Bruins Beat Columbus in Overtime 3-2

The Bruins came into Thursday night looking to finish their home stand strong as they eyed their fourth consecutive victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Black and Gold has put together a string of impressive hockey games lately as they’ve been victorious against the Panthers, the Maple Leafs, and the Lightning.

It took a while for the TD Garden to fill up, but when it finally did, it marked the 177^th consecutive sellout for a Bruins game.

Backup goalie, Chad Johnson got the start in net.  Johnson’s last start came on November 2^nd when the Bruins lost to the Islanders.  Matt Bartkowski slid into place in the lineup for the injured Adam McQuaid who suffered a lower body injury.

It wasn’t long into the game, before the first penalty was called.  Brandon Dubinsky headed towards the box 2:59 into the first period handing the Bruins an early power play.  The Jackets killed off the penalty, but the Bruins spent 1:28 in the attacking zone and managed to get 2 shots off on goal during their power player.

A few minutes later, Matt Bartkowski was sent to the sin bin for interference at 5:15.  The Big Bad Bruins had no problem whatsoever on their penalty kill as they made it 23 penalties in a row that they had killed off.  Columbus spent less than half of their power play time in the attacking zone as they only managed to get 2 shots off.

The game continued on scoreless, then David Krejci was sent crumpling into the boards.  His helmet toppled from his head as he was crunched.  Dubinsky hit Krejci who lost his edge as he collided awkwardly into the boards and went down.  The boards came in contact with his head as he lost his balance.  The forward was clearly shaken up despite the hit being clean.  It took him several seconds before he was able to get up onto one knee. He skated off the ice on his own and headed down the tunnel to get checked out.  Kelly slid into Krejci’s spot on the first line and played with Iginla and Lucic.

Milan Lucic sought for some revenge upon seeing his line mate injured and found Dubinsky.  He was assigned a roughing penalty and the Bruins were short handed again.  That’s all right.  The Bruins once again killed another penalty.  They continued to make it look easy through out the entire night.

A few seconds after the Bruins successfully made it 24 penalties in a row that they had killed off, the Blue Jackets struck first.  It was the first time that the Bruins had found themselves down in a game since they played the Dallas Stars, in which they eventually lost to them in a shootout.

Blake Comeau got past Johnson.  The score was 1-0 in favor of Columbus.  The B’s looked as if they were sleeping on the play that allowed for Comeau to score.

Boston has never been known to be a quitter.  It meant nothing for them to be down early in the first period of a game.  There was plenty of hockey left on the clock.

Loui Eriksson netted his third goal of the season and his first in 8 games to tie it.  The Boston forward deflected a Chara shot off of his skate and into the goal.  It was reviewed but the call on the ice stood.  The goal was good.  The score was knotted at one at 18:13 in the first.

In the last few minutes of the first period, the Bruins had upped their level of intensity.  When the horn sounded signaling the end of the period, the B’s had 7 scoring chances compared to only 3 chances by Columbus.  They outshot the Jackets 11-8.

David Krejci was back on the ice for the start of the second period proving just how tough hockey players can be.  He had only played 5 shifts in the first and tallied 4:17 of ice time before he was injured.  He was ready to play again and looked no worse for wear.

Soderberg had a nice chance on a breakaway, as Kelly connected with a perfect pass to his stick.  The big Swede was out on the ice on his own, but his shot was turned away and blocked.  The score remained tied.

The Merlot line stepped up to put the Bruins ahead at 9:51 in the second period.  Shawn Thornton rocketed a shot and sent it past Bobrovsky on the glove side.  It was Thorty’s second goal of the year.  The forward had scored 3 goals in all of last season.  Campbell and Torey Krug picked up the assists on the go-ahead goal.  Krug now has notched points in his past five games.

Columbus refused to quit as they didn’t back down.  The game was far from over.  Johnson kicked away a rebound that found Foligno.  Nick Foligno scored easily to tie it up at 16:25 in the second on the backhand.

The Bruins skated into the second intermission tied at 2 goals a piece with the Blue Jackets.  They knew that they had to turn their game up a notch if they wanted to win.  The B’s led shots 23-20 heading into the final frame.

As the game wore on, it seemed as if the Bruins improved.  After playing a not so sharp second period in which Boston allowed for Columbus to tie the score, they were better.  Chad Johnson stood on his head a few times making huge saves.  His saves became fluid as he steadily improved quieting the doubters.  His confidence flourished as he turned away shot after shot.

Chris Kelly was sent to the box for tripping with 13:20 remaining in the game.  The Bruins didn’t allow for the Blue Jackets to score once again as their streak became 25 penalties killed.  A bit later, they killed off a Marchand penalty for interference and the stretch of penalties killed by the Bruins was now set at 26 in a row.

Momentum seemed to shift in favor of Boston as time wore on.  They got a few good chances off but didn’t make anything out of them.  The game was to be decided in over time as 60 minutes of hockey wasn’t enough.

Johnson remained calm, as he hushed his doubters all throughout overtime.  He made huge saves, turning away the Columbus attempts easily.

When there were 48.6 seconds left in overtime, it was all Milan Lucic.   The big forward found himself with a breakaway as he stepped up.  Lucic tore down the ice beating all of the defenders and flipped the puck through the five-hole to win it for Boston.  It was Lucic’s 8^th goal of the season, tying the number of goals he had during the 2013 regular season.

The Bruins topped Columbus 3-2 in overtime.  It was their fourth straight win.  Rookie, Chad Johnson stopped 32 of the 34 shots that he faced.  The B’s managed to continue their impressive penalty kill streak which now stands at 26.  The Black and Gold finished off their home stand securing 9 out of 10 possible points as they head to play the Senators in Ottawa on Friday night.

Rachel Murphy – NHL Contributor – TitleTown Sports Network

Follow along with Rachel on Twitter: @rembostonsports

The Bruins Cruise Past the Panthers 4-1

Prior to tonight the Bruins had been 1-3-1 in their last five games.  It was not a streak that Boston was proud of, as they had strung together several disappointing performances in a row.  The most recent came on Tuesday night, after they suffered a tough loss to the Dallas Stars during a shootout.  Former B, Rich Peverley netted the game winner as the Stars managed to slip past the Bruins.

Claude Julien was looking for anything that he could to work with.  He hoped to somehow empower his team to find some spark and get going.  The Bruins weren’t playing the game that they were capable of.  It was time to wake up.  Every single player on the team had hopes to improve their game and get a win as the struggling Florida Panthers rolled into town.

Tim Thomas wasn’t able to make his first return to the Garden after signing with the Panthers, due to an injury to many fans dismay.  Once again, Julien used Matt Bartkowski and Jordan Caron as the healthy scratches for the Spoked B.

It was Tuukka Time at the Garden, as the goalie squared off against Scott Clemmensen.  Five minutes into the game, Kelly took a rough elbow to the jaw from Jesse Winchester.  Kelly went down and managed to skate off the ice on his own before he headed straight to the locker room to get checked out.  There was no penalty on the play although both of Winchester’s feet were off the ice during the hit.

Gregory Campbell soon dropped the gloves with Winchester as he stood up for his teammate.  The crowd was stirring, as punches were thrown.  Both Campbell and Winchester were assigned matching penalty majors for fighting.  The bout was short, but Campbell did what he needed to do as he defended Kelly.

Kelly returned to the ice a few minutes later, and he was good to go.  Not too long after, Dougie Hamilton was sent to the sin bin on a hooking call.  The Panthers only managed to get two shots off  during their power play.  The Bruins successfully killed the penalty.  Not soon after returning to full strength, the B’s were back on the kill as Soderberg was assigned a high sticking penalty.  During that kill, The Bruins did not allow a single shot on net.  The Bruins had killed off thirteen straight penalties in a row.

Other than a few penalties on the Bruins, the first period ended pretty dully.  Overall, it was uneventful and the skating was once again slow.  The most interesting part of the period, hands down had to be the Campbell fight.  After one frame, Florida had an 8-7 shot on goal advantage.

29 seconds into the second period, the B’s headed to a familiar place once again: the penalty kill. Bergeron was sent to the box on a hooking call.  The Bruins killed off their third penalty on the night making it look easy.

Boston was struggling.  They headed to the power play after a tripping call on the black cats, and could only get three shots off on goal.  The chances were coming and the opportunities were plentiful, but luck wasn’t on their side.

Luck could only be against the Bruins for so long.  The Lucic-Krejci-Iginla line finally broke through as Krejci tallied the go ahead goal. Krejci aimed a low shot, and one timed the puck past Clemmensen.  Boston had scored first in a game after going four games in a row in which they had allowed the other team to strike first.

The Big Bad Bruins had stirred.  They were awake, as Bergeron’s line had a good effort following Krejci’s goal.  Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with Krys Barch getting the crowd into the game even more.  The Garden roared as Thorty easily man handled Barch.  They were old foes as the two fought together for the seventh time overall in their careers.  Fighting majors were handed out to the pair, but the crowd was into it as Thornton skated off.

There was a scare on the ice as Bergeron took a puck to the face and went to the room to get looked at.  The forward didn’t return for the remainder of the period but was back out there in the third.  He looked no worse for wear.  It was difficult to keep a guy who once played through a punctured lung and a separated shoulder out of the game.

The siren blared signaling the end of the second period and the Bruins were up 1-0.  They were looking much better, but were nowhere near finished.  Both teams had 9 shots on goal during the period; overall the shots on goal were in favor of Florida as they led 17-16.  The game was still close, but wouldn’t be for long.

Brad Marchand was able to get the monkey off his back as he tallied his first goal since October 5^th.   The Nose Faced Killah got his second goal of the year as he put the B’s up 2-0 at 4:09 in the final period.  The effort that the gritty forward had been showing lately, finally paid off.

Torey Krug decided to join in on the goal scoring fun, as the defenseman scored his sixth goal on the young season.  He is now tied with Eric Karlsson for most goals in the NHL by a defenseman.  The Bruins were up 3-0 as Krug had lengthened the lead.  The young defenseman is second on the team in goals, only behind Milan Lucic who has seven of his own.

The Panthers threatened to show a bit of life, as Jesse Winchester scored on a Bjugstad rebound.  But the B’s soon silenced the kitties as Reilly Smith added to the lead.  Smith netted the final goal of the game as he scored at 18:13 from the slot.

It was 4-1.  The damage had been done as time ran out.  The B’s had finally showed up.  Overall, it was a great effort from Boston.  As the game wore on, each line seemed to improve with every shift that they took.  The team was determined as they went out and finally dug out a good win.  The Merlot line was the only line to be kept without a goal on the night, but they did have two fights. The Big Bad Bruins looked as if they were back.  It was the game that they had wanted to play.

Tuukka Rask stopped 23 of the 24 shots that he faced, as he continues to be nearly impeccable on home ice this season.  Rask now has a .958 save percentage as the team picked up 2 points on the evening.  Reilly Smith had a big two-point night as well, as he tallied a 13:08 time on ice.

The Bruins broke out against the Panthers.  On Saturday night, they’ll hope to play in similar fashion when the Maple Leafs head into Beantown.  If the Black and Gold can continue to demonstrate the effort that they had against the Panthers, then they should have no trouble as they face the Leafs for the first time since the famous Game 7 Comeback.

Rachel Murphy – NHL Contributor – TitleTown Sports Network

Follow along with Rachel on Twitter: @rembostonsports

Bruins Fall to the Stars in a Shootout

The shower of boos that rang from the crowd were surrounded by a few scattered welcome back cheers here and there as Tyler Seguin’s name was announced at the TD Garden on Tuesday night.  It was the much-anticipated return of both Seguin and Rich Peverley to play their former team for the first time after being dealt to Dallas in the trade in July.  The Bruins were looking to bounce back after a rough loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday night as they began a stretch of five game home stand.

Loui Eriksson and Johnny Boychuk returned to the lineup for the Bruins.  Eriksson missed over a week while being out with a concussion, and Boychuk missed a game with a back injury.  Jordan Caron and Matt Bartkowski were the healthy scratches for the Bruins.

Seguin took the opening draw against his former team and the game was on.  The Bruins came into the matchup, hoping for their game to finally click and come together.  A Dallas penalty was called 1:01 into the game as Whitney was sent to the penalty box for high sticking.  The Stars were able to successfully kill off the penalty, as the Bruins couldn’t capitalize on the chance.

On the first shot of the game that the Stars sought, the captain Jamie Benn sent the puck past Tuukka Rask.  The Stars were up 1-0.  The Bruins found themselves in a familiar place once again: they were down early.  This seemed to be a recurring trend for the Bruins as of late.  It was much too early to count them out.  It had been a long time since they had last led a game.

No more than 38 seconds later, the Bruins answered.  Reilly Smith fed Torey Krug a pass and Krug netted the equalizer.  While playing down low, Krug tipped the puck into the net.  The game was tied at one a piece and that was when the Bruins took control of the period.

Johnny Boychuk came right back from his injury and dropped Verne Fiddler, after Fiddler charged Boychuk.  The two were assigned penalties.  Fiddler was sentenced an extra two minutes for roughing because he was the one who attempted to go after Boychuk.  Note to all: don’t mess with Johnny Boychuk, he is one very tough hockey player.

The Black and Gold led the Stars in shots on net.  At one point they led shots on goal at a lopsided number of: 15-3.  As the siren sounded signaling the end of the period, the Spoked B and the Stars were tied.  The Bruins had peppered 18 shots at net and the Stars had 10.  The only factor that was keeping Dallas in the game was their goalie: Lehtonen.

The second period followed the same suit like much of the Bruins more recent play.  It was boring.  They were not as sharp as they had been during the first period.  They didn’t dominate nor did they take charge of the play.  The Stars seemed to have gathered their skates beneath them as they found their game and started playing with Boston.  They started shooting at the net.  Soon Boston and Dallas were tied for shots on goal.  By the end of the period, the Stars were leading in that category.  The B’s were outshot 13-4 throughout the second frame.

The Bruins needed to do something.  They needed to be able to produce a timely goal to be able to take a lead.  It had been since October 31^st, in which a Bruins forward had last scored.  That forward was Carl Soderberg.  Since October 31^st, Hamilton, Krug, and Chara had done the scoring for the B’s.

The third period arose and the B’s faced the challenge of killing off a double minor penalty that Smith drew for high sticking.   After the big kill of the double minor the penalty, momentum seemed to be on the side of the Black and Gold for now.

Boston got a few good chances.  Marchand had a chance to score, but the forward couldn’t deliver.  He simply hasn’t been able to find his stride during the season so far.  The effort is clearly there and so is the want to play well, but he hasn’t been able to find his game yet.  With time, it should come.

The Bruins finally got back on top with 7:53 remaining in the final period.  Milan Lucic netted his seventh goal of the year, after Krejci set up a beautiful play.  Krejci passed to Hamilton who took a shot and Lucic tipped it in.  It was 2-1 Bruins.

The B’s had the lead.  That lead didn’t last very long.  Seidenberg hooked Fiddler and Fiddler was rewarded a penalty shot.  Fiddler made it look easy, going one on one against Rask as he scored.  The game was tied again.

For the rest of the game, the Bruins were unable to muster up any luck.  They skated into a 2-2 tie with Dallas and headed to overtime.  In Bruins play history they have never been able to beat the Stars in overtime or a shootout.  They hoped to change that.

The Stars controlled the puck for most of the five-minute overtime.  Krug had a good chance, but was stopped by the Dallas goaltender.  Neither team was unable to score which then meant one thing: it was time for a shootout in Boston.

Claude Julien sent: Patrice Bergeron, Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson out to take the shootout for Boston.  Lindy Ruff decided on Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alex Chiasson.

Bergeron scored for the Bruins as he led off.  Rask then denied Jamie Benn.  Iginla tried to deliver a goal for Boston but Lehtonen calmly said no.  All too soon, it was time for two old friends to meet again: Tuukka and Seguin.  Seguin greeted Rask with one of his shootout goals.  He is known for being very good during shootouts.  After Seguin scored, Lehtonen also stopped Loui Eriksson.  Chiasson couldn’t net one on his chance for Dallas either.

Next, Julien decided upon Krejci who missed the net.  It was Rich Peverley’s time to shoot against Boston.  He scored on his former team, winning the shootout.  The Stars came out on top.

Despite losing 3-2 during the shootout, the Bruins still picked up a point during the game.  The B’s are now 8-5-1 on the season as they struggled to play a full game of hockey against the Stars.  In their last 5 games, they are 1-3-1.  They will next take on the Panthers on Thursday night at home.

Hopefully, the Bruins will be able to get out of what seems to be a mini slump soon.  After the game, Claude Julien was quite fired up.  He said: “That’s what we’re doing right now: we’re finding ways to lose versus finding ways to win.”

It is clear that the entire team put forth an effort, as they were unable to stumble past the Stars.  Hopefully, when the Panthers come to town, the Bruins will be able to turn their game around.

Rachel Murphy – NHL Contributor – TitleTown Sports Network

Follow along with Rachel on Twitter: @rembostonsports

Preview: Red Wings vs. Bruins

Game #5: Detriot Red Wings (3-2) vs. Boston Bruins (3-1)

Time: 1:00 PM

Location: TD Garden

TV/Radio: NESN/98.5 The Sports Hub

These two Original Six foes will drop the puck for the second time this season on Monday afternoon in a special Columbus Day matinee. The Black and Gold knocked off the Wings in impressive fashion back on October 5, 4-1. These teams won’t link again following this one until November 27.

The Bruins will be looking to build upon their big win over the Blue Jackets this past Saturday. Tuukka Rask was lights out, as he only surrendered a single goal. Chris Kelly scored the equalizing goal in the tilt and is continuing to showcase a dynamic style of hockey. Newcomer, Loui Eriksson, notched his first tally in a Bruins uniform. It was the game winner and a weight lifted off of his shoulders.

As for the Red Wings, their power play had been uncharacteristically held powerless prior to Saturday’s victory over the Flyers. They got themselves off the hook, striking three times with the man advantage.

Henrik Zetterberg has been on fire for Detroit. He found the net twice in their last outing and has a total of four goals in five games. Tuukka Rask has been hotter. Through four games, Rask has a 1.00 GAA and a .965 SV%. He’ll look to build upon his great start against a dangerous Wings offensive attack.

Rask stopped 25 Red Wing shots in their last meeting. Torey Krug also added a power play goal and an assist in the contest.

We saw Matt Bartkowski get his first start of the season on Saturday in favor of Dougie Hamilton. It’s unknown as to who will get the nod on the blue-line on Monday. Have to assume Claude Julien will make his decision in the pre-game skate. He did that prior to the Columbus game.

Jordan Caron projects to remain in the lineup and at the third line left wing position.

