Post-game notes: Bruins vs. Canadiens 12/5/13

It’s been a while. And the header needs updating as we have a new number 18 on the roster now (I’m sorry, Andrea).

I believe this blog slipped into hiding shortly after the B’s saw their hopes at a second Stanley Cup in three years slip away in a matter of 17 seconds. But enough about that.

Tonight, the Boston Bruins squared off-against the always lovely Montreal Canadiens. It felt like it’d been years since they last played each other, right? Actually it’d been approximately 9 months since we last saw the Smurfs. Unfortunately the game didn’t turn out as we planned as a well-rested Bruins squad failed to capitalize on playing a team that played 3 games in 4 nights. According to ESPN’s Joe McDonald, Claude Julien called Boston’s second period play “atrocious” and “embarrassing.”

The Bruins got on the board first with a goal from Gregory Campbell but an event of much greater significance occurred approximately 5 minutes into the game. As both Max Pacioretty and Johnny Boychuk went to battle for the puck along the end boards, Pacioretty checked Boychuk face-first into the dasher. I will note that this shouldn’t have been anything more than a minor penalty, which it was. This product was likely just a product of unfortunate timing and position. Either way, our stomachs were in knots seeing Boychuk go down like that. The scariest part was when his teammates tried to bring him to his feet, he was on all fours and seemed to be struggling immensely with his breathing.

Staff from both benches came onto the ice to help him and shortly after the stretcher was brought out. It took ten minutes to get Boychuk off of the ice and the Montreal crowd actually gave him a standing ovation as a left. He was sent to the hospital and it was later reported that he could move all of his extremities. He also traveled home with the team. Boychuk was examined by a specialist but no specific details have been released by the Bruins yet.

The Sports Hub recently said that Boychuk has suffered a lower-back injury and that it’s nothing serious. But we’ll have to wait until further information is released before making assumptions.

The second period of the game wasn’t pretty for Boston as Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty put their team in front 2-1. And despite a monstrous effort in the third, that would be the final score of the game.

Claude Julien was not pleased with the effort that was put forth in the second period. Now, Montreal sits ahead of the Bruins by a point. But they’ve also played two more games. Now it’s up to the Bruins to win those games. It was a rough way to end a game against a rival but life goes on.

What we learned: This isn’t the first time the Boston Bruins haven’t put together a full, sixty minute effort. We’re getting tired of hearing it. But that’s what’s happening. Lapses in play that result silly mistakes, defensive breakdowns, and the opposition capitalizes. But the Bruins are still one of the best in the league. All we can hope for now is a bounce-back game against Pittsburgh and a speedy recovery from Johnny Boychuk.

Three Stars:
1.) Carey Price
2.) Max Pacioretty
3.) Tomas Plekanec

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013. 10:14 am.

Chicago players come pouring out onto the ice, equipment flying, their screams audible from behind our television sets as they begin their celebration away from home. And after the handshake line, the Bruins kind of just disappear. Our team, they’re all there one moment. They’re all there with forlorn faces and aching hearts. They’re all there feeling the single most painful form of devastation a hockey player can endure, all wrapped up in a moment. As the Cup is raised, Blackhawks hoisting the hardware high one-by-one, the Bruins filter off of the ice. No, we didn’t see them go. They sort of just fade away among the celebration. In that next moment, they’re gone. The season is gone. Championship hope, gone.

But rewind and look back on what was. Look back on how no matter how many times people counted this team out, they rose from the dead and silenced everyone. Look back on how they performed miracles. Look back on how they came back from the brink and stunned the hockey world. And from that point forward, they only grew. This team, this band of brothers, this family, grew together. Shift after shift, game after game, series after series, this team proved everyone wrong. The Bruins did what they do best by playing the underdog role. They were the team that wasn’t supposed to win.

The rough part is that, in the end, they didn’t. But they went out in Boston fashion, didn’t they? As painful as it is to think about, they went down like a Boston team goes down. The exit was heartbreaking but maybe some part of you can smile about it. Why? Because this is your team. They rise and fall with no shortage of drama and no matter what happens, we’re along for the ride. We’ll always be there because this is our team, our family.

Boston you are the only, only, only.

See you next season, boys.

May 13, 2013: The Comeback

 “Don’t blame us if we ever doubt you, you know we couldn’t live without you.”

After having 2 chances to close out the series, and failing, the Boston Bruins found themselves in a do or die situation against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The pinnacle of the playoffs. Game 7. At one point, a point that seems so distant and blurry now, the B’s had a commanding 3-1 series lead heading into Boston for a 5^th game.

 And again, had a chance to close it out in Toronto in Game 6. But they squandered both opportunities to put away the Leafs for good. Allow me to take a moment to give credit where credit is due though. The Toronto Maple Leafs gave the Boston Bruins a run for their money and should have, with statistics, history and every single possible odd in their favor, won Game 7.

But they didn’t.

Sitting in a 4-1 hole and on the brink of elimination, the Bruins found something. Experience, was it? Or something intangible? A hunger, a desire, a passion, from deep within their existence. The Bruins dug deep. They dug deeper than any team had ever before.

With just about a half a period of hockey left to play in their 2012-13 season, the Bruins began to chip away.

It all began with a Nathan Horton wrister that found twine 9:18 into the third period to cut Toronto’s lead in half. But we’d seen this before, right? The Bruins scrambling to score with only minutes left in the game? The Bruins showing up too late, right?

With Rask pulled and only around two minutes left in the game, Lucic scooped up a rebound and got one past Reimer.

They were within one.

There was something in the air. Something stirring. A force inside the TD Garden.

31 seconds later, Patrice Bergeron blasted one through a Chara screen and just like that, the game was tied.

The Garden was electric. This was happening. The game was going into overtime.

Toronto fans outside the ACC were quiet. The game wasn’t over yet, but there was silence. The crowd in Boston was alive. Momentum was on their side.

And then, just over six minutes into the overtime period, it was all over. In their very first shift together that night, the Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin line came up bigger than ever.  They caused havoc in front of Reimer, resulting in juicy rebounds and costly turnovers that put the puck right on Patrice Bergeron’s stick. Bergeron put it in the back of the net and the Bruins did it.

They completed a comeback of epic proportions.

In a game where everything was on the line, in a city that had just recently suffered unspeakable tragedy, a hockey team, a band of brothers pulled off a miracle.

 They made this nation of fans believe in the completely and utterly impossible.

Go Bruins.

Pregame notes: Bruins vs. Sabres 4/16/13

The Boston Bruins will be playing with “heavy hearts” tonight, as many inside locker room called it, as this is the first professional sports game to be played in Boston since the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday, April 15.

As a safety precaution the Garden has maximized its security for the game and expects fans to arrive earlier than usual. They’re also not allowing any bags inside the building tonight.

Fans should expect an emotional pregame as the organization has a lot planned for the TD Garden tonight. Both Bruins and Sabres players will be wearing a special blue and yellow “Boston Strong” ribbon decal on their helmets for the game tonight. There will likely be a moment of silence as well as a Boston Strong video played prior to puck drop.

According to Comcast Sportsnet’s Joe Haggerty, Bruins players have donated 80 tickets for tonight’s game to the first responders. Brad Marchand announced that he will be raffling off his suite for the playoffs, and all proceeds will be donated to Martin Richards’ family, the 8-year-old who lost his life on Monday.

“Hopefully we can take people’s minds off what happened and give them some sense of relief,” Shawn Thornton told the media.

In the most emotional game of the season, the Boston Bruins will be looking to defeat the Buffalo Sabres and finally clinch a playoff spot.

Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron return to the lineup tonight after suffering mild and moderate concussions not too long ago. Carl Soderberg also joined the B’s today for their morning skate but will be sitting out of the lineup tonight. Wade Redden gets his first start while Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski will get a night to rest.

The Bruins vowed to go out and play their hearts out for the victims and all those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this week. Boston is in mourning and all of this is still so raw, the Bruins will do anything they can to bring happiness to these people.

Project lines

Marchand – Bergeron – Seguin
Campbell – Krejci – Jagr
Paille – Kelly – Horton
Lucic – Peverley – Thornton

Chara – Boychuk
Seidenberg – Hamilton
Redden –Ference

Khudobin

Final thoughts: The front of the jersey is really gonna mean a hell of a lot tonight.

Pregame notes: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs 3/25/13

In the second half of the home-at-home between Boston and Toronto, the Bruins will be looking to avenge their rare loss to the division rival Maple Leafs. The B’s fell to Toronto by a score of 3-2 on Saturday night after allowing a season-low 13 shots on goal. Anton Khudobin wasn’t looking his sharpest as he gave up the 3 goals on those 13 shots. Going into the match-up, the Bruins had a 20-5-5 record against Toronto dating back to 2007. To put it simply, the B’s just don’t lose to Toronto very often. But let’s look at it this way, the last time the Bruins lost to the Leafs (March 31, 2011 – a 4-3 shootout loss) the B’s went on to win the Stanley Cup. Maybe it’s a sign?

Quinnipiac advances to ECAC semifinals in dramatic double overtime win

This weekend at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Connecticut brought unrelenting excitement to the world of college hockey. Top-ranked Quinnipiac squared off against ninth-ranked Cornell in a gritty three games series to determine who will advance to the ECAC Tournament semifinals. Still riding their top ranking in the USCHO Poll and PairWise Rankings, the Bobcats were heavily favored in this match-up. But it’s always important to remember that the playoffs are a completely different animal. The Bobcats were reminded of this after they dropped the first game of the series 3-2, putting them in a must-win position going into the next game.

Pregame Notes: Bruins vs. Capitals 3/5/13

Let’s cut to the chase: it’s time to bounce back. After suffering a frustrating and narrow defeat to rival Montreal, the Bruins will be looking to pick themselves up and dust themselves off as they face off against the Washington Capitals. After last year’s playoffs, there’s a little more spice to this match-up. The Capitals knocked out the B’s in overtime of Game 7 in the first round. Now, the B’s and Caps will be facing off for the first time this season. Now let’s not let last year sway us. The Bruins and Capitals are in two very different places right now. Boston is riding a 14-3-2 record and are arguably the strongest team in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Capitals hold a pathetic 8-11-1 record with only 17 points on the season. Although despite the record, Washington has been improving and are never a team you can look past.

Quinnipiac Dethrones Minnesota

After endless weeks of coming up short, the Quinnipiac Bobcats have dethroned Minnesota and have taken hold of the #1 spot in the USCHO Poll. This team is on top of the college hockey world.

Quinnipiac Bobcats Continue to Roll

Photo credit: QU Chronicle

Upon the release of the USCHO Poll on Monday morning, some Quinnipiac fans were disappointed to discover that Minnesota is in fact still ranked #1 in the country. Despite not having played this weekend, Minnesota received 30 first-place votes as opposed to Quinnipiac’s 20.

The Bobcats skated to a 1-1 tie with sixth-ranked Brown University on Friday, February 1^st.  But the real test, the biggest and most anticipated matchup of the season belonged to the infamous battle of Connecticut: Quinnipiac vs. Yale. Quinnipiac rolled into Ingalls Rink for the first time this season looking to take down their bitter rival. Prior to the game, Yale was ranked 8^th in the USCHO poll and sat right behind Quinnipiac in the ECAC.

Post-game notes: Bruins vs. Jets 1/21/13

The Bruins came out looking a little less urgent and a little less alert than they did against New York on Saturday night. Winnipeg took advantage of that early as Chris Thorburn put one in the back of the net about two minutes into the game giving Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.