B's Drop First Of Home And Home With Habs

Well, tonight was certainly not comforting. It was perplexing, frustrating and a definite setback from where this team needed to go. I watched the first period and said, "This team always comes out flat, tonight they come out roaring and look primed for a 60 minute effort." Then the next two periods are, well, are just about as bad as it could get. The Bruins get outshot 19-8 in the second, including giving up the tying goal to Eric Cole. Coming out for the third, and what has been this team's best period over the last few seasons, I was thinking that the boys had the Habs where they wanted them. Then, the third ends up being worse than the second. It felt like the puck was in Boston's end for all but 3 minutes of that period. The Bruins surrendered the go ahead and game winning goal to Thomas Plekanec. In the game, Carey Price made an easy 29 saves on 30 shots. The lone goal he surrendered was on a freak play. Off of a faceoff, Bergeron's stick broke, he fell face first on the ice. Plekanec won the faceoff clean back and the puck went right through Price's wickets. Goalies usually stop what they can see and I cannot remember a single play in the second or third where the Bruins set up offense and actually had a body parked in front of the net. Tim Thomas made 33 saves on 35 shots.

The Bruins were awful in the neutral and defensive zones tonight. I am all for believing in Claude's system, but this D to D stuff does not work against a team with sustained forecheck. Montreal had a two man forecheck all night, and constantly frustrated the Bruins, forcing errors and a turnovers. When they managed to get the puck into the neutral zone, they could not gain entry to the offensive zone. When they attempted to chip and chase, the puck would be knocked down and pushed out by Montreal. Instead of playing to the boards and gaining ice with the puck, the B's were retreating back to their end. The powerplay looked awful again, going 0-6. There was no movement, no consistent cycling and only mustered 6 shots. With both teams sitting in the basement of the east, the two points were going to be huge tonight. Unfortunately, one team played like they did not want to be in last and one did not. So there you go Boston, defending champs to basement dwellers. Only 9 games in, I get it, but past history will tell us bad starts usually equal bad endings. I thought this series would wake them up, but I just do not know what it will take at this point.

Positives.......ok give me a second, let me think. Well, it was fun to see PK Swimteam with his gloves off, that is without someone else ripping them off. I guess I was wrong, they are not glued on. It was nice to see Marchand showing emotion and actually handled himself quite well in a very spirited scrap. Shawn Thornton was his usual energizing self with some very well timed exciting shifts. I am tired of Shawn only getting 7 minutes a night, and Campbell and Pouliot coming in around 8 minutes. I do not care to watch the rest of the guys log 15-20 minutes of unspirited time. Atleast when that 4th line is out there they show they care and show us they cherish and want their ice time. Another matchup Saturday night at the Bell Centre is the last positive I can muster up. This is the best rivalry in sports, and though I am one helluva frustrated fan, I love this team and love every time I get to watch a game against the Habs. Maybe being officially in the cellar will wake the black and gold up. Or maybe just another game against the frogs will do it. At this point I do not care what it takes, just let me see those big bad bruins I love to watch. See you Saturday Montreal. I hope you woke a sleeping bear!

