After the recent NHL combine that’s was held in Buffalo, NY, many prospective draft picks were closely monitored. The Boston Bruins interviewed close to 80 potential players, but one thing has been lurking on GM Don Sweeney’s mind: to get the first round pick back. As we near the June 22nd NHL draft day, there’s been a lot of rumblings throughout the organization on possible trades for the upcoming season. Let’s take a closer look at some of those rumors.
OPEN MARKET
For the Bruins, getting the higher draft pick position back will be difficult. Another question facing Boston: who should they keep? One name that’s being brought up is Rick Nash. He missed the last 12 regular season games and in the playoff run, recorded three goals and two assists on 39 shots. With limited internal options, Sweeney looks to re-sign Nash, perhaps on a deal that would be cap friendly:
“ Rick indicated when he came to Boston that he was excited about the opportunity. He wants to win… wants an opportunity to win. He felt badly and certainly he’s not responsible for this, because he got injured. It took away a little juice from him..I think..from a size and puck protection standpoint, he gave us something that was maybe missing in that regard.”
ELSEWHERE
Austin Czarnik, who spent most of his career in AHL with Providence , is starting to look elsewhere. But the Bruins are still open in talks with the young center.
“ We certainly haven’t closed the door. I don’t think he has as well, but I would be surprise if he doesn’t get to at least see what may present itself as options for him”
And there’s the sticky situation with RFA’s Matt Grzelcyk and Sean Kuraly. Sweeney and the Bruins will try to avoid arbitration with the two players, who have had a pretty gritty 2017-2018 season.
WHAT’S UP WITH TOREY KRUG
There ‘s no question that Krug is a pretty good defenseman. He may be small in stature at 5”9, but STATS don’t lie. 52 goals in 398 games with 183 assists garnering a total of 235 career points. If the rumors are true, the Oilers are looking to trade Oscar Klefbom who, (when healthy) can add some much-needed even strength. Again, if you look at numbers, Klefbom has played 255 games and posted 24 goals garnering 94 points. Klefbom’s defense abilities and puck read were problematic this year so I’m not entirely convinced trading Krug for Klefbom would a great add to the Bruins roster. Now if the Bruins can somehow secure Carolina’s Noah Hanifin, that could potentially beef up their defense-something that Boston needs.
ALL ABOUT DEFENSE
At 6’3 , 205lbs, Boston Native Noah Hanifin would add the extra height for the Bruins defense. He had his best season in Carolina last year, scoring 10 goals with 22 assists. But if you’re going to go after top-notch talent, you ‘re going to have to give up something and for the Bruins that means letting some of their young talent go elsewhere. Right now, Boston has an enviable system where they have a flourishing amount of players coming up. But would that also include letting go of someone like Krug to sweeten the deal?
FROM NHL TO KHL BACK TO NHL
Lastly, another huge rumor involving the Bruins is the possible signing of left winger Ilya Kovalchuk. The 35 year old Russian native has spent a handful of years in the KHL and is looking to make the jump back in the NHL. recently, he has had talks with the San Jose Sharks and the LA Kings. Although, no one is expecting him to play the same way when he was with New Jersey, he did garner 63 points in 53 games, along with potting 31 goals. And at 6’3, 230 pounds, he could be the BIG body that the Krecji/DeBrusk line need. He can certainly work the net and skate well, but would signing a 35-year-old be worth it? If it was a short-term type of deal, it could be worth pursuing, but we’ll have to wait until July 1st when he becomes available.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The bar is set pretty high for the 2018-2019 season and the Bruins need to make decisions. In a perfect setting, Boston would sign every single player they have, but as the story goes, it’s just not the reality. Every hockey analyst will be watching the NHL draft in Dallas next week and the Black and Gold will be looking making some important moves.
For more info, follow Liz Rizzo on Twitter @pastagrll88
The Bruins hope to take Game 2 tonight in the same fashion they took Game 1: by dominating one of the best teams in hockey in all three zones. Heading into this series the Bruins were considered the underdog, with many expecting the Lightning to handle them. But the B’s took it right to the number one seed in the conference, playing their best game of the playoffs. Now let’s take a look at what it’s going to take for the Bruins to take a commanding 2-0 heading back to Boston.
En route to a 6-2 beat down of the Bolts, “the perfection line” was, well, perfect. The Marchand/Bergeron/Pastranak line reminded the Bolts why they are the best line in hockey. The Lightning’s top line of J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov gives the team an edge against just about any other line in hockey. Except for the fact that on the other end Bergeron is heