in the 2nd. Spotting the Coyotes a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd. I can only imagine the "colorful and motivational" speech that Claude gave during the 2nd intermission . Because in the 3rd, the skating was crisper. The focus was there. And then Iggy tied it up 4 min in, by tipping a 197 mph slap shot from Z. Then with 3 min left, Thornton was in the right place at the right time. And though Jack got the credit wrong at the the time, the phrase "Yippe aye oh Paille" I think was trending in Twitter for a while. Iggy would go on to get his 2nd goal of the night on an empty netter for his team leading 28th goal of the year.

This game and the result of yesterday's Blues/Pens game are all connected. Because the Blues won yesterday, they are tied with the Bruins with 103 pts on the season. But the B's have the tie breaker with more wins. And with the Pens loss, The B's now lead them by 6 pts in the Eastern Conf. All 3 teams have played the same amount of games (71). Most importantly... The Penguins retained the title for THE most poutty team in the league. First off, that last minut of play by them was horrible. It was like no Penguin was allowed to shoot that was not named Crosby or Malkin. Then, after the horn, Malkin decided start a scuffle, when there were 6 Pitt skaters on the ice and only 5 Blues. Eventually, Elliott realized this and jumped in himself.

But tonight is all about THE rivalry in the NHL. Bruins/Canadiens. The Habs have 5 pts on the wild card Wings, but are only 1 pt behind 2nd place Bolts. They have a lot to play for. Trying to jockey the best position for themselves and beating the Bruins. The B's also have a lot to play for. They have to keep pace with the Blues and widen the gap with the Pens and beating the Habs. Face-off is at 7:30 and Jack is probably still miffed that NBCSports took another Habs game away from him.

Now time for my PSA to Habs fans. If you see someone with flags waving you into a small area or an alley and you don't see a booth anywhere THIS IS NOT A PARKING LOT!!!! These are private spots and if you park there, you just added 4 hrs and $500 to your visit, getting your car out of impound. 9 and a half hrs til Rene kicks off the night with O' Canada.

 

[declansdad]

Bruins are on fire right now, hopefully it will be a good game tonight.

 

[Luv2Run]

I soooooooo wish they would air tonight's Bruins/Habs game. My bf and I are die-hard Bruins fans, we pay to get NESN via DirecTV here in Virginia, yet they black out all of the non-NBC games so you're forced to purchase NHL Center Ice. Grrrr...

At least we've already clinched a playoff berth. That's reassuring.

 

[mommasita]

What a wild game...

Lots of bad officiating going both ways, hopefully nobody denies that..
Glad we got the 2 pts though.. VERY glad for Budaj, he deserved it more than anyone on that ice..

 

[BDL]

Congrats to the Canadiens and their 2 points last night. They are now tied with the Bolts for 2nd in the Atlantic Division. Budaj stood on his head, ear, lower intestines and any other body part with all of the saves he made. The D-men for Montreal helped out by blocking shots and keeping the B's to the outside. And in the end, a previously 0 for 6 in the shootout, Galchenyuk won the game for the Habs. Weise made his statement and his team backed it up.

Now that the niceties are out of the way...

Are you (censored) kidding me?! What the Hell? That was in the top 10 of (censored) worst games ever (censored) officiated!!! Hello!!!! Too many men on the ice? Playing with a broken stick? Holding? Slashing? Embelishing? I was at the game. I can only imagine the things that I saw behind the play or away from the puck that the cameras didn't catch.

UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

But the refs weren't the only ones to blame. I have no idea where the game plan that for the 1st 2 periods the B's were going to run the weave non-stop whenever they had the puck, BUT THE MIDDLE WAS CONSTANTLY OPEN!!!!! Straight ahead can work. And Dougie... The 1st 100 times when the puck hit your stick, throw it at the net at least once or twice. The first time you did it in the 3rd, your team scored. You don't need a perfect lane. Sometimes the puck just finds its way. And the face-offs weren't as dominant as it usually is. Though that could be attributed to the Habs' skill at the dot as well.

Ok... I've calmed down enough. The blood pressure meds have kicked in. There were some positives to take away from the Bruins last night. 1st of all, the B's were ALL throwing their bodies around. Even Beaker and Krejci. Iggy was trying to throw everyone in a white sweater, through the glass. In the 3rd period, they realized the middle was open and took the zone rather than try to weave their way in. And the team mentality is still alive and well. No one with a spoked B took any afront to their teammates lightly.

Some entertaining moments from last night:
-Watching Gallagher try to provoke Z, was just hysterical. Z thought so too, as he was laughing in Gallagher's face, while he was doing it. HERE is a re-enactment

-The look surprise on Subban's face was almost as hysterical. Boychuk threw a hip check on Subban. Afterwards PK gives Boychuk a couple of shoves, Boychuk gets up with the gloves off. Subban skates towards the refs with his "I've been shot. I've been shot" expression. He was not expecting Johnny Rocket to hold him to task HERE . Subban also did not cover himself in glory when he started limping after drawing a high-sticking penalty.

-It makes me feel better to know that Montreal has "pink hats" too. Fans that go to the game, just because it is the hip thing to do. After Subban and Price, (maybe Gionta) they have no idea who is on the roster. And the best part about them being there, was when BDLsgal threw out a "commentary" towards Subban's playing style, the jaws on these pink hats dropped and they looked in horror. That was the best birthday gift I could've asked for last night.

Montreal better hope they didn't throw everything they could into the game last night. All they have to do is look to the Bruins/'Nucks game in the 2011-12 season for a cautionary tale. Also, there could be the makings of a #1 goalie controversy. Enjoy.

Speaking of rematches, Bruins/Hawks Thursday night. And I want either Tres Cero or Svedberg in net.

 

[declansdad]

Congrats to the Canadiens and their 2 points last night. They are now tied with the Bolts for 2nd in the Atlantic Division. Budaj stood on his head, ear, lower intestines and any other body part with all of the saves he made. The D-men for Montreal helped out by blocking shots and keeping the B's to the outside. And in the end, a previously 0 for 6 in the shootout, Galchenyuk won the game for the Habs. Weise made his statement and his team backed it up.

Now that the niceties are out of the way...

Are you (censored) kidding me?! What the Hell? That was in the top 10 of (censored) worst games ever (censored) officiated!!! Hello!!!! Too many men on the ice? Playing with a broken stick? Holding? Slashing? Embelishing? I was at the game. I can only imagine the things that I saw behind the play or away from the puck that the cameras didn't catch.

UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

But the refs weren't the only ones to blame. I have no idea where the game plan that for the 1st 2 periods the B's were going to run the weave non-stop whenever they had the puck, BUT THE MIDDLE WAS CONSTANTLY OPEN!!!!! Straight ahead can work. And Dougie... The 1st 100 times when the puck hit your stick, throw it at the net at least once or twice. The first time you did it in the 3rd, your team scored. You don't need a perfect lane. Sometimes the puck just finds its way. And the face-offs weren't as dominant as it usually is. Though that could be attributed to the Habs' skill at the dot as well.

Ok... I've calmed down enough. The blood pressure meds have kicked in. There were some positives to take away from the Bruins last night. 1st of all, the B's were ALL throwing their bodies around. Even Beaker and Krejci. Iggy was trying to throw everyone in a white sweater, through the glass. In the 3rd period, they realized the middle was open and took the zone rather than try to weave their way in. And the team mentality is still alive and well. No one with a spoked B took any afront to their teammates lightly.

Some entertaining moments from last night:
-Watching Gallagher try to provoke Z, was just hysterical. Z thought so too, as he was laughing in Gallagher's face, while he was doing it. HERE is a re-enactment

-The look surprise on Subban's face was almost as hysterical. Boychuk threw a hip check on Subban. Afterwards PK gives Boychuk a couple of shoves, Boychuk gets up with the gloves off. Subban skates towards the refs with his "I've been shot. I've been shot" expression. He was not expecting Johnny Rocket to hold him to task HERE . Subban also did not cover himself in glory when he started limping after drawing a high-sticking penalty.

-It makes me feel better to know that Montreal has "pink hats" too. Fans that go to the game, just because it is the hip thing to do. After Subban and Price, (maybe Gionta) they have no idea who is on the roster. And the best part about them being there, was when BDLsgal threw out a "commentary" towards Subban's playing style, the jaws on these pink hats dropped and they looked in horror. That was the best birthday gift I could've asked for last night.

Montreal better hope they didn't throw everything they could into the game last night. All they have to do is look to the Bruins/'Nucks game in the 2011-12 season for a cautionary tale. Also, there could be the makings of a #1 goalie controversy. Enjoy.

Speaking of rematches, Bruins/Hawks Thursday night. And I want either Tres Cero or Svedberg in net.

Good to see Subban and Gallagher still getting under the Bruins skin.

I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about Lucic's whining about the fantastic hipcheck he took.

 

[Luv2Run]

All very good points, BDL. (I must compliment your writing style, it makes for an enjoyable read.) Especially regarding the #1 goalie controversy. I was thinking the same thing last night.

Man, that was a heart-attack game. Such a hard fight. I'm not the biggest fan of shootouts, never have been, but I deal with them since that's how the game is played.

Thursday's game might just do me in. Can I request a favor of the NHL? Can we please not play the Habs and Hawks in the same week ever again? I just might die.