Slow Start Hampers B's

Last season the Boston Bruins were the number 1 NHL team in the 3rd period when it came to goal differential. In fact, there was not a team within 10 goals of what they produced in the final frame. The problem was that they needed 3rd periods of that nature to overcome the sluggish start to a large percentage of their contests. Well Saturday, I felt like I was watching one of last years games all over again. They came out flat, legs were not moving, passes were not crisp, and 1:12 in, Joe Pavelski deposited the puck glove side high over Tim Thomas. End of period 1, 1-0 Sharks. 2nd period begins and the Bruins come out flat, legs were not moving, passes not crisp and 8:54 in, another goal by the Sharks. (see a patern?) Shawn Thorton got the boys going with a very spirited scrap against an always game James Vandermeer, and for the majority of the first two periods, the Bruins were not playing all that bad. After the slow starts, the Bruins were outshooting, outhitting, out possessing, out chancing, and out playing the Sharks. End of period 2, Sharks still up 2-0. Then they come out for the 3rd and looked like a completely different team. I am not sure what their 3rd period routine is, or if after two Claude has finally had enough. Whatever they are doing though, they need to start doing it 40 minutes earlier. They outshot the Sharks 18-8 in the 3rd and more than doubled their scoring chances, including 2 off the posts in the. It felt like they only time the puck was in our defensive end was for the 30 seconds it took Massachusetts born Benn Ferriero to score the go ahead goal. It was a great hard-nosed play less than 3 minutes in by Kelly and Lucic which gave the black and gold their first of the night. Then 29 seconds later, Seguin touch passed the puck over the blue line to Lucic, Lucic went in on Niemi and slid a beautiful pass back to a charging Seguin for their second goal. A lot of sustained pressure and energy followed, but when you leave yourself only 20 minutes to try and make up for 40 against a San Jose caliber team, it will usually be an L for the night. That being said, I feel the better team did not win tonight. San Jose was opportunistic and made Boston's mistakes hurt, but they were outplayed by the Bruins for most of the night. Lucic had a 2 point evening, and now has 5 points in the last two games. Kelly had a two point night as well and Seguin continues to impress, netting his third of the year. What I thought was an unlikely combination line (Kelly, Segs and Looch) has turned out to have some instant chemistry. They all have very different skill sets, but have been fun these last few games to watch gel. I expect to see Tukka in net Thursday, and hope McQuaid is back on the ice. Steven Kampfer looks to have lost a step since last year, and I think it will be nice to have McQuaids physical play and defenseman mentality back.

We have the longest wait of the season upon us, 5 days until the next game. However, a home and away with the Montreal Canadiens will make it worth the wait. This is the section where I try to be as objective as I can while getting ready to welcome out next opponent. So, I will get that out of the way as fast as I can, and all reading please understand these are not compliments towards Le Habitant, my hate for them runs deep. The Habs have basically the same look as last year with only one significant difference, the signing of Eric Cole. He is a solid top 6 forward, but will have to be better than that in order for Montreal to make a serious run. The Canadiens are fast, faster than the Bruins for sure, but you can't skate away if your laying on the ice. This should be the mindset of the B's, we saw last year what happens when it is, and also when it isn't. Markov has re-signed, but coming off almost a year missed with injury, how affective can he be? Will he hold up all year? Only time will tell. Carey Price is in a contract year, and we all know how well he handles pressure, O'le Mr. Price! Hal Gil, blah blah blah, broken record. The guy is so overrated it makes me sick. PK "The Swan Dive" Subban is certainly offensively talented, but is a defensive liability, and yes that's as nice as I can be too him. I cannot wait for Horton to get his hands on him without the big oger (Hal Gill) getting in the way. I know, I am going to make my point, this is just too fun. I do not think the Canadiens forwards are as advertised, I think defensively this team is in a lot of trouble. There saving grace will once again be Carey Price. I see this team finishing 11th and missing the playoffs. It is apparent I do not care for Montreal, and I personally do not think they are that good. That being said, this is the best rivalry in all of sports, and they will get up for this game. Boston needs to come hard, come fast, and come often. Stay in their faces and hit everything that moves. These will not be easy games, and the B's composure will certainly be tested. The Canadiens pick their spots, challenge, and turtle better than any team I have ever seen. They goat teams into taking penalties and use their speed and puck moving PP to burn you. The Bruins have to play with a controlled temper, and they will be fine. Remember everyone, home and homes are like a great movie, one scene builds off the next, and this two game series should be one of the highlights of the regular season. Lets go Bruins!

