Tag Archives: Adam McQuaid

Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers

Game Preview: Bruins vs Rangers

Leave a reply

The Boston Bruins will be facing the New York Rangers tonight at the TD Garden in their last game before the NHL All-Star break. After the game, Boston players will have the next eight days off (except for David Pastrnak).

After a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues this past Thursday night on home ice, the Bruins will be looking to get one more win and perhaps take over the second spot in the Atlantic Division. The B’s are on the heals of Toronto and with a win tonight, goaltender Tuukka Rask will be looking to make Bruins history as he would become the winningest goalie in franchise history.

Boston Bruins Tuukka Rask
(Photo Credits:: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports)

HOT IN THE NET

Currently Rask is on a hot streak with a 6-0-1 record and has a seven-game point streak. After having a tough start to the season, Rask has slowly surged back to reclaim the number one goalie spot. While there will always be naysayers in regards to the goalie situation in Boston, the Bruins really have had two great goalies on their roster. Despite his recent slump, Jaroslav Halak has certainly provided much needed help in net as Rask worked to get his groove back.

RETURN TO THE GARDEN

Former bruins D-Man Adam McQuiad
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)

For tonight’s game against the Blues, expect Rask to get the start in net. The Bruins are now 10-4-1 in their last 15 games played. In the first meeting between these two teams, fans will see the return of former Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who had been in Boston throughout his career up until last season when he was traded to New York. Tonight will mark his 486th NHL career game and first against the B’s.

Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

Another little side note: David Quinn, a native of Rhode Island, coached Charlie McAvoy at Boston University for two years. Quinn was a Terrier for three years before becoming the assistant coach and eventually becoming head coach in 2013. This past Spring, he stepped down to become the new head coach for the Rangers and will be returning to his old stomping grounds at the TD Garden. For McAvoy, tonight’s game will a special one:

“Couple guys who I’m really excited to see. Both guys are great friends of mine. (Quinn) he really molded me pretty well, allowed me to grow up while I was at school there, taught me a lot of life lessons on the ice…I’m thankful for the things that he taught me.

Charlie McAvoy
Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers
(Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

BROADWAY BLUES

New York will be coming off winning their last two game straight and beat Chicago this past Thursday 4-3. Their record is 20-20-7 while Boston is at 27-16-5. With the recent win over the Blackhawks, Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is now tied for 6th place for the NHL’s all-time wins (445). Forward Chris Kreider leads the team with 22 goals. Mika Zibanejad leads the team with 42 points and has 27 assists. The Ranger top line of Kreider, Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello have a combined 13 points in their last few games. They are 7-1 against the Bruins and have outscored them 26-12.

Here were this morning’s rushes for the Boston Bruins:

For the New York Rangers, here are there projected lines:

KREIDER-ZIBANEJAD-ZUCCARELLO

CHYTIL- STROME- FAST

VESEY- NIEVES- NAMESTNIKOV

MCLEOD- HOWDEN- BUCHNEVICH

STALL-DEANGELO

SKJEI- MCQUIAD

LINDGREN- SHATTENKIRK

LUNDQVIST

MAZANEC

WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH: Tonight with puck drop at 7:00 pm on NHLN, NESN, MSG

Adam McQuaid

Bruins Trade Adam McQuaid to New York

Leave a reply

As The Bruins gear up for their exhibition game in China, news hit that Boston officially traded defenseman Adam McQuaid to the New York Rangers. The news has hit social media and reactions have pretty much stated the same thing: the Bruins lost a tough player. For Coach Bruce Cassidy, this move felt a little more personal:

“It’s tough to see him go…10 years we’ve been together, going back to Providence. Today was a tough morning. We’ll miss him.”

With the trade, Boston has acquired defenseman Steven Kampfer, a 2019 fourth round pick, and a conditional 2019 seventh round pick. According to NBC’s Joe Haggerty, GM Don Sweeney “wasn’t worried about losing McQuaid’s toughness and fighting ability” as Boston has “team toughness.”

Image result for Adam Mcquaid fighting

Putting emotion aside, what exactly is Boston getting in losing a player that spent his entire 11 year career in Boston? McQuaid had one year left on his contract ($2.7 million). For the brass, that amount may have been a lot to pay for the 31-year-old player. With the amount of young guys and the depth being built up in Boston, McQuaid may not have had a regular spot on the roster. From a business perceptive, it makes sense to let go of a player like McQuaid, who’s been plagued with health issues over the season. It will also free up some cap space for the Bruins. But for many fans, losing someone like McQuaid is a tough sell.

LONE WOLF

Adam McQuaid

(Photo Credits: Don McPeak-USA Today Sports

Though he was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005, McQuaid was sent shipped out to Boston. There, he played in Providence for three seasons. He officially joined the varsity team in 2009. He became a solid, reliable blue-liner; McQuaid was there to not only help Rask out, but defend teammates when the need arose. He was also instrumental in helping Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011. He played throughout the series except for two games, ending with a plus 8 rating and four assists in 23 postseason games. McQuaid was good when the Bruins needed him. He played a career high of 77 games when he was healthy (healthy being the key word). Some quick NHL stats: McQuaid has played 462 games with 13 goals, 53 assists and 652 penalty minutes.

RETURN TO BOSTON

Image result for steven Kampfer

29 year old Kampfer returns to Boston having made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 2010-2011 season. He played in 38 games for Boston. The Bruins traded Kampfer to the Minnesota Wild in 2012 in exchange for Greg Zanon. Kampfer had also played for the Florida Panthers prior to being shipped to New York. For the Rangers, he netted one goal and two assists. Some quick stats: Kampfer has played appeared in 166 NHL games and 249 in the AHL.  At 5’11, 195 lbs., the defenseman will have his work cut out for him. He will likely spend time between Providence and Boston.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Boston is going to miss McQuaid, who was a big presence on the ice. As mentioned beforehand, with this move, Boston is saving some money (Kampfer also comes with a $650k cap hit). Quaider was one of the last tough guys who wasn’t afraid to drop his gloves or take a skate to the neck. And for the guys in the locker room, he was a great teammate. Sad to see you go Quaider and all the best in New York.

Once a Bruin, always a Bruin.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5riK4nPTEc&w=560&h=315]

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojfu69PNeqs&w=560&h=315]

What Should the Boston Bruins Do with Adam McQuaid?

Leave a reply

A mere six games into the season Adam McQuaid blocked a shot that ended up breaking his leg. The timeline for his return was 6-8 weeks, and sure enough here we sit with McQuaid just about ready to get back on the ice. But even though McQuaid is ready to return to the lineup Cassidy has chosen to leave him out of the lineup. So with the decision coming to a head what should the Bruins do with Adam McQuaid?

Embed from Getty Images

Grzelyck

The foundation of the Bruins this season is the promise of the young prospects up and down the roster. This season has been a huge step forward towards the future so far. However bringing Adam McQuaid back and playing him over a younger, more mistake prone, but also more talented defenseman, contradicts the entire theme of the season. Especially considering McQuaid would either take the place of Brandon Carlo or Matt Grzelyck, both of whom look like they are the future. Grzelyck has been a genuine difference maker on this team during his time with the big club. Since Cassidy inserted Grzelyck into the lineup the Bruins have been otherworldly, going 13-3-2.

While Cassidy has made the transition into the NHL easier for Grzelyck by not playing him in high pressure minutes. He has still shown exceptional skill and awareness in the minutes he has gotten. Grzelyck’s performance alone should be enough to keep McQuaid on the shelf for the rest of the season. Mainly because the next time the Bruins win a Stanley Cup Adam McQuaid will not be a factor in it.

Embed from Getty Images

Kevin Miller

The biggest asset of McQuaid’s game is his toughness and grit. But even that has lost its value to the Bruins with Kevin Miller on the roster. Miller has been playing exceptional hockey since be moved to the right side paired with Matt Grzelyck. Being his natural side, Miller is able to do much more offensively from the right side of the ice. Miller is able to use his pure strength to fight defenders off the puck and barrel through the neutral zone to add another element to the Bruins’ offense. On top of that Miller has shown time and time again he can drop the gloves with anyone in hockey.

At this point Miller is practically a more offensive and reliable Adam McQuaid. That leaves the veteran enforcer on the outside looking in for a top six defenseman spot on this team. The move is to obviously send Paul Postma to the AHL and keep McQuaid as a solid seventh defenseman heading into the new year. The only question is if McQuaid will be willing to sit on the bench in a backup role.

Healthy Bruins Look Dangerous

Leave a reply

Healthy Bruins

The Bruins are fully healthy, and look dominant! In their last 10 games, the Bruins scorecard stands at  6-3-1.  In their last six,  5-1-0.

Injuries

The Bruins welcomed David Backes, Ryan Spooner, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork back to the lineup last week. Even with the Bruins finally healthy, they still don’t have key players Jake DeBrusk (upper body), and Adam McQuaid (broken leg).  McQuaid has recently started skating again, which is a great sign. However, DeBrusk remains on IR with an upper body injury. When the Bruins get Quaider and DeBrusk back, I believe they will have an excellent season, and possibly a playoff run.

Recent Games

In recent games, they have beaten the reigning Stanley Cup Champions 4-3, and the leagues top team, Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2. The most recent win for the Bruins took place in Saturday’s matinee game in Philadelphia, with a 3-0 win. The Bruins are back in action tonight in Nashville, where they take on the Predators at 8:00 PM ET.

Goaltenders

Bruins number one goalie, Tuukka Rask, appears to be returning to form. Rask has posted back to back wins against the Bolts, and the Flyers. Against the Flyers, Rask stopped all 28 shots he faced, to earn his first shutout of the season. Bruins backup, Anton Khudobin, has also been stellar this season. He holds a record of 7-0-2, with a 2.22 GAA. This is the 4th best in the league among goaltenders. Dobby also holds a solid 0.932 SV%, which is tied for 2nd in the league with Vasilevskiy of the Lighting. With Rask winning his last 2 games, I would have thought the Bruins would roll with him against Nashville. However, it appears that Khudobin is confirmed to start in goal for the B’s Monday. This is still a good decision, based on how good he’s been so far this season.

Standings

The Bruins are currently 1 point behind the Montreal Canadians for the 3rd spot in the Atlantic division. They have four games in hand on the Habs, should easily win some of those games, and surpass the Canadians. The Bruins are 7 point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, and also have four games in hand on them. If the Bruins can keep winning like they have recently, I see no issue with them making the postseason for the second time in as many years.

The Road Ahead

The road ahead for the Bruins is going to be tough. The Bruins play the Preds tonight. They will get another two day break, they have a had a lot of those this season. They are back in action Thursday, in Boston, where the face the Arizona Coyotes. After that, the Bruins play the red hot New York Islanders, who are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. Then off for three nights, they then play the Red Wings next Wednesday, and Capitals the very next night. It’s not going to be easy for the Bruins, but if they can continue to stay healthy, they will be fine.

 

 

Bruins Slowly Getting Healthy

Leave a reply

The Bruins are off to an average start this season despite being decimated with injuries. They hold a record of 9-7-4 for a total of 20 points. They’ve been without Bergeron, Krejci, Spooner, Backes, Marchand, McQuaid, Krug, Bjork, and Tuukka Rask at some point this season. Bergeron, Krejci, and Rask have all returned to the lineup full time.

Reinforcements on the Way

With some key players still missing from the lineup it looks like the Bruins are going to get a boost to their lineup very soon. Ryan Spooner, David Backes, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand all practiced Tuesday. Spooner was a full participant in the practice while Backes, Marchand, and Krug all wore non-contact jerseys. With Spooner being a full participant in practice, the Bruins could see Spooner back in the lineup as early as Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. If Spooner isn’t ready to go Wednesday he will get another chance in Friday’s afternoon tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brad Marchand took some light contact during practice but it still appears he wont be ready to go tomorrow. Krug and Bjork are also both out for Wednesday’s game.

Transactions

The Bruins also recalled defenseman Matt Grzelcyk from Providence on Tuesday. So it looks like he man suit up for the Bruins maybe instead of Postma or O’Gara.

Scary When Healthy

I think when the Bruins get all these key players back they will be a force to be reckoned with. The lineup looks pretty deep down the middle and also pretty solid on the wing.

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

Heinen-Krejci-Backes

DeBrusk-Spooner-Bjork

Beleskey-Nash-Accari

As you probably notice these probably wont be the exact forward line we will see when healthy. However I think this third line of DeBrusk, Spooner, and Bjork would be a killer third line and a very fast one as well. You also notice that I have Heinen on the second forward line. Heinen has put up 4 goals and 6 assists for a total of 10 points in 15 games. Heinen is on pace for 55 points this season and has proven that he deserves to be here. I think if he plays alongside some more skilled players like Krejci and Backes, he will score more and become a great player in the NHL.

Chara-McAvoy

Krug-Carlo

Miller-McQuaid

Rask

Khudobin

With the goalie controversy heating up, I think the Bruins need to ride Khudobin until he loses. He hasn’t yet lost a game in regulation. He holds an impressive record of 5-0-2 with a GAA of 2.17 and a SV% of .935. With Rask really struggling so far this season I believe it’s time to let Khudobin play a few more games. By doing this maybe Rask will realize he’s got to be better and will start performing better.

The Road Ahead

The Bruins have a tough schedule ahead facing a red hot New Jersey Devils team, the defending cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Connor McDavid and the Oilers. The Bruins need to continue playing how they have been through all these injuries for the time being.

 

From Bad to Worse for the Bruins

Leave a reply

With the Bruins only five game into this young season, they have posted a 2-3-0 record. The Bruins have been good in their two wins this season, but horrendous in the three losses they have suffered.

The team has been without assistant captains Patrice Bergeron and David Backes to start the season, but both have resumed skating this week and look to be close to a return. Bergeron has been out with a lower body injury, and Backes with Diverticulitis. It’s a good sign seeing these two skating and looking to soon make a return.

The injuries just keep coming

When things were just starting to look better, the Bruins were hit with more injuries. Third line center-man, Ryan Spooner, was injured in Sunday’s loss against Vegas. Spooner is going to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks with a groin tear. He had previously been playing through the issue, which tore in Sunday’s game. Spooner wasn’t the only player to be injured in that game. D-man Adam McQuaid, was injured after taking a slap shot off the side of his knee from Colin Miller. McQuaid was able to participate in Wednesday’s practice, and hasn’t been ruled out for tonight game against the Canucks.

Rask leaves practice

Bruins starting goalie Tuukka Rask has had a shaky start to the season. Rask currently holds a record of 1-3-0, has a SV% of .882 and a GAA of 3.30. Rask left Wednesday’s practice after rookie, Anders Bjork, ran into him during a drill. “It was a fast play. I don’t even know what happened” said Bjork. The Bruins haven’t given an update on Rask, but the Bruins have called up young goaltender, Zane McIntyre. It looks like Rask may miss some time. Hopefully Rask isn’t out too long, the Bruins need him to be successful in the lineup in order for them to win games.

Backes could return Thursday

According to Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, David Backes is closer to returning tonight than Bergeron. Having Backes back would be a tremendous boost to the Bruins young forward group. Backes adds size, power and a veteran presence. If able to play tonight against the Canucks, he could potentially play between Marchand and Bjork on the top line. This would allow Bruins center-man, Riley Nash, to move down in the lineup where he is more effective.

Bruins need wins now

With the Bruins currently 2-3-0, they are tied for fifth in the Atlantic division, with the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabers. The Bruins have two games in hand, but are seven points behind the division leaders, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins need to start catching up now rather than later. The Atlantic Division is very good this season, with the Leafs, Lightning and Red Wings all playing excellent hockey. If the Bruins want to compete with the other teams in the division, they better start now.

 

Bruins Exit Weekend With Two of Four Points

Leave a reply

The Bruins looked solid on Saturday night in the desert with a 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes. The same can’t be said for the Bruins on Sunday as the Boston fell to the Golden Knights 3-1. The Bruins are off until Thursday when they take the ice in Boston to host the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday in Arizona

The Bruins really impressed on Saturday night skating to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Rookie Anders Bjork recorded his first career NHL goal.  Jake DeBrusk scored his second of the season and added an assist in the game. Some more noticeable Bruins on Saturday included Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Tim Schaller, and Danton Heinen.  The most outstanding Bruin on the night was captain Zdeno Chara.  Registering his first goal of the season in the second period, Chara added two helpers. Marchand scored a nifty backhand goal off a slick pass from David Pastrnak., who also added an assist in the game. Tim Schaller scored for the second straight game for the Bruins. Recent call up Danton Heinen got credit for two assists.

Dobby impresses

Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin got the start on Saturday night and played well enough to earn his first win of the season. Khudobin stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced against the struggling Coyotes. The Bruins needed Khudobin to step up for them with starter Tuukka Rask struggling, and he certainly did. With the Bruins wanting to rest Rask longer more this season, Khudobin will have to win some games.  He has proven he is the man for the job after watching him this preseason, and in this game.

”The ‘W’ is always great. No matter what the score, whether it’s 8-6 or 9-7. If you win then you win. Nobody talks about losers. Everybody talks about winners, right?” said Khudobin. “If you win, then you’re on the horse, and if you don’t then you’re under it. It’s great to get one at the start of the season, and so now hopefully it’s not going to roll like it did last year.”

Sunday in Vegas

The Bruins had a disappointing game on Sunday as they fell to the leagues newest team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Bruins managed to get only 23 shots on their old teammate Malcolm Subban. If the Bruins want to win games they will need to generate more shots on net. They must stop being so fancy all the time and just keep it simple to get those greasy goals. If the Bruins focus more on this, they will score more goals and win more hockey games. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played fairly well in the game by stopping 23 of 25 shots that he faced.

The Bruins lone goal scorer on Sunday was David Pastrnak, who banked the puck off the Vegas defender in the final minute of the game. Brad Marchand who continues to put up points assisted Pastrnak’s goal. Rookie Charlie McAvoy also got an assist on the goal as well which now gives him assists in the last two games.

Injuries

The Bruins lost Ryan Spooner and Adam Mcquaid on Sunday due to injuries. I am unsure what happened to Spooner, but he is out with a lower body injury. Mcquaid, took a slap shot from ex-eammate Colin Miller off the side of his leg which didn’t look pretty.

Whats next?

The Bruins get four days off before their next match up at home against the Vancouver Canucks. If the Bruins want to make it to the postseason again this year, they have to improve — fast. They won’t make the playoffs as a 500 team. They need to put up points and do it now.  Boston may get a boost to their lineup on Thursday with Patrice Bergeron close to returning. I really hope Bergy gets back on the ice soon as a very important player on this team.