Lucic-Krejci-Iginla

Marchand-Bergeron-Eriksson

Caron-Kelly-Smith

Paille-Campbell-Thornton

Chara-Boychuk

Seidenberg-Hamilton

Krug-McQuaid

Rask

Frank O’Laughlin – Senior Contributor – TitleTown Sports Network

Follow along with Frank on Twitter for all your Bruins news: @BruinsHub

Boston Bruins 2013-2014 Season Preview

Three months removed from a disheartening Stanley Cup defeat, Boston is raring to kick off the 2013-2014 regular season. We will soon find out how the Bruins reinvigorated roster will fair, as they will be competing in the new look Atlantic Division. The core of the team is now locked up long term. Their perfect mix of veteran experience and youthful energy could seamlessly mesh and result in a return to glory.

Boston saw little roster turnover this past offseason, but the players who did leave captured the headlines. The Bruins swapped out the right side of their top two lines, replacing Tyler Seguin with Loui Eriksson and Nathan Horton with Jarome Iginla.

Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask, arguably Boston’s most important pieces, cashed in with multi-year contract extensions. Each guy inked 8-year deals and project to be the franchise players well into the future.

The Bruins may not be the flashiest of teams, but great coaching, organizational depth, unwavering determination, standup leadership and a relentless will to win make them a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference this year.

Key Additions:

Loui Eriksson, Jarome Iginla, Reilly Smith, Chad Johnson

Key Losses:

Andrew Ference, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton, Anton Khudobin

Iginla, a longtime captain of the Calgary Flames, will most certainly fill the leadership void Ference had filled since joining the Bruins in 2007. Eriksson will quickly prove to be an upgrade over the inconsistencies of Seguin. Smith adds a great deal of bottom six upside and Chad Johnson may not be as experienced as Khudobin, but still should provide serviceable work behind Rask.

Key Bruins:

Rask in my mind is the most important Bruin. He will be called upon to start at least 60-65 games. It’s his first full year as a starting net minder and is embarking on year one of and 8-year/$56 million contract. Rask showed nothing but greatness this past postseason and rekindling that success over an 82-game schedule is a must because his backups all tote question marks.

Zdeno Chara is another Bruin that makes this team tick. He has looked superhuman at times during his tenure with Boston, although he did show signs of breaking down this past postseason. A healthy Big Z is imperative if the Black and Gold have hopes of making a Stanley Cup appearance. Possibly monitoring his minutes could prove beneficial.

It would be insane not mention Patrice Bergeron as a key Bruin. We saw the Bruins struggle mightily after Bergy sustained injury. He will be relied upon in all key situations and should find immediate chemistry with Eriksson flanking him.

X-Factor:

Dougie Hamilton is poised for a strong season. The youngster is coming off a respectable rookie campaign and his first NHL training camp. He should continue to progress defensively. The offensive numbers will definitely come, as Hamilton figures to be a key component to the Boston power play attack.

Projected Starting Lineup:

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jarome Iginla

Carl Soderberg-Chris Kelly-Reilly Smith

Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk

Dennis Seidenberg-Torey Krug

Adam McQuaid-Dougie Hamilton

Tuukka Rask/Chad Johnson

Healthy Scratches:

Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski, Kevan Miller

Atlantic Division Teams:

Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers

My Outlook:

The motivating factor behind this year’s team will be the hunger to avenge their Stanley Cup loss to Chicago back in June. Though by no means will it be a cakewalk. Division foes such as Ottawa, Detroit and Toronto have all gotten better and will certainly challenge Boston for the Atlantic Division crown.

Look for Boston’s young defensemen to have breakout showings. Hamilton, Krug and Bartkowski will all get their fair share of ice-time. Coach Julien will expect big things from the promising trio. Their youthful style of play should instill an added spark into an already ramped up approach. But most importantly improve what has been a historic underahcieving power play unit.

Claude Julien may have to manage the minutes for some of his veteran stars from time to time and maybe even throttling it back every once in awhile could do them a lot of good. They head into the season with an improved roster over the 2012-2013 team and are still the class of the Eastern Conference in my eyes.

Frank O’Laughlin-Senior Contributor-Title Town Sports Network

Bruins cut three from camp, six more to come

The Bruins made three NHL training camp roster cuts, as they released forward Craig Cunningham and defenseman Dan Warsovsky to Providence. They also placed veteran blue liner Mike Moore on waivers with the hopes of him further developing in Providence.

Boston’s NHL roster currently sits at 28. Six more cuts are expected in the coming days. Claude Julien and upper-management would like to reduce their roster to the NHL’S mandatory 22-man roster limit sometime prior to their two-game trip to Winnipeg and Saskatoon on Thursday.

We know which regulars will make up the roster. But Ryan Spooner, Nick Johnson, Matt Fraser, Carl Soderberg and Jordan Caron are all battling it out for a third line position. Niklas Svedberg and Chad Johnson are dueling for the second string goaltending role.

Then there is Kevan Millar. Millar has had a strong preseason and is making a case to earn himself a seventh defensemen job with the Bruins. A job occupied by Aaron Johnson last season.

What does Dougie Hamilton’s future hold? Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski have looked fantastic and have made it nearly impossible to ignore that. Hamilton has a lot to prove over the remaining preseason contests if has hopes of swaying any last minute decision making when it comes to selecting the final two starting defensemen.

Boston has a dilemma on its hands, a unique predicament at that. Their organizational depth runs deep and selecting a final roster will be quite the challenge. The final preseason games will be crucial in determining who stays and goes. This Bruins team will only be that much better when it’s all said and done due to the healthy competition many of their players have been caught up in this training camp.

“There are quite a few guys in the mix. That’s some of the stuff I alluded to this morning and the other day by saying we’re going to have some tough decisions to make at the end,” Claude Julien told CSNNE.com.

Frank O’Laughlin – Senior Contributor – TitleTown Sports Network

Bruins transitioning toward a more youthful defense

A precise start date for Boston’s 2013-2014 training camp has not yet been set. Camp is likely to get underway at some point during the first week in September. With that being said, all eyes will be on the Bruins blue-liners, as there will be competition for two open slots along the back end.

Andrew Ference served as a vital cog in what has been a dominant Boston defense for some time now. As Ference moves on to Edmonton, only Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid remain as locks to make the Bruins starting six.

Torey Krug impressed the masses with his unforgettable playoff contributions this past season, but is he a guaranteed a starting role come opening night?

Both Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski will be gunning for the two defensive vacancies as well. Hamilton and Bartkowski, along with Krug, each had their share of bright moments this past season.

Hamilton appeared in 42 games for the Bruins this past season. The youngster potted 5 goals and recorded 11 assists in those games. He posted +4 rating and seemed to hold his own rather well for a rookie. Though Hamilton did tire toward the end of the season due the compressed schedule and the fact that he had been playing in juniors during the lockout.

His slick skating ability and offensive minded approach make him a prime candidate to make a Bruins squad in dire need of a puck mover on an underachieving power play unit. Hamilton will either make the team as a starter or head to Providence, because serving as a seventh defenseman will not do him any good.

Bartkowski seems destined to fill the void left by Ference’s departure. He is a defense first type of guy who is fearless when it comes to moving the puck. His ability to remain calm under pressure while making intelligent decisions with the puck impressed the Bruins coaches during the action he did get at the NHL level.

With Providence, Bartkowski scored 3 goals and registered 21 helpers in 56 games. He chipped in 2 assists in 11 regular season games with Boston. Bartkowski found the net once in 7 playoff games this past spring.

When all is said and done, it’s very hard to overlook Torey Krug. Krug dominated at the AHL level, burying 13 goals and tallying 32 assists. He totaled 6 points on 4 goals and 2 assists in 15-playoff outings during the Bruins 2012-2013 Cup run.

Though a stretch, many likened him to the legendary Bobby Orr. Krug’s dead-eye shot, tape-to-tape passing and quick skating ability has drawn comparison to Erik Karlsson of Ottawa.

Krug instantaneously become a fan favorite and seemed to invigorate a lifeless Boston power play. He’ll certainly give Hamilton a run for his money and will likely snag a top six spot in favor of him.

It’s apparent Boston is heading in a more youthful direction when it comes to its defensive corps. There were many free agent defenseman on the market and ripe for the picking. The Bruins steered cleared, as they have had their mind set on instilling some fresh blood into the system in 2013-2014.

There will undoubtedly be a great deal of friendly competition once camp breaks and that is in no way a bad thing. Bartkowski, Hamilton and Krug will all drive one another to be better. Each possesses the tools and make up needed to succeed at the NHL level.

It remains to be seen which two will crack the opening night lineup, but it seems likely that all three will see a fair share of action at the NHL level this season.

Frank O’Laughlin – Senior NHL Contributor – Title Town Sports Network

Follow Frank on Twitter: @BruinsHub

 

 

 

Game 2: Bruins vs. Blackhawks Preview

Stanley Cup Finals

Game 2 Preview: Boston Bruins @ Chicago Blackhawks (CHI leads series 1-0)

Game Time: 8:00 PM

Location: United Center

TV/Radio: NBC Sports Network/98.5 The Sports Hub

The Boston Bruins will be looking to avenge their disheartening game 1 loss when they take to the ice Saturday evening. Boston is well rested and focused, now two days removed from that triple overtime, pulse-pounding affair. Evening this Stanley Cup series would do wonders for the Black and Gold, as the series will be shifting back to Beantown following the game.

Boston’s biggest question mark is whether or not Nathan Horton will be in the lineup. Horton seemed to have re-aggravated an existing injury Wednesday and was forced to leave the game. He did skate with the Bruins in practice on Friday, though Claude Julien did not indicate anything further more than saying, “If he feels good, he’s in.”

Milan Lucic spoke about Horton skating just one day removed from the incident, saying, “Obviously it’s a positive thing he was able to skate. He’s going to do everything in his power to play.”

Carl Soderberg will likely crack the lineup if Horton is a no go. Soderbereg skated on Boston’s third line in Friday’s practice. Expect Tyler Seguin to get bumped up to the top line in that event. Seguin got several reps in at right wing on the Bruins top line.

Julien’s club uncharacteristically blew a late two-goal lead and failed to close out the opening contest. They may be disappointed but certainly not discouraged. “Last game is last game, we’ve turned the page on that” said Claude Julien.

If the Bruins have hopes of evening this best-of-seven matchup there’s a few things they must address. Most importantly they need to watch the turnovers. Controlling the puck will be key, considering how quickly the Hawks can jump out into transition.

Boston needs to find away to get some secondary scoring. Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin, and Jaromir Jagr have all had their chances. Now they must finish. Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley have been invisible on the offensive end. A little here and there from them could go a long way.

If the Bruins can once again get off to a strong start, then their chances of emerging victorious are seemingly high. The leadership and accountability throughout the lineup will have everyone aware no lead is safe. Tuukka Rask is pretty much a steady guarantee that the Bruins can count on for a solid outing.

By no means will it be a walk in the park, but Boston is more than equipped to knot things up at one apiece. They’ve been remarkably consistent throughout the playoffs and it should be no different in this case. Look for the Bruins to bring it right from the opening draw.

“We believe in ourselves,” said Torey Krug. “They make it a seven game series for a reason.” Krug’s undoubtedly correct, while him and his teammates know that one game means nothing. Boston is not to be counted out.

Assuming Nathan Horton dresses, here is the expected Bruins lineup:

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Jagr

Paille-Daugavins/Soderberg-Seguin

Peverley-Kelly-Thornton

Chara-Seidenberg

Ference-Boychuk

Krug-McQuaid

Rask/Khudobin

Frank O’Laughlin – Lead NHL Contributor – Titletown Sports Network

Bruins Demolish Pittsburgh, Take 2-0 Series Lead

Game 2 Recap: Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Bruins lead series 2-0)

Following the game 1 blanking of the Penguins, Boston was well aware that they needed to improve upon many areas if their hopes of grabbing a two-games-to-none series lead was to become a reality. The Bruins did more than just improve; they out-classed Pittsburgh in each and every phase of the game, dismantling them, 6-1.

Claude Julien’s club dominated play from the puck drop through to the final horn. It was a complete, disciplined, team effort that powered the Black-and-Gold to victory. Superior lockdown defense, relentless goal scoring, unmatched hustle, and sheer determination characterized the Bruins onslaught.

The Bruins offense racked up numerous chances, while outshooting the almighty Penguins offense. Boston’s blue-liners and back-checkers showcased a fundamentally sound defensive game in once again stifling Pittsburgh’s top guns. They succeeded in shadowing them all over the ice, effectively disrupting any sort of legitimate scoring bids, while sealing up nearly every passing lane.

Though when things were all said and done, the ineptitude of Pittsburgh’s goaltending tandem coupled with countless defensive breakdowns directly led to their demise in game 2. The Penguins lacked serious confidence, exhibited sloppy hockey, all while being humiliatingly blown off their home ice.

Brad Marchand kicked of the scoring parade just 28 seconds into the tilt. The fiery winger picked off the puck as Sidney Crosby haphazardly fumbled it away and took it the distance, scoring uncontested on Tomas Vokoun. Boston would not look back. The Bruins couldn’t have dreamt of a better start. Pittsburgh’s defensive looked overwhelmed and out-matched all game, offering up nothing in response to the Bruins offensive barrage.

Nathan Horton then simply out-willed Pittsburgh’s defense, batting in a Torey Krug rebound while Kris Letang stood and watched as if he was in awe. Then minutes later, David Krejci continued his outstanding playoff run, burying a goal of his own. Krejci’s league leading 20^th playoff point forced Vokoun to the pine if favor of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Still in what was an eventful first, Brandon Sutter gave the Penguins some life, scoring to make it a 3-1 game. In the grand scheme of things, the goal meant nothing because Marchand fired back 25 seconds later with his second marker of the opening frame. His wicked wrister fooled Fleury, all but ending the game in the first. Boston carried a 4-1 lead into the second.

The score would remain unchanged until the third period. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Jarome Iginla, and Kris Letang are all considered to be the Penguins top guns. They were all once again no shows, carelessly handling the puck time after time. Boston’s rough, physically driven play rocked the Penguins stars, forcing play to the outside because the center lane area was restricted. Crosby in particular was beaten up all evening long, as the Bruins made a point of it to make him pay for his juvenile antics.

In the third period, Jaromir Jagr hooked up with Patrice Bergeron, extending the Bruins lead to 5-1. The killer B’s were not quite yet done. Johnny Boychuk blasted a slapper by Fleury, making it a 6-1 final, as the Bruins hung a three spot on both Fleury and Vokoun. Tuukka Rask once again put on a clinic and the Penguins failed to solve him.

The Bruins excelled in all aspects of the game. It’s apparent the Penguins are no way prepared to stop a team that is so well coached and desperately gritty. Because the Bruins are never satisfied, their hunger to win just keeps growing. As a result of administering a flat out beating, Boston will head home sitting pretty with a commanding 2-0 series lead. It has been all Bruins, as they have outscored the Penguins 9-1 in two games.

The Positves:

The secondary scoring game through and aided in blowing out the Penguins. Jaromir Jagr chipped in two assists, getting him off the snide. Brad Marchand buried the biscuit twice and was a +4.

The Bruins top line continues to roll along. Both Krejci and Horton tallied scores while Lucic recorded an assist. They are now a combined +43 this playoff series.

Tuukka Rask dazzles yet again! He has only surrendered one goal in two games.

Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins stars did absolutely nothing at all. Credit the Boston defense and the play of Zdeno Chara. Chara’s long reach wreaks havoc on Crosby. The Bruins have altered his game and he is rarely heading to the net now, instead sticking to the outside. Crosby had just 2 shots and 4 giveaways.

The Bruins established their game and stuck to it. They stayed ambitious and piled it on. Their workmen like defensive effort forced numerous turnovers and led to an increased offensive output.

Quotes of the Night:

The Bruins remain humble, even keeled, and focused. Their post game comments speak volumes, as they never get ahead of themselves.

Marchand: “It doesn’t matter what the series is at right now. If they get the next one, they’re right back in it. The next one is the one that’s most important.”

Lucic: “Winning that Toronto series created some momentum from that. We’ve been able to keep riding that momentum. We need to keep pushing harder.”

Julien: “It’s pretty simple; we were in that situation before, and we were able to come back in the series and win it. So I don’t think‑‑ we’ve been through enough positive/negatives, not to get ahead of ourselves and we know this is a good team, and I’m not saying we know it. Penguins are a good team, they’re deep, and we’re going to have to continue to play extremely well if we plan on winning the series.”

Three Stars:

1. Brad Marchand – 2 goals
2. Nathan Horton – 1 goal, 1 assists
3. Tuukka Rask – 26 saves

What’s Up Next?

The Bruins will play the Penguins in game 3 on Wednesday night from TD Garden.

Frank O’Laughlin – Lead NHL Contributor – TitleTown Sports

 

 

Bruins Begin Preparations for Penguins, Ference Returns to Practice

The Bruins held their first team practice since defeating the Rangers this morning at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington. With game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals still days away, Boston got down to business in preparation for Pittsburgh. For the first time in a great while, each and every Bruin was present and participating. All 15 forwards, 10 defenseman, and 2 goalies skated.

Because both Western Conference semi-final series are heading to a seventh game, the Black-and-Gold won’t play game 1 against Pittsburgh until Saturday. Boston is certainly benefitting from the extended time off, as they are getting some much-needed rest and becoming healthier as a result.

Andrew Ference returned to practice today, joining his teammates on the ice for the first time since May 10 (game 5-Toronto series). The veteran blue liner has been sidelined with a left foot injury and did not take part at all in round 2 of the playoffs.

Dennis Seidenberg returned to action Saturday in Boston’s series clinching win over the Rangers. The Bruins defense is only stouter now that Ference has resumed hockey activities. He adds toughness, years of experience, and serves as a leader when in the lineup.

Claude Julien would never publically state it right now, but all signs point to Ference taking part in game 1 this weekend. Because he is practicing so early in the week it is more likely than not. This is fantastic news considering Ference is fundamentally sound defensively and can utilize his wealth of experience in helping slow down the Penguins.

If Ference is a go come game time, in all likelihood, Matt Bartkowski would be the healthy scratch. It’s only logical given the impact Torey Krug has had and the offense he provides.

There were no changes to the forward lines. Tyler Seguin remained alongside Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly on the third line.

Today’s defensive pairings were as follows:

1^st – Chara/Seidenberg

2^nd – Bartkowski/Boychuk

3^rd – Krug/McQuaid

4^th – Redden/Hamilton

5^th – Ference/Johnson

Frank O’Laughlin – Lead NHL Contributor – TitleTown Sports

Bruins Shut Out The Lightning 3-0

November 11, 2013 By Rachel Murphy Leave a Comment