Bruins Find A Game, Blowout Leafs

Claude Julien said it best, "I do not know what I will get from this line shuffle, but I know what I'm not getting currently." Fast forward 24 hours to Thursday night, and only the 4th line remained intact as the new look Bruins throttled the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. Matt Bartkowski was re-assigned to Providence pre game to make room for the return of Steven Kampfer. David Krejci returned to the lineup after missing three games with a core injury. With the exception of still injured Adam Mcquaid, the Bruins were ready for Toronto and the NHL's current hottest line. Kesselmania was upon us, the puck dropped, and so did the gloves of Shawn Thornton. Instant spark and the B's were off and firing on all cylinders. The Bruins peppered Gustavsson with 48 shots, snuck 6 by including 2 on a much better looking PP (thank you David Krejci). Balanced scoring was on display at the Garden including three point nights from Chara, Ference, Lucic, and Seguin. It was the first 3 point game of Tyler's career, and his line certainly looked to be the sharpest on Thursday night. Tyler is still being slightly too unselfish at times, but it is very hard to critique him too harshly. He has been Boston's best forward this year so far, I would just love to see him shoot some more. Lucic played his best game of the year. The crushing power forward had his feet moving, had 4 hits on the night, and did an excellent job of matching Seguins speed and offensive zone presence. There appeared to be some good chemistry there, including each setting up the other on a pair of 3rd period goals. Centering that line was veteran, and newly named alternate captain, Chris Kelly. Kelly played a phenomenal 3 zone game and he seemed to have no problems heading that line with power and speed on his sides. Bergeron was again great in the defensive zone and added another point on the year with a beautiful top shelf bullet. He led the team with 9 shots. Phil Kessel finished the night minus-1 with 0 points. "Thank You Kessel" could be heard chanted very loudly following Tyler Seguin's goal.

Great defensive game was played by all 6 D-men. Obviously Z and Ference had 3 point nights, and Kampfer also picked up a helper. This was the result of hard work, smart pinches, neutral zone awareness, and excellent puck cycling. Not showing up in the box score was the impressive play of Joe Corvo. I know every blog I mention him, but he has not had a bad game yet this year. He has been such an improvement on the power play in particular, and his style certainly seems to have caught on. Seidenberg logged 22:25 of hard-nosed strong defense time, second to only Chara, at 25:23. Johnny Boychuk did not have his best game and was on the ice for both goals, but also made some strong pinches and had some nice body work along the boards. Once again Timmy Thomas was strong in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots. He was not perfect, but tonight the B's did not need him to be.

The Bruins took advantage of a team that played the night before, and will look to do the same Saturday night. The San Jose Sharks come to town after playing in New Jersey Friday night. Unlike Phil Kessel, "Jumbo" Joe Thornton was loved by Bruins fans. We were shocked and saddened when the franchise traded him away back in 2005. I wonder how he will be received this year after some of his comments last year regarding the Bruins and league discipline ties and the Paciorety incident. I would not be the least bit surprised for the boo birds that sung to Kessel to still be around for Jumbo. San Jose will be very tough and always are, well until the playoffs. They have been a very consistant playoff qualifier and are usually in the running for the President's trophy. The Sharks have been very shaky this year, only having one win (1-4-0) and having lost 3 straight going into New Jersey. They traded away a lot of their scoring in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, but got a rock solid defenseman in return from Minnesota, Brent Burns. The big question mark will be Martin Havlat, a lot of talent but a lot of frustration lately. They also picked up Michael Handzus from the Kings, and will continue to bolster some top tier talent in Thornton, Pavelski, and Marleau. Second year standout Logan Couture will look to build on a very solid rookie campaign. Expect a difficult but winnable matchup Saturday night. Do not let San Jose's record fool you, they are a top tier team and a favorite to come out of the West. The puck drops at 7:00.

Frustration Boils Over As 'Canes Top B's

I could sit here and dispute every call made last night. I could complain that the referees took this game from Boston, took their captain off the ice for 17 minutes, took their momentum and threw it out the window. Instead, I am going to follow suit with what this organization has done. Chalk it up to what it is, look at positives and negatives, learn from the mistakes, and take it out on Northeast division rival Maple Leafs on Thursday night. All you have to do is look at the lopsided penalties called, 17 to 8 in favor of the Montreal-esque Carolina Hurricanes, to know the story of this game.

Positives? Fair question, and not super easy to find if you just read the box score. The goal by Peverley is a positive, as he continues to be one of the better forwards 5 games in(and $3million richer). The fact that it was a PP tally just sweetens the pie. The PP is still not producing points, but there is a lot more movement. I like the adjustment the wings have made where they are curling around the faceoff dots and are either looking for the backdoor cross pass or putting it on net. They are passing back to the blue line much less once the puck gets deep in the zone, which is great to see. The guys without the puck need to do a bit more moving though. Teams are being allowed to stay in the box formation with sticks in passing lanes making cross ice passes hard. Some more moving around would be great to open up the ice a bit more. The B’s also need to have more bodies in front of the net screening. We saw flashes of it last night, but not consistently enough. Corvo is still shooting a lot of good tip opportunity pucks, as well as Big Z. Ference shot 4 or 5 pucks directly into shin pads last night, causing the puck to die or exit the offensive zone, and I noticed Boychuk do it a few times over the last couple games as well. When the defensemen do not have an open shooting lane, they need to cycle the puck to the boards and let the forwards work the play.

 I think the biggest positive may be what hurt them most last night. Emotion. There is no arguing that the Bruins took some very undisciplined penalties. Marchand went out of his way to stir the pot, and though I thought it was crazy for him to get a misconduct, he definitely earned extra attention. You could tell by the look on Lucic’s face he was getting kicked out of that game. There was no stopping that, and you know what, I loved it. I loved Z standing up for Horton, I loved Horton standing up for Looch, I loved Chris Kelly dropping Sutter, and I loved Rask skating down the other end of the ice to make sure Cam Ward knew he had a dance partner if he really wanted to go. I loved it, and not the love the donnybrook crazed “hockey fans” who do not know or appreciate the technicality of the game love it. I loved it because this team looked mad. They looked frustrated, embarrassed, fed up, and ready to steam roll. Is this the Dallas game from 2009? Is it the Dallas or Montreal game from 2010? I do not know. I’ll tell you what I do know though. This team is the hardest team to play against when they are committed to physicality. When they take the ice and Shawn Thornton is barking down the other end, when all five guys grab a partner and say welcome to the Garden, our house, that’s when they are best. Ask Montreal, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay. Ask Vancouver. This team needs a wake up call, and they need to realize if they do not bring their A game they will continue to be embarrassed, they will continue to be known as one and dones. Here’s to the boys taking this to heart, taking some pride in their games.  Here’s to playing angry and to playing with the edge that brought us our first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Do you really want to play the big bad bruins when they are an angry and crushing team? Thursday night we will get to ask Toronto.

Bruins Find Their Game, Win SO 3-2

Kane, Toews, and Sharp. Pretty deadly crew to send into a shootout. Not to be outdone, Tim Thomas shut the door on all 3, and Tyler Seguin beat Crawford for a much needed win against the Blackhawks. In what was their best effort so far this year, Boston went into the Madhouse and came from behind to take the 2 points. The Bruins got stronger each period, and were far and away the better team in the second half of that game. It was great to see Horton get on the board this year with a goal, and Seguin picked up his team leading 5th point, but Johnny Boychuk was the star of the play. If it was not for the great play of Tim Thomas, Johnny Boychuk would have to have been the first star for the Bruins. He made so many great plays in the defensive zone, chased down pucks in the neutral zone, and made some very smart pinches in the offensive zone. On the scoring tally in particular, Boychuk chased a puck all the way down the boards beating Seabrook, and then had the offense prowess to move the puck behind the net and find a crashing Horton who deposited the puck glove side past Crawford. Also scoring for the B's was Chris Kelly off of a great pass shorthanded by Rich Peverley.

The Bruins did two things tonight that they have not done so far this year. Gregory Campbell dropped the mits with Jammal Mahers, and the rest of the Bruins were taking the body at all times. This team appeared to have finally realized the formula for their success, and as fans, that exciting brand of hockey is what we want to see. As bad as the powerplay is, the penalty kill is phenominal. The Blackhawks went 0 for 4 tonight and only mustered up one shot. Guys were getting big and blocking shots, putting sticks in passing lanes, and being aggressive knowing how well Chicago can move the puck. The Bruins have now scored as many goals on the PK as they have on the PP. That being said, the B's power play has shown some glimpses of brilliance. They were a couple posts and a few bounces from putting the puck in the net tonight with the extra man. They will eventually start cashing in as long as they continue to work hard. Another area the Bruins need to clean up is some of their D-mens decisions on passes coming through the neutral zone trying to lead breakouts. Teams are on to the D to D passes and cross ice passes from defense to forward. The Blackhawks did a great job of disturbing those passes and even got a breakaway goal off of a stolen pass. All in all, great way to cap the short road trip. The team took two out of a possible four points and if tonights game is any indication of things to come, its starting to look up for the black and gold. This was labeled as a measuring stick game, and the Bruins came out shorthanded with 5 defenseman and minus their top line center, and grinded out a win against a phenominal team.

Tuesday night the boys are back at the garden and get to take another crack at the Carolina Hurricanes. I really believe the Bruins underestimated this team last week, did not prepare well and did not get up for that game. I imagine they will wish to extract a bit of revenge on home ice. We have all seen the caliber of goalie that Cam Ward is, and we know he will be their best player. In order to beat the 'Canes, the Bruins will need to put a lot of rubber on net, put big bodies in front, and grind out another win. All reports look positive that both McQuaid and Krejci will dress and be good to go Tuesday night. What will be interesting is what lines Claude roles.

Please leave an answer: Will David Krejci be back on the first line, or do they stay with Seguin or Bergeron as they roled a few times against Chicago?

'Canes outbattle B's, take win 3-2

Call it the Cup hangover. Call it line shuffeling and lack of chemistry. Call it the first road trip. Call it whatever you would like to, but I am going to call it what it is. Lack of effort. No one can sit in front of their televisions or buy a ticket to these games and be happy with the brand of hockey we have seen so far. Is Carolina horrible, no. Is Cam Ward a great goaltender, yes. So if the B's lose a hard fought game then this is not the kind of reaction they get. However, when this team comes out flat, again, and gets throttled in the effort department, then yes, we get a little cranky. Ward made some really incredible saves, and an inch or two one way or the other the Bruins could have found themselves with a win. That being said, this team is losing almost every puck battle. Their possesion is awful, they are not dumping pucks in behind the defense and getting in on the forecheck. There power play continues to be stale and their entries and breakouts are missing more than connecting. There is one player hitting people, Benoit Pouliot. One player! On the big bad bruins, one guy! I do not know if it is because of the cup and all the hoopla sorrounding it, or if these guys really believe they are a better, flashier offensive team then they are, but they need to stop trying to be so pretty. This team is a bully, grinder type of team. Great goaltending, team defense, and that "we are going to hit everything that moves" mentatlity are the only reasons they won the cup last year, and the only style that will lend them success again. I hate to break it to Milan Lucic, as he is my favorite player, but he doesnt score 30 goals on most teams. He needs to park himself in front of the goalie, screen and bang and get some dirty goals. Where is Horton and who is wearing that 18 sweater? Now I know it is not all that first lines fault, and yes you must allow time to get used to playing together, but that line is not doing the little things right now that make them successful.

On that topic, Tyler Seguin needs off that line and Bergy needs to be moved up. That is not a dig at Tyler. He played and has played very good so far this year. I believe Lucic and Horton enjoy playing with a pass first guy, Krejci and Bergeron, as opposed to a guy who loves open ice, puts on the afterburners and fires on net. Quite honestly, there were a few times last night on the rush were Seg's had to shoot because he got on net so quick none of his line mates were there for support. Bergy would slow the game down and allow for more time in the zone. The only draw back to that change is the fact that Marchand and Bergy have some definite chemistry, and are the line doing most of the scoring this young season. Last year Marshy and Seg's did spend some time together on that 3rd line and looked pretty good. Hey Claude, put Seguin on the power play!

I touched on it briefly, but I have been thoroughly impressed with the play of Benoit Pouliot. I did not like him in Montreal (go figure) and thought there could be some issues in the locker room with him after the whole David Krejci situation last year. He has not only brought the physical play and looks to make solid body contact on every shift, but almost every scrum has had him right in the middle of the action. I can particularly remember him standing up for Marchand twice and Bergeron once, a sure way to gain respect from the guys in the room. It is also important to remember this guy was the #4 overall pick by the Wild back in 2005. He was a member of the 2006 World Junior Champion Canadian team. Pouliot has tremendous upside and may thrive in this physical play market. See Shawn Thornton. Thorty has been trying to engage some opposing players in fisticuffs, but no one has wanted to dance yet. I will give him a pass because it is obvious he is trying to play his role and is taking advantage of his limited ice time.

The Bruins will continue their road trip Saturday night in Chicago against the very talented Blackhawks. They will certainly need a full 60 minute effort and a strong defensive showing. The Blackhawks are deep and Big Z will have his work cut out for him trying to match up with Kane, Toews, Sharp, and Hossa all night. Chicago can role any combination of that line and supporting cast and give any NHL club nightmares. The Blackhawks are pretty good defensively as well, but showed they can get a bit flustered with a heavy dose of hard nosed forecheck repeatedly last year. For the Bruins to be successful, they need to dump and chase, get pucks deep and make Keith and Seabrook constantly look over their shoulders to see whose coming. Crawford has won the starting spot in net, but is certainly not a 60 game a year goalie. The Bruins need to put a lot of rubber on net, see if they can't chase Crawford and get to Turco, who does not have great career numbers against the B's. There has been no word on Adam McQuaid or update on Krejci. If McQuaid cannot go, Matt Bartkowski will play in his spot, which will be a big drop off in physicality, leaving a void to be filled. I expect a much better effort Saturday night and hope to see them come strong out of the gates and take it to Chicago like other teams have been taking it to them. This is a real measuring stick game as Chicago is a top 3 favorite coming out of the west in the hunt for the Cup again this year. Saturday night at 8:30 the puck drops, and lets hope we see the Bruins we love to root for.

Peverley Signed through 2014-15

Rich Peverley has signed a three year contract extension. He was acquired from The Atlanta Thrashers, now the Winnepeg Jets, last year for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart. He has not missed a game in the last two seasons, knocking on wood, and leads the team with 2 goals in this young season. A grinder, energy guy, penalty killer with good speed and a touch of offensive flair. Glad to see Rich will be around for a while.

Flat Effort, Av's outwork B's 1-0

It was only game 3, thats what I keep telling myself. Theres 79 more to go, plenty of time to make this right. The Boston media has a way of taking every game and disect it like it is win or go home, and I am going to try my best to keep this on in perspective. That being said, 2 points are hard to come by in the NHL, especially as the defending champions. A team cannot afford to squander away points that are directly related to a lack of effort. Now Ive put my black and gold goggles on and I have said, it was a matinee game, it totally screws up their preparation. Oh Tuukka was in net, they arent used to playing infront of him yet. Maybe they underestimated the Avalanche (they really arent that bad, just young). Well I took them off so I could write this, but they will be going back on soon. Matinee excuses dont work, especially on a team led by Claude who will not allow excuses. Tuukka played awesome and looks like he is certainly after that #1 (#1A if you ask Timmy or Claude) goalie spot. As far as the Avalanche go, they are a team in the NHL. If you underestimate any team on any night they will beat you. This team is fast and came out really looking to take it to the B's physically. I really dont think they were expecting that, they looked flat and caught off gaurd in the first 10 mins. The only sour spot for me is that play when the Bruins got scored on. Let me preface this statement with a few things: The refs are part of the ice, they do not intentially get in the way. I am in no way complaining of a conspiracy to hand the B's a loss. That being said, it was a perfect screen by linesman Brian Mack, which totally took Johnny Boychuck outta the play, unable to defend Milan Hejduk who snuck one by Tuukka. The Bruins were victimized, but guess what, you create your own chances. Colorado's forecheck, energy, compete factor, possession, and speed were just simply better on Monday afternoon. The more deserving team won. The positive to take, there 79 of them left and I hope this served as a learning opportunity for the boys.

Wednesday night the boys start a road trip down in Carolina to faceoff with the Hurricanes. This may be what they need to gel a bit and start getting the hockey season officially off to a good start. Can not talk about Carolina without mentioning Eric Staal. 33 goals and 43 assists last including 12 tallies on the power play. Last years Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner added 31 goals, and they added Alex Ponikarovsky and Tim Brent, which should be a good mix with their forward lines. In goal they have a solid start in Cam Ward. He is a streaky goalie, one night he just shuts the door and the next lets in some gimmes. There is no doubt their problem is their defense, they just let up too many goals. That is as much to do with a lack of backcheck from their forwards as it is their defenseman. Losing Joe Corvo (to Boston) wont help that. However, Carolina fans are pretty high on TIm GLeason and Joni Pitkanen. The 'Canes got Bryan Allen at the deadline last year and also took Thomas Kaberle of the Bruins hands (thank you!!) so they are thinking they are in good shape. I still see them finishing around 10th in the east and missing the playoffs.

Lets all look for a better effort against the 'Canes Wednesday night at 7:00 on Versus. Remember friends, Big Z got his first hat trick against the Canes last year! Lets Go Black and Gold!

Bruins dominate, drop Bolts 4-1

Behind a strong showing from the reigning Vezina, Conn Smythe, and Stanley Cup winner Tim Thomas, the Bruins dominated in all areas of the game last night. That showed up in the boxscore to the tune of 4-1, a convincingly dominant performance by the Bruins in the rematch to the Eastern Conference Finals of last year. Once again it was the young guns making their presence known. Marchand and Seguin each had 2 assists while Peverley had 2 goals. Bergeron was finally rewarded on the score sheet with a helper of his own. This guy makes more plays he is not rewarded for with a point than any other player I have ever watched. It is unbelievable that Bergy does not figure into more goals. He is constantly making good decisions with and without the puck, behind and infront of the play. He is phenominal on the breakout and must start to be considered in the top 5 in the NHL in the faceoff circle. Once again the special teams looked good. The PK is very good right now and actually made Tampa's potent power play look mediocre. Discipline will be a key for this team this year. Lucic took a slashing penalty, Seguin with a trip, and Marchand with a roughing that were undisciplined penalties. The Downies, Otts and Averys of the world are there to goat you into penalties. The B's cant afford their big players sitting in the box with those clowns.

Joe Corvo continues to impress and I think he was a great addition. He moves the puck very well and even made a few pretty difficult saucer passes over sticks that were pretty close last night. When the lanes are not open, he fires on net and that seems to be contagious. Both Ference and McQuiad seemed a bit more trigger happy then they normally are. That is great thing, I am tired of yelling "shoot!!" at my tv on the power play. Another difference so far is Seguin's willingness to shoot. He appeared to be overthinking a lot last year, and at times the game seemed to fast for him. This year he has been a totally different player. He is passing still, which is his fortay, but it looks like he realizes the Bruins need him to dent the twine and he is shooting hard and often. He did a curl and drag wrister around Hedman last night, handcuffed Garon and alomst beat him. That is the kind of explosiveness Seguin brings.

Last night it was pretty clear that the Bruins are just on a different level when it comes to their physicality. Victor Hedman, the Bolts "big" defenseman, turned away from everything. Even Steve Downie, who I cant stand but usually is willing to muck it up, looked to the refs everytime anything happened to beg for a call. I dont want to get ahead of myself, and I think any team with Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavlier will be good, but I do not see Tampa matching well with Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh, or the slightly tuffened up Sabres in a 7 games series. You can almost gaurantee they will meet one of them come playoff time. Goaltending will  be an area to watch as well. Roloson is game, but another year older and did not get the nod last night. Garon played pretty well at times, but did not standup to heavy forecheck, gives up a lot of second chances and does not appear to be a top tier net minder.

Tomorrow we get matinee hockey with old friends Matt Hunwick and Chuck Kobasew (off season acquire) and the Colorado Avalanche coming into North Station. This is a team on a rebuild, but they have some young talent that will be very good, led by Matt Duchene. They went out and got Erik Johnson, stud defenseman, very good two way center Jay McClement, former 20 goal scorer Chuck Kobasew and #2 overall pick Gabriel Landeskog. Add to that Paul Stastny, who will be looking to bounce back after a dissapointing season which saw him only total 57 points, and sophmore standout Duchene, and you have a team with a few pretty good cornerstones. I see the Av's missing the playoffs again but the B's cant sleep on this opponenet. Thats why they play the game!

Emotional Ceremony, B's drop opener 2-1

First off, that ceremony was great. It is so fun to be a fan of an organization so rich in history to be able to stretch generations as the Bruins did last night. To see Milt Schmidt grace the ice at the age of 93 was amazing, you could see in his eyes how proud he was. I was impressed with Jeremy Jacobs, Owner, as well. I thought he did an excellent job of recognizing how passionate the fans are about this team, and made it very clear he is not satisfied with one Cup. It gives a definite clear direction of where this fanchise wants to go, and as a fan, I could not be more excited. Last but certainly not least, Mark Rechhi. What an honor it was to route for him for the last few years. He is one of those guys you wish spent forever with your team. A great player, a great leader, and a great person. He was such a huge part of that cup run. Thank You Rex! On to the game....

There is no doubt who the standout was last night for the black and gold. Brad Marchand. He was all over the ice and that new two year contract is looking pretty good on him. He scored at 9:42 of the first period with a PP tally. He also had a handful of other chances, and made both Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen look silly on two gorgeous dekes. The Bruins came out hard in the first, rang the iron a few times but also missed the net on quite a few chances in the first. David Krejci was his usual crafty self as well last night. He is masterful with the puck. He slows the game down so well and passing lanes just open up for him. He will most certainly have to be at the top of the list come the end of the season as he will be a free agent. The rest of the first line, Horton and Lucic, seemed a little rusty last night. Although Nathan was robbed by Timmonen while falling away but being blocked with a wide open net. They will certainly gel with time and have the makings of a top tier line in the NHL. Patrice Bergeron looks very prepped to be in the discussion for the Selke Trophy again this year. (Best defensive forward) He was a beast on the back check and did a great job in the neutral zone. Another positive was that the Bruins power play picked it up as the game went on against an elite team witha n aggressive penalty kill. They started off by scoring with the extra man, then went cold for 2 power plays in a row. Black and Gold nation was saying, "Here we go again." Luckily the undisciplined Flyers gave us a few more chances (thanks Wayne Simmonds) The B's had much better puck possession and chances in the 3rd on those power plays. They were cycling the puck well along the walls, and unlike Thomas Cabaret, I mean Kaberle, Joe Corvo is not afraid to let it fly from the blue line. Z, Corvo, Boychuk, Ference and McQuaid give the B's quite a few options from back there that can shoot.

It looks like Philly did a good job of getting that rock in net they needed in Ilya Bryzgalov. I think there big question mark is their defense. We all know at some point Chris Pronger will go down with an injury (especially as he isnt 100% right now) and that leaves them quite a bit short. I think they have the tools to make up for the goal scoring they traded away with Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Giroux, Van Riemsdyk, Jagr, Briere, Couturier, Read, and Voracek will do just fine lighting the lamp.

As expected, both teams had an incredible pace, but both seemed to lack the crispness we will see within a few weeks. We get Philly 3 more times this year, circle your calenders, as these teams seem to hate each other more as the year gets deeper. Now its time to revisit last years Eastern Conference Finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming to town Saturday night at 7:00. Be back here to get a recap and share some thoughts. Til next time!