A Running Period-by-Period Glance At Bruins vs. Capitals Game 1

After a long, grueling regular season the Bruins and Capitals open up their second season tonight in Boston. The season where legends are born, Tim Thomas, and champions are crowned, 2010-2011 Boston Bruins. After winning the Northeast Division and ending the regular season north of 100 points the Bruins were awarded the 2 seed in the East and home ice advantage in round 1 against the perpetually underachieving Washington Capitals and superstar forward Alex Ovechkin. During the regular season the Caps took 3 out of 4 matchups winning the last 2 after splitting the first 2. During tonight’s game I’ll be giving a breakdown of my thoughts on what’s going on down and what I think is going to happen moving forward at the TD Bank Garden after each period. Enjoy ladies and gents.

End of Period 1: Washington 0  Boston 0

After one period of play the Bruins and Capitals are deadlocked at 0-0. Here are my thoughts, some reflections some streamlines, on what I witnessed during the first 20 minutes of playoff hockey:

-The Bruins did a good job of controlling possession and the tempo of the game throughout the first 20 minutes. Outshot the Caps 9-5.

-Rookie goaltender Braden Holtby has risen to the occasion so far befuddling the Bruins offensive attacks.

-On the other end of the ice Tim Thomas has been solid as usual only allowing two really good attempts by the Capitals, one was a loose puck scramble and the other was a tough angle shot by Alexander Semin.

-Shawn Thorton has been flying all over the ice including two big hits that he’s dished out. Great energy from the 4^th line.

-The captain Zdeno Chara has been doing a good job of keeping Alex Ovechkin in check with his physical play. On one shift Chara chipped Ovechkin around center ice and then Dennis Seidenberg buried him into the corner boards and kept him there.

-David Krejci got rung up for the first penalty of the game with a boarding penalty on Dennis Wideman at the 12:54 mark giving the dangerous, though occasionally enigmatic, Capitals power play an opportunity. On that power play the Capitals looked ugly, couldn’t establish the zone and only got off one shot on Timmy.

-Roughly 5 and a half minutes later David Krejci draws a double minor on Jay Beagle for a high stick that drew blood. Krejci won the faceoff, got tripped up by Beagle, and then Beagle popped him in the nose with the butt end of his stick drawing blood and a 4 minute minor. Bruins power play gets their first opportunity on the power play to end the first and start the second period. The portion before the break was ugly with the Bruins finding it hard to establish the zone just as Washington had a few minutes earlier.

-Per usual Patrice Bergeron did a magnificent job in the faceoff circle setting the tone by consistently winning the draw.

A quick check on the other Eastern Conference matchup (#1 Ranges vs. #8 Senators) shows the Rangers up 1-0 after the 1^st. For the second period I’d like to think that the Bruins are going to finally break through and put one on the board against the Capitals and their inexperience, rookie goaltender but don’t count out the Capitals offense lighting the lamp either. Now, back to the action!

End of Period 2: Washington 0  Boston 0

After two periods of play the teams are still deadlocked in a scoreless pitchers duel. Here’s the breakdown.

-Bruins again dominated play throughout the entire 2^nd period chalking up roughly 4+ minutes of power play time but couldn’t break through. Bruins are outshooting the Caps 25-7 overall and 17-2 in the 2^nd period alone. The crowd seemed to be getting pretty anxious/nervous by the end of that period. Washington is doing a great job hanging around and as coaches always say if you let a lesser team hang around too long they will strike and steal the game.

-The Bruins power play moved the puck efficiently and quickly during their first stretch on the power play but again Holtby was a stonewall in front of the Capitals net. Bruins can’t seem to figure him out. On one play Peverley skated in front all alone then got stoned by Holtby collected his rebound and was again turned away by the rookie goalie.

-The Capitals did a great job killing off the Beagle double minor only to have Troy Brouwer get called for a delay of game penalty that he argued deflected of Tyler Seguin before getting up and out of play. Try again Brouwer the replay showed that you missed hitting Seguin by about a foot. Bruins did a great job of moving the puck at the end of the double minor but looked shoddy on their next power play attempt. Holtby standing on his head considering at the 10:00 mark of the second mark the Bruins are outshooting the Caps 10-0 in the 2^nd.

-Again during the 2^nd period the Bruins sent out Chara and Seidenberg to rough up Ovechkin. Seidenberg landed a big hit around center ice on Ovechkin sending him sprawling against the half wall while simultaneously sending himself back onto his own ass. It looked like Seidenberg actually got the brunt of the hit but the point got across that he’s going to throw his weight around against the Caps star winger.

-Throughout the middle portion of the period there was some intense back and forth hockey with good saves by both goalies.

-You know who’s been playing a hell of a game tonight? Brian Rolston. He looks rejuvenated and is clearly thrilled to be playing in a playoff game.

-Bergeron fed Paille all alone in front of Holtby but again Holtby was tall to the task.

-Krejci and Carlson got into a little scrum after Krejci bumped into and knocked over Holtby leading to a mini breakout between the two teams. In the end Krejci and Carlson are both hauled off for 2 minutes. The intensity that both teams are bringing to the table finally shows itself in true hockey form. Shortly into the 4 on 4 Washington takes another penalty allowing the Bruins a rare 4 on 3. Bruins get great puck movement throughout the 4 on 3 but again Holtby and the Caps defense stands strong and leave the crowd restless. Holtby appears to be building a Berlin wall style brickhouse in front of the Capitals net.

-Capitals have had unlimited opportunites with Ovechkin yet to get off a shot on Timmy Thomas.

Another check on the Rangers/Senators has the Rangers up 4-1 in the 3^rd. Onto the 3^rd period of action between the Caps and Bruins with the Bruins carrying the momentum but the Capitals hanging tough and still in a good position to strike a stake into the Bruins heart.

End 3rd: Washington 0  Bruins 0

Three periods in the books and the Bruins and Capitals are in a dead heat. Nobody has put one on the board yet overtime here we come! Recap of the 3^rd.

-The Capitals came out of the locker room after a sluggish first two periods full of energy and absolutely dominated possession for the entire first part of the period. The Bruins didn’t clear the puck and get a stoppage in play until under 17 minutes to go. One problem with the stoppage that occurred is that it was because of a cross check by Big Z at the 3:12 mark of the 3^rd. Huge opportunity for the Capitals power play to break the deadlock and put them on top early in the 3^rd.

-On the subsequent power play Tim Thomas made a HUGE SAVE on Alex Ovechkin. Sliding across the crease left to right mirroring the pass as it made its way onto Ovechkins stick below the right circle. Big save to keep the Caps and 8 off the board. Thomas again for the second straight postseason proves that a team’s best penalty killer more times than not is its goalkeeper.

-After another sluggish 5 or 6 minutes the Bruins finally turn up the heat with around 9 minutes to go. Great offensive zone pressure leads to Joe Corvo panging one off the right post as Holtby attempted to get deep in his net. Closest call of the night for either time as the iron rang true. Thomas continued to hold strong on the other end of the night as he looks to be getting into a rhythm.

-Ovechkin is trying to get out into space but Chara and Seidenberg refuse to give him any space to work in. He’s being bottled up pretty good tonight by the Bruins top defensive pairing.

-Capitals respond to the Bruins energy burst with one of their own led by Holtby keeping the Bruins off the board after Kelly came in riding the defender on Holtby’s left but couldn’t bring it back to his forehand. When he tried to slide it back to his forehand for a quick shot the puck exploded on him and Pouliot was making a rush to the net but just wasn’t in position in time to stuff it home. Big opportunity missed by the Spoked B.

-Bruins are trying to absorb the blows being delivered by the Capitals here in the 3^rd period after basically being in a complete defensive shell the first 2 period. This looks like a different Capitals team offensively putting pressure on the Bruins D and skating into space. Bruins though seem to still be getting the better scoring chances between Corvo, Kelly, and a centering pass by Seguin that fell on emptiness as neither Bergeron nor Marchand could get in a clean net drive to stuff home the pass.

-As the period neared its end Thomas once again appeared to working up a sweat and getting into a good rhythm as he stonewalled the Capitals forwards and did his best Braden Holtby impression. On the other end of the ice Holtby is doing it all for the Caps.

-That’s the end of the period and we are headed to overtime!

Final check on the Rangers/Senators shows the Rangers chalking up a 4-2 win. No surprise there. The Bruins decided to save their sloppiest period for last but luckily the Capitals weren’t able to capitalize on the Bruins being awestruck throughout the first 10 minutes of the period. Capitals outshoot the Bruins 9-3 in the period. Bruins hold a 29-16 shot advantage through regulation.

Final: Washington 0 Boston 1 ---- Bruins lead the Series 1-0

Onto overtime let’s see what the Bruins and Capitals can provide for extra entertainment.

-GOALLLLLLL!!!! Chris Kelly takes the breakout pass from Benoit Pouliot after Tim Thomas made a huge save on a Capitals one-on-one, Rolston gathered the rebound found Pouliot who looked up and found Kelly. Kelly came down the left side on Holtby’s right, wound up, and fired off a wicked slap shot from just above the circle. Holtby had come out to cut down the angle but there was no stopping Kelly’s blast. It beat Holtby glove side high putting the Bruins on the board 1-0 and giving them the early advantage in this best of 7 series. Goal came 1:18 into overtime and didn’t leave much time for anything else to happen. Thomas save, Rolston lead pass, Pouliot finds Kelly, Kelly shoots he scores. That about sums up overtime. Going back to the beginning of last postseason the Bruins are now 5-1 in games that have gone into overtime with their only loss coming in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Vancouver Canucks.

There you have it folks my live feed of how I felt the game was going from period to period. The Bruins get the hard fought win and take a 1-0 lead with a home ice win in game 1. Capitals put up a hell of a fight though and I don’t see them going away easily they’ll give the hometown Bruins a run for their money it should be a great series from game 1 through game 7, if it goes that long and as a Bruin fan I hope it doesn’t.

Until we cross paths again…GO BRUINS!!

Geoff Jablonski

Bruins Struggle to Light the Lamp Through 8 Games

After the first two and half weeks of the 2011-12 season the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins are 4^th in the Northeast division and 12^th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 3-5-0 (6 pts). The problem with the Bruins through the first 8 games of the season is obvious: the offense hasn’t shown up on a consistent basis. The lack of potted goals can be attributed to a few factors namely a poor power play unit for the second straight year, an early ‘lower body’ injury to offensive magician David Krejci, and basically zero production from the 4^th line that last year in the playoffs stepped up huge and produced on the offensive and defensive ends.  Probably the only thing keeping the Bruins out of the NHL offensive basement is the play of budding superstar C/RW Tyler Seguin (we’ll get back to him shortly).

The Bruins team offensive stat line currently sits at 2.3 goals per game, 12.5% on the power play, and a collective -6. Out of the 30 team NHL the Bruins rank 21^st in GPG and 22^nd in PP% - not good nor championship worthy. The Bruins have had their opportunities on the power play racking up almost 30 attempts thru 8 games the problem is that they just can’t execute with only 4 power play tallies and even that stat is skewed by 2 power play goals in the 1^st period against the Maple Leafs last week. A healthy Krejci on the man advantage should help the Bruins efficiency go up but as an entire unit everyone needs to step up get pucks on the net and scrap for rebounds. The main thing missing from the Bruins power play unit is someone with the ability to cycle the puck from behind the net a la Joe Thornton or, for fans of the greatest to ever play, Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky. I think that Seguin can be that guy but he’s only 19 and not quite ready to carry the team in all facets of the game yet. Until then the unit will continue to struggle unless Krejci channels the David Krejci who looked like one of the best players in the world during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver playing for the Czech Republic. As a Bruins fan I hope/think that Krejci will get healthy and help breathe life into the Bruins zombie-esque power play unit.

Speaking of Tyler Seguin he appears to have taken a HUGE leap forward in his 2^nd full season with the Bruins after being the 2^nd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. Last year Seguin got last in coach Claude Julien’s defensive minded system and only posted 22 points (11 G, 11 A) in 74 games. After showing commitment to the defensive end of the ice towards the end of last year and thru the playoffs Julien has taken off the reins and let Seguin’s offensive prowess show through. As evident by his play as a spark plug against the Lightning in the Conference Finals last year Seguin has the ability to be a primetime C for years to come. This year he’s leading the Bruins in goals (3), assists (6), points (9), and plus/minus (+7). That +7 is good for #1 in the NHL as well. He’s also second on the team with 27 shots on net 1 behind Patrice Bergeron’s 28. The best part is that again he’s only 19 and is going to continue his ascend to the top of the NHL’s talent mountain. He’s done all he can to put points on the board for the Bruins the only problem is he’s been alone for most of the year.

Now that I’ve gushed for a solid paragraph about Seguin let’s talk about the lack of presence from the 4^th, grinder line of Shawn Thornton-Gregory Campbell-Daniel Paille. The grinder line isn’t meant to put up a ton of points but they are supposed to play the other teams top line even and wear down the other team thru tough shifts helping to set up the scoring lines. This line last year was key throughout the Bruins run to the Cup. Thornton and Campbell specifically were instrumental in shutting down the other teams top line and even bringing some offense to the table helping set up the whole rest of the team. Again any offensive production from the 4^th line is gravy but the plus/minus rating of the 4^th line tends to tell the story of how they’re doing and this units combine plus/minus is -10. That’s all you need to know. The three have combined to score 1 goal (Paille), record 0 assists, and only take 24 shots. They aren’t shutting down the other teams top lines nor are they bringing any offense to the rink. I’ll take one or the other really and in my opinion that’ll partially help jumpstart the Bruins stagnant, dormant offense.

Another thing that the Bruins appear to lack on offense outside of Krejci and Seguin is creativity. The Black and Gold as a whole are more straight line and stone handed (Milan Lucic) than offensive wizard. None of the lines can create a goal from nothing for the most part though Nathan Horton possess the ability to score at will he just has to channel his inner 40 goal scorer. A little bit of creativity will go a long way in helping the Bruins solve their offensive woes.

So what do we have for solutions to the Bruins offensive struggles going forward? David Krejci getting healthy, the power play getting pucks on the net and cycling, the 4^th line getting back to doing what they did last year, and a little bit more zest and creativity in the offensive zone. If the Spoked B can follow my simple recipe for offensive success I think you’re looking at a team worthy of getting back to the Conference Finals with their already airtight defense and goaltending. A little bit of offense will go a long way for this group of B’s on Causeway.

Geoff Jablonski

Meet Your Defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins

The honeymoon is over Bruins fans the 2011-2012 season has begun and the NHL will crown a new champion in June unless the Black and Gold can defend their crown. Remember fondly though last year when the ageless wonder and proud catamount Tim Thomas told the puck club and all the bandwagon fans to hop on his back from April thru June and brought home the Cup for the spoked B for the first time in 39 years. Last year the Bruins rode a hot goaltender, spectacular team defense from the backline to the forwards, the pesky play of Brad Marchand, the wizardy of David Krejci to the summit. The question for this year is will all of those things continue to happen for the entire 2011-12 season? The Bruins had holes during the season and playoffs last year stemming from their inability to score on the power play (thanks a lot Tomas Fagerle) and get a consistent effort from their top ‘scoring’ line. If the Bruins can get a consistent scoring effort from their top two lines the defense will continue to be solid led by Big Z and the emergence of Dennis Seidenberg and the goaltending pair of Thomas and Tuukka Rask is arguably the best in the NHL (Vancouver gave up the least goals in the league last year but we all saw the true Roberto Luongo last year. Guy is like a wet paper bag come crunch time.). Enough about this jibber jab lets take a look at this years roster from top to bottom.

Forwards

Centers: David Krejci (currently injured), Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly, Greg Campbell, Tyler Seguin is a natural C and is most comfortable there but he’s been playing on the wing for the better part of his young career

Wingers: Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Rich Peverley, Jordan Caron, Shawn Thornton, Daniel Paille, and Benoit Pouliot

The key to their entire offense is the top line of Lucic-Krejci-Horton. Last year Lucic found his scoring touch potting 30 goals but he got away from what made him dominant the prior years: his Cam Neely tendency to get into a fight, slam someone into the boards, grab the puck and pot a goal. The Bruins had their best scoring line in years when Savard was feeding Kessel with Lucic keeping people off of them allowing the true playmakers to do just that. I’d be content with his taking a backseat on the goal scoring if it meant keeping the ice clean for Krejci and Horton. Horton is a scorer thru and thru. He shoots in volume and is accurate. The Marchand-Bergeron-Peverley line has been the most consistent early in the season (4^th game is tonight) with Bergeron being the team’s best centerman, Marchand driving the other team nuts with his effort, and Peverley can do both. Campbell and Kelly do a great job of centering the Bruins bottom 2 lines. They don’t bring much offense to the table but they are two of the best defensive forwards in the league and are dynamite on the penalty kill. As far as the power play is concerned Krejci and/or Seguin need to step up and be the playmaker along the halfboard a la Marc Savard. The power play will continue to stall until one of them steps up.

Defenseman

Pairings: Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk-Andrew Ference, Joe Corvo-Adam McQuaid with Matt Bartowski and Steven Kampfer (currently on injured reserve) waiting in the wings

Big Z is rock solid and has been for years. He’s one of the top 3 defenseman in the league and is the heart and soul of the Boston Bruins. He’s 6’9” of defensive stalwart. Last year in the playoffs Dennis Seidenbeg raised his hand and became the first guy in a while to be able to consistently play alongside Big Z. I vote that he continues to be that same guy this year that he was last year in the playoffs giving the Bruins solid defense and a smattering of offensive contribution. The big editiong in the offseason was Joe Corvo from Carolina who swapped places with Tomas Kaberle signing a three-year deal with the Hurricanes (morons that’ll bite em in the ass sooner before later). The Bruins basically paid the Maple Leafs back for the Phil Kessel deal when they traded for Tomas Kaberle at the deadline last year. The prevailing thought was that Kaberle’s bounty soft hands would lead to better passes and ignite the Bruins pitiful power play. Wrong. The power play still sucked and Kaberle was constantly out of position but can’t really complain because the Bruins ended up hoisting the Cup in the end. Hopefully Corvo’s big blast from the point and ability to take a shot at any time will help elevate the Bruins power play. The Bruins will be solid all around defensively thanks to the coaching of Claude Julien. Julien doesn’t know dick about offense but the man has a great defensive scheme and he has for years. The defense will not suffer a Stanley Cup hangover you can be sure of that.

Goaltenders

Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask

This pairing was solid all year last year and has been for the past two years. Expect to see Tuukka Rask a little more this year to help keep Thomas fresh for the stretch run and the playoffs. He’s going to be 38 and after winning his 2^nd Vezina Trophy in 3 years the Bruins want to keep him in top shape to help the cause. Rask is a future number 1, which he was just two years ago while Thomas was injured. The kid can play and will provide great backup insurance hell he’s not even a backup he’s a 1a. Not much else to say other than the Bruins are going to be solid in net all year.

OUTLOOK

The Bruins have a solid team from top to bottom but unless David Krejci steps up to the level he played at in the 2010 Winter Olympics or Tyler Seguin blossoms this year into the superstar he’s bound to be the offense will struggle to put points on the board. They’ll win their fair share though with their defensive system and goaltending being elite. They might have trouble taking down the Sabres or Canadiens for the division but they will definitely be suiting up in April and May for the playoffs but I don’t see a second Stanley Cup coming down the pipe this year.

Prediction: 42-30-10 (94 pts) good for 2^nd in the Northeast Division and the 5^th seed in the Eastern Conference.