 

[Disneyhabs]

I HATE THE SHOOTOUT bring back ties. I loved the Emelin hit on Looch good clean hard hip check you do not see many of them thrown or thrown well anymore. It made me laugh the Chara took it upon himself to try and exact some revenge on a perfectly good and perfectly clean hit. The make up call in the third especially that call on Gallagher the phantom hook was priceless. Nothing but stick and below the hands not into the hands and then that reat greg louganis impersonation after the puck was stripped from the Bs player was priceless. That cheap shot to the jewels of Emelin by Looch was hilarious especially his comment to the media after the game I guess he hadn't seen the replay of it yet . Good game and the correct team won even if I hate the fact we won is a g** d***** shootout GO HABS GO...

Apparently the G and D words together are frowned upon around here

 

[Disneyhabs]

Good to see Subban and Gallagher still getting under the Bruins skin.

I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about Lucic's whining about the fantastic hipcheck he took.

Love all the hate Subban and Gallagher get from Bs fans and players especially when they have the NOSE plying for them who is 100 times worse at becoming an olympic diving champion on the ice.

 

[BDL]

All very good points, BDL. (I must compliment your writing style, it makes for an enjoyable read.) Especially regarding the #1 goalie controversy. I was thinking the same thing last night.

Man, that was a heart-attack game. Such a hard fight. I'm not the biggest fan of shootouts, never have been, but I deal with them since that's how the game is played.

Thursday's game might just do me in. Can I request a favor of the NHL? Can we please not play the Habs and Hawks in the same week ever again? I just might die.

Thank you the compliment. But as I've said in the past, I have to thank Declansdad for getting me started. He started a playoff thread a few years ago when the B's were playing the Habs. And I picked up the ball and ran with it since. As for the heart attacks, I was 10 rows from the glass, behind MTL's net for 2 periods Monday. So every time the puck would trickle out of the blue paint or "PING" off the iron, it was a collective gasp. And I'm glad they play the 'Hawks this week. They are home and it is a perfect time to send the car down Rt. 95 to pick up 1 or 2 guys, give some of the Olympians a rest. There are not a lot of home games left.

Good to see Subban and Gallagher still getting under the Bruins skin.

I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about Lucic's whining about the fantastic hipcheck he took.

I didn't mention the whining, because I hadn't seen it yet. I didn't get home til midnight because of the traffic at the garage. And after I saw/heard the comments, I agree. The comments came off very Peyton Manning-ish. I'm not a fan of playing to the media. And usually, Looch isn't either. I can only hope that he was trying to get something on the record, should someone (if not Emelin) goes low on him again. That being said, I do not disagree what Chara did afterwards. There are lots of incidents in sports that are "legal" but will still garner a response. A high, inside fast ball or ear-holing someone on a backside block. When those things happen, there will be retribution. The only difference here is that the response was more immediate.

Love all the hate Subban and Gallagher get from Bs fans and players especially when they have the NOSE plying for them who is 100 times worse at becoming an olympic diving champion on the ice.

That is MISTER the Nose to you. Or Nose Face Killah , if you please. And of course he is 100 times worse at diving. Subban has had WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more practice at it. But I so can't wait til he is wearing Black & Gold, in a couple years. He can adopt Claude's style. QB-ing the PP. Eating up 22-25 min a night. That will be awesome.

As for the Bruins, themselves, today is Shawn Thornton's Cut For A Cause. Where a majority of the team will let fans shave their heads for charity.

In closing, congrats to the Habs for their current 3 game win streak. But I have to point out that with a Bruins win or a regulation loss by the Habs on Thursday, Montreal can not catch the Bruins in the playoff standings.

 

[BDL]

Time for some more Bruins math folks. Not only will a Bruins win and/or a Habs regulation loss, prevent Montreal from being able to catch up to the Bruins... BUT also, if the Bolts lose in regulation, The Bruins have won the division. The TB game starts 30 min after the Bruins, so I doubt that there will be a chance to celebrate on the ice tonight (Barring the B's/'Hawks go to a SO while the Bolts/Isles play a low scoring, penalty free game). 200 min to puck drop.

And it's tough to estimate magic numbers in the NHL with the OTL points, but here goes. I'd say the magic number for the B's would be 7. That is to say, any combination of Bruins wins or Pens losses that total 7, the Bruins will have the #1 seed in the Eastern Conf. If there are any math majors out there that could provide a formula that gives a better number, feel free to post. Like I said, I'm guessing here (I was a psych/soc major and now work in IT).

 

[Lil Figment]

Go Bruins!

 

[mommasita]

Glad they clinched 1st.. VERY well deserved..

Also glad we won The ONLY downside is that it keeps Toronto's hopes alive

 

[Disneyhabs]

Glad they clinched 1st.. VERY well deserved..

Also glad we won The ONLY downside is that it keeps Toronto's hopes alive

I was hoping for a Wings win tonight just to put more space between the Laffs and the Wings as I think that the Jackets or Caps will pass the Laffs also. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the Laffs fail I truly hate that team.