2013-14 Boston Bruins Thread (the offseason)

[mommasita]

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.

AGREE x10 about the last part.

 

[BDL]

Great game last night. Tuuk stood on his head. Bergie netted 2 goals. 1 on a deflection and 1 on an upturned net. I still have NO IDEA why they had to go to Toronto to get the approval of the goal. But that wasn't the most amazing part of that goal. The really amazing part was that it came 13 seconds after the Yeti banged a loose puck home to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. And it was a great game played by the 'Hawks as well. They are so fluid and text book in everything they do. Whether they are working the puck to the outside or collapsing on the goal to try to bang in the junk, they were always a threat. Also, Seabrook and Keith have a knack for seperating opposing players from the puck. And with a total of only 3 penalties combined, it was well played game by both teams.

With the win, it just about cements the Bruins in the top spot for the "Flo-rtheast" Division. The Bruins also have a good sized lead on the Pens for 1st in the Eastern Conf (9pts with 9 games remaining for both teams). That all being said, and even though the Presidents Trophy would look great in Crypt Keeper Jacobs' trophy case, REST THE PLAYERS!!!!

I want to look at Yahoo Sports, Twitter and/or the Bruins' page and see transaction after transaction. Koko, Johnson, Spooner and Caron up front. Potter, Warsofsky, Trotman and Morrow at the blueline. And give Tres Cero and Svedberg at least 3 starts each.

Now that I got my rant out of the way, I don't want the Bruins to move these guys up until after the game on Saturday. For some reason, facing the Caps in the 1st rd of the playoffs, scares the bejeezus out of me. The 1st rd is when 1 player can carry a team into the next rd. In this case it would be "He of the 2nd worst +/- in the league", Ovechkin. The Bruins will want to help out the Wings, Blues, Leafs and even the Flyers as much as possible.

Now, for a head shaking laugh: This isssssss Jeopardy... HERE is a person that has never seen a hockey game.

 

[BDL]

Another weekend, another 4 pts for the Bruins.

First on Saturday, the B's were in the nation's capital, to take on the Caps that are clawing-scratching-biting their way to try to get into the playoffs. The first period was a shooting gallery for the Bruins, with 15 shots on net. And Holtby turned away every one. By contrast, the B's defense allowed the Caps only 9 shots. After the intermission, it was ALL Bruins. 3 goals in the first 10 min. 2 by Iggy. And his 2nd goal (his 30th of the yr) was 40 seconds after Soderberg's 15th goal of the yr. Then with 10 sec left in the period, the Caps chose to show signs of life, by getting on the board. Now, pay attention. Last minute goals by the opposition will become a recurring theme over the weekend. In the 3rd per, Bergy continued his goal streak, netting his 26th. Now fast forward to THE last minute of the game. The Caps scored again. Giving all us Bruins fans that familiar "You gotta be kidding me!" feeling that precedes that moment of dread, when the B's give the game away. Luckily, that wasn't the case. And the Bruins have a 15 game point streak. But my compliments to the Caps for playing the full 60.

On Sunday, the B's played their second matinee of the weekend. Playing a Flyers team that needs every point possible and is staring at an infinite number of playoff scenarios. Anywhere from the 2nd seed in the Met, to the #2 wild card, to missing the playoff all together. Before I go any further, I have to apologize for my future mother-in-law. I will explain when we get to that point. Now, even though the B's gave up the 1st goal of the game, I can't be too mad about it. It was a momentous goal, scored by a great player. Vincent Lecavalier scored his 400th goal of his career. (Congratulations sir. There were some incredible games between Vinny and the B's). 5 minutes after that, Flyers cast off, and Bruins' 7th D-man tied it up at 1-1. Then, that most dreaded of minutes hit. The 19th minute. And the Flyers did not disappoint. Philly took the lead with 40 sec to go in the period. The Bruins answered back, thanks to Z using his "go go gadget arms" to reach out and score on the man advantage. Then, Bergy again. Keeps the streak up and gives the Bruins a 3-2 lead. Whooooo hooooo... The Bruins win again. Huh? What? Here is the moment that I apologized for earlier. I was watching the game with BDLsgal and BDLslil (BDLsgal's mom). 48 sec left, BDLslil makes a cringe inducing statement. Anyone care to guess??? That's right, she proclaimed the Bruins the victor. BDLsgal and I begin to lean into her for her statements. She continues to defend her statement and doesn't believe in heathen superstitions. Can anyone guess what happened 30 sec after that??? That's right, again. The Flyers scored to tie up the game with 20 sec left (I told you it was a recurring theme). So this takes us to OT. BDLsgal and I are not allowing BDLslil to make any statements for the next 5min. Tuuk turned away 8 shots to give him a career tying high of 49 saves. So we come to the shootout. Round 1, Lecavalier tries the SEGA NHL95 "Jeremy Roenik move" and is blanked. Bergy takes his turn and scored. BDLslil IMMEDIATELY jumped up and proclaimed victory again. BDLsgal and I begin screaming at her for jinxing the B's again. Sure enough, here comes Claude Giroux. Fast forward to Rd 5. Tuuk makes an AWESOME save to keep the Bruins in it. Then, not to be outdone, Smith puts on a move that has Mason still looking for his jock. HERE is the shootout in its entirety. So, what did we learn from the game yesterday? It is NEVER over til it's over. And, Iggy should not fight everyone (he got his butt handed to him in that 1).

The B's have a 9pt lead on the Pens. Both teams have 7 games left. This should make the magic number for the East, about 4. I'm not going to bring up the Presidents Trophy cuz I don't care about it. The Blues can have it. I want the B's to get as much rest as possible. 3 of the next 4 games are on the road and all 4 are against opponents that still don't know their final playoff future. That's a dangerous combo. The whole league is going to be experiencing a very exciting 2 weeks.

B's vs. Wings on NBCSports Rivalry Wed. Face-off at 8pm.

PS: I'm not sure who gave Bergy this nickname (the Bruins or T&R), but I love the nickname Rafters.

 

[BDL]

Even though the Bruins didn't play last night, the Atlantic Div playoff picture got a little clearer. With the Bolts win over the Habs last night, both teams had secured their spot in the playoffs (Toronto cannot catch them). But that does not mean that the Leafs are out of it. On the contrary. There are 7 teams vying for the 2 wild card slots and the top 2 teams are in striking distance of catching the 3rd seeds in their divisions. One of those 2 teams is the Red Wings, who host the Bruins tonight. There have been multiple... MULTIPLE reports that Datsyuk and Alfy will not be playing tonight. I never expected them to. Granted EVERY point is important to the Wings and their playoff appearance streak. But you don't pull a player off the shelf to play 1 of the hardest hitting teams in the league. That's not to say that the B's will have their way with the Wings. Detroit is a team with it's back against the wall, that has won their last 2 games. And you can never take any Original 6 match up lightly.

But let's look at the Cup as 1/2 full. IF the Bruins win tonight, it is entirely possible that the B's could lock up the #1 seed of the Eastern Conf. by tomorrow night. A Bruins win tonight (or tomorrow) and a Pens loss tomorrow night, the B's are the #1 seed. And the Pens have a tough road ahead of them. With Malkin already on the shelf, the Pens may have suffered a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE set back. Last night, Crosby took a hit that I didn't think that he was going to get up from. I am not a Crosby or Pittsburgh fan. But it was a hit that was completely uncalled for. It was away from the puck and had nothing to do with the play. You can see the hit HERE . If Mario wants to go on 1 of his "this stuff never happened in my day" rants, I will back him up. I fully expect to see at least a 3 game suspension and 1 of Shanahan's videos.

Speaking of the Pens, it was just announces an hour ago that Toews will be out for the reminder of the regular season, but will be back for the playoffs. Look for Orpik's first, ahem... "marginal" hit to evoke a quick response From here to the start of the next season. And bear in mind, Orpik does not have to be the subject of that response.

Face-off is at 8 tonight on NBCSports (I miss Jack on big games).

 

[stevea20]

1 - 3

Anyone still believe my pre-season rant against Detroit being in this division is unjustified?

The only good thing about the loss is it give the Wings a better chance at the 1st WC position and the Bruins avoiding them.

 

[BDL]

1 - 3

Anyone still believe my pre-season rant against Detroit being in this division is unjustified?

The only good thing about the loss is it give the Wings a better chance at the 1st WC position and the Bruins avoiding them.

The Wings are always a potent adversary. Even when they are missing some of their top players. And that kid Nyquist is something else. Going into future years, I feel that Detroit fans are going to start enjoying the shootout after OT. And Howard was prctically unbeatable. Granted, he was helped out a lot by some MAJOR Bruins whiffs around the net. But when the times came, he was fast with the leather. And right now, Detroit controls their own destiny going into the playoff push.

Tonight, the B's play an even more desperate team in the Leafs. They are on the outside looking in. They can not catch up to the Habs or Bolts, they are 1 pt out of the #2 wild card and have fewer games remaining than any of their contemporaries. So every point counts for them.

The Bruins on the other hand, are sort of in the driver's seat. They only need 1 win + a Pitt loss and they are the #1 seed in the East. And, even though the B's lost last night, it may be a blessing in disguise. With that loss, the B's snapped 4 or 5 team and player streaks. With those out of the way, there is no reason for Claude not to rest who ever he wants. Tonight would be an ideal time. This will be the last scheduled game between the B's and Leafs. and I'm Toronto still remembers the last 10 min+OT from the playoffs last year. So not only are the Leafs fighting for their playoff lives, they can also play the role of the spoiler.

Face-off is tonight at 7:30 on ESPN-8 (the Ocho), by that I mean scroll through your preview guide and try to find NESN+. For some reason, someone at NESN (*cough* Henry *cough*) thinks that the 3rd Red Sox game of the year is more important than the B's game tonight. B's face-off is 7:30 and the Pens face-off at 8. I'll be watching the scroll at the bottom of the screen and "last channel"ing to the NHL Network at every stoppage.

 

[Disneyhabs]

The Wings are always a potent adversary. Even when they are missing some of their top players. And that kid Nyquist is something else. Going into future years, I feel that Detroit fans are going to start enjoying the shootout after OT. And Howard was prctically unbeatable. Granted, he was helped out a lot by some MAJOR Bruins whiffs around the net. But when the times came, he was fast with the leather. And right now, Detroit controls their own destiny going into the playoff push.

Tonight, the B's play an even more desperate team in the Leafs. They are on the outside looking in. They can not catch up to the Habs or Bolts, they are 1 pt out of the #2 wild card and have fewer games remaining than any of their contemporaries. So every point counts for them.

The Bruins on the other hand, are sort of in the driver's seat. They only need 1 win + a Pitt loss and they are the #1 seed in the East. And, even though the B's lost last night, it may be a blessing in disguise. With that loss, the B's snapped 4 or 5 team and player streaks. With those out of the way, there is no reason for Claude not to rest who ever he wants. Tonight would be an ideal time. This will be the last scheduled game between the B's and Leafs. and I'm Toronto still remembers the last 10 min+OT from the playoffs last year. So not only are the Leafs fighting for their playoff lives, they can also play the role of the spoiler.

Face-off is tonight at 7:30 on ESPN-8 (the Ocho), by that I mean scroll through your preview guide and try to find NESN+. For some reason, someone at NESN (*cough* Henry *cough*) thinks that the 3rd Red Sox game of the year is more important than the B's game tonight. B's face-off is 7:30 and the Pens face-off at 8. I'll be watching the scroll at the bottom of the screen and "last channel"ing to the NHL Network at every stoppage.

Hope you beat the Laffs and flush their PO hopes even further down the toilet. That is the only team in the NHL I hate. I am a HABS fan first and foremost then a fan of any team playing the Leafs

 

[Disneyhabs]

AGREE x10 about the last part.

Exactly. I was brought up in a HABS family and always taught to HATE the Leafs. I have now passed that same passion on to my 4 children.

 

[BDL]

Bovada released its odds, yesterday, on who will win the Stanley Cup. I can't believe it took me til now to see them:

Boston Bruins 9/2
St. Louis Blues 5/1
Chicago Blackhawks 13/2
Pittsburgh Penguins 7/1
San Jose Sharks 8/1
Anaheim Ducks 10/1
Los Angeles Kings 12/1
Philadelphia Flyers 14/1
Colorado Avalanche 20/1
Montreal Canadiens 22/1
New York Rangers 22/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 25/1
Detroit Red Wings 33/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 40/1
Minnesota Wild 40/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 50/1
Dallas Stars 66/1
Phoenix Coyotes 66/1
Washington Capitals 66/1
New Jersey Devils 150/1

It also came with this disclaimer:

Prior to their latest release, Bovada had the Blackhawks favored to repeat. But with injuries to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and others, their odds have fallen to 13/2

 

[Disneyhabs]

Bovada released its odds, yesterday, on who will win the Stanley Cup. I can't believe it took me til now to see them:

Boston Bruins 9/2
St. Louis Blues 5/1
Chicago Blackhawks 13/2
Pittsburgh Penguins 7/1
San Jose Sharks 8/1
Anaheim Ducks 10/1
Los Angeles Kings 12/1
Philadelphia Flyers 14/1
Colorado Avalanche 20/1
Montreal Canadiens 22/1
New York Rangers 22/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 25/1
Detroit Red Wings 33/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 40/1
Minnesota Wild 40/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 50/1
Dallas Stars 66/1
Phoenix Coyotes 66/1
Washington Capitals 66/1
New Jersey Devils 150/1

It also came with this disclaimer:

Prior to their latest release, Bovada had the Blackhawks favored to repeat. But with injuries to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and others, their odds have fallen to 13/2

Bahahaha the Leafs at 50/1 they will not even make the playoffs so I could see them being a 50/1 shot at even getting into the POs.

 

[BDL]

Thank God the losing streak stopped at 2. Saturday saw the B's right their ship without Iggy and Miller. From even before the drop of the puck, the crowd was energized. And having at least 3000 Flyers fans in attendance helped with that. Nothing breeds an air of excitement more than animosity.

Before the game, there were 2 ceremonies. 1st was the announcement of the Bruins' 7th Player. There were a lot guesses in the Garden. People were shouting "Iggy!", "Reilly!", "Miller!", "Soderberg!" the same way that we yell out 1, 2 or 3 during the helmet shuffle that appears on the Jumbo-tron (personally I was pulling for Soderberg). Then Jack takes the mic and begins his schpiel about how the team was all about new incoming players buying into a new system. A lot of people thought he was referring to Iggy, but then Jack threw the curve and called out Reilly Smith's name. After this, was a ceremonial puck drop with Derek Sanderson. Seeing the footage of him and testimonials from sports writers and former teammates was impressive.

Now comes time for the official puck drop. And 1 minute later, Looch is in the box for roughing because (the soon-to-be-suspended) Rinaldo wanted nothing to do with him. Thankfully, Tuuk was his usual pad saving self for the Phil. PP and for pretty much the 1st 1/2 of the 1st period, during which the B's only had 1 shot. But, as the period was closing, Krejci was there to bang in a greasy goal.

In the 2nd period there was a wild 2 minute stretch, in which 3 goals were scored and 2 leads were lost. It started with Simmonds converting a PP goal thanks to a bullpoop call on Krug, tying the game at 1-1. Then before the public address announcer can call who scored the goal, Looch BLAZES a slap shot past Emery. Giving the Bruins a 2-1 lead. But it wasn't to last. 90 sec later, Rosehill put on a really slick move to get by Krug and slip 1 past Tuuk to tie the game up again. It was at this point that I noticed the Flyers fan in my section that had a voice just like that Long Island Medium lady. And from that point on, I could not ignore it. It pierced through to my spine every time the Flyers broke up a play or won a face-off.

Notice how I didn't include "... or score a goal". That's because the 3 remaining goals were scored by the Bruins. A "Johnny Rocket" from off of the face-off. Then Lucic had a pass that got deflected past Emery. After that, the Flyers pulled Emery with 2 min left, to try to tie it up. But Kelly took a perfect saucer pass from Eriksson and scored on the empty net with 21 sec to go. And with this win, it clinched the #1 seed in the East for the Bruins.

And even though I said that I do not want Claude to coach to try to win the Presidents Trophy, I am not averse to them winning it. And thanks to the help of the Avs and Blackhawks (2 teams that are gonna beat the Hell out of each other and provide the best 1st rd match up), the Blues did not gain any points over the weekend. This gives the Bruins a 2pt lead with both teams having 5 games left.

9 days til the playoffs start. Buckle your chin straps and seat belts. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

 

[declansdad]

BDL - when is Lucic going to stop whinning every time he get hit cleanly?

 

[BDL]

BDL - when is Lucic going to stop whinning every time he get hit cleanly?

I could say, the day after the Habs don't flop to try to draw a PP, but I won't.

Just some good natured ribbing.

What Lucic does, I don't equate to whining. He doesn't like something, he takes matters into his own hands and then gets 2 minutes. And this serves 2 purposes... Either the grabbed guy doesn't like what happened and won't do it again. Or, because of what happened, now that player has the attention of the refs, for better or worse. Either case, it can set a tone or put someone on the radar.

When I see Crosby or a Sedin IMMEDIATELY go up to a ref and pi$$ and moan that they were hooked or slashed and that was the only reason why they didn't score, I call that whining. I wouldn't even say the Habs are whiners. They just play a style different than the Bruins. Speed and finesse vs. heavy handed.

Speaking of the refs, I forgot to include this in my 1st post. I now 100% believe that there are refs that do NOT watch the game as it is going on. In the 3rd period there was a shot that was deflected and flutterred about 20-25ft in the air. When it came down, it hit a ref square in the chest, like he never saw it. And here I thought they were supposed to blow the whistle if they lose track of it?

PS: Congrats DeclansDad on winning the fantasy league.

 

[BDL]

Tonight the Bruins play a game that, for all intents and purposes, does not benefit them, short of trying to secure the Presidents Trophy. And it would be nice. But in the long run, I don't think that it will matter. I've said since the beginning that I thought Colorado would come out of the West. Granted that was before the Blues traded for Ryan Miller. But my gut still has the Avs representing the Western Conf. So, I was glad to hear that Iggy and the Bruins' own Miller might not be in the line up tonight. I'd still like to see Z, Looch, Rafters, Boychuk and Tuuk get some time off. There are 4 games remaining, including tonight. Rest everyone you can over the next 2 games and sport the playoff line up in the season finale'.

This is especially true when you are playing desperate teams, like tonight. If the Wild win tonight, they would have secured a playoff slot. And though they will probably get into the playoffs anyways, they do have 1 less game than those chasing them. Which is compounded by who their games are against. Tonight is the Bruins, Wed is the Blues (back to back games against the teams that have the most pts) and then the Preds (who are chasing the Wild) on Sun. And though the Mass-hole in me is pulling that the Wild make it for Coyle's sake, it KILLLLLLLLLLS me to root for any team, in any way, that has Matt Cooke on it. Ughhh... it sickens me.

Face-off for the B's is at 8pm on NESN+.

 

[stevea20]

Not real upset about the SOL, but Rask saved their bacon in those last few minutes. You could see that tying goal coming though. When there are multiple collisions between bodies and sticks and the puck keeps going in the wrong direction, it's inevitable.

 

[BDL]

Hi everybody:

I started a STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS thread. It is set up that any fan of any team can chime in. Also, in 1 of the 1st posts I included a link to NHL.com's bracket challenge where I have created a league. click the link and use the password right below.

Hope to see you in both places.

 

[BDL]

ahem... ah-ahem...

"Step back from the ledge. Things are not that bad. You have so much to live for. Please... Step back from the ledge. The Bruins still got 1 point last night. And there are no shootouts in the playoff. Please... Think of your family. How they will miss how you mock Jack Edwards' over the top style. How much they will miss you wearing your PJ Stock "pooh bear" sweater to the dinner table at Thanksgiving. So please... Step away from the ledge."

This has been a public service announcement, brought to you by Bruins Fans Anonymous. In association with the Boston: City of Champions Society (formerly the Wait til Next Year Foundation).

Yes. The Bruins lost last night. Yes. They gave up YET ANOTHER goal with less than 2 min left in a per/game. Yes. They lost to a team that didn't make the playoffs.

BUT...!

They left the building with a point. This means that a win this weekend secures the #1 overall seed. The last minute goal thing, though VERY irritating, is a flukey and streaky thing for the team. Better to get it out of the way now, than deal with it next week. And though they did lose; They did it with on 1 complete line. And Iggy and Miller looked pretty good.

Also, the teams in the East have been finalized. The only thing left to sort out is who plays where. Tampa and Montreal are still jockeying for home ice advantage. And the 2 WC slots and the #3 Metro seed are up for grabs.

In other news, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made NHL Top Cop Brendan Shanahan their team president. I can only imagine film sessions after a loss.

Swoosh... Vroom... Clang...

"I'm Maple Leaf President Brendan Shanahan. This past week, forward Phil Kessel was a -4 dispite scoring 2 goals. If we look closely at the film, we see that he has an inert phobia to crossing center ice. And in the 2nd period of this game, he alternates between flirting with a girl in the 2nd row, and picking his nose, while waiting for an outlet pass. To summarize, Phil Kessel is a repeat offender of lack of defense. He is penalized by skating 20 suicides and has been warned that should he continue this path, will be traded to the Panthers, where careers go to die; or the Sabres and play out his contract in a rebuilding phase. I'm Maple Leaf President Brendan Shanahan."

Swoosh... Vroom... Clang...

The Bruins play the Sabres tomorrow, in the Bruins' home finale'. I will be in attendance. I am REALLY hope hope hoping to get the chance to win a shirt off of a player's back. The season finale' is Sunday vs. New Jersey and THE Jagr.

The second season starts Wed or Thur. Once the 1st rd opponent is decided, I'll start the Bruins playoff thread.

 

[stevea20]

ahem... ah-ahem...

"Step back from the ledge. Things are not that bad. You have so much to live for. Please... Step back from the ledge.

I'm not on the ledge because the B's lost to the Jets. That's no problem. I'm on the ledge because with one game left(not the B's) we are looking squarely in the face of Detroit, the one matchup I dread!

I remember two years ago that last weekend of the season had three possible outcomes as to who the Bruins would play in the first round. I kept saying all weekend, "not Washington, Not Washington, NOT WASHINGTON!". Who did we get, Washington, and they lost in the first round. The same thing is happening now.
I thought there was a chance with Detroit playing Carolina and Columbus playing Tampa that the Wings would pull 2 points ahead. But no, both teams lost. Now with the Wings playing the Blues and Columbus playing Florida the Blue Jackets have the advantage. The only other saving possibility is both those teams win and Philly loses both their final games with no points.

It .. does .. NOT .. look .. good.

 

[BDL]

It's all carved into stone now. The B's are going to face the Wings in the 1st round. I defer to Stevea20 as to how I felt last week...

I thought there was a chance with Detroit playing Carolina and Columbus playing Tampa that the Wings would pull 2 points ahead. But no, both teams lost. Now with the Wings playing the Blues and Columbus playing Florida the Blue Jackets have the advantage. The only other saving possibility is both those teams win and Philly loses both their final games with no points.

It .. does .. NOT .. look .. good.

Seriously... The Blue Jackets couldn't lose just 1 extra game, even without Horton in the line-up? But no use crying over spilled milk. I can't imagine that the Wings are too excited to be playing the B's as well. To have 2 teams to beat the Hell out of each other just to get out of the 1st round. There are some people that are ecstatic, that is the lovely people of NBC. You have 2 of the top 3 fervent hockey fan bases, in the lower 48, playing in the 1st rd to draw in spectators. Why else would game 1 be 2 days after the playoffs start, if not to get a primetime game on NBCSports on a Friday night? And if NBC is taking away the whole 1st rd from NESN, I bet Jack Edwards probably haven't stopped swearing since the schedule had been announced. Also, you can bet that NBC will be playing the "Do it for Alfie" angle the same way they spewed "JVR is the best player in the playoffs" garbage 2 yrs ago.

Face-off for B's/Wings is Friday at 7:30

And don't forget to swing by the NHL Playoffs thread or signup for the bracket challenge.

 

[JayC3]

The Bruins Red Wings games are broadcasting on TSN as well (Affiliated with ESPN). Do you know if that channel is available on the Dream, maybe in 687? Hoping to catch some of the series while on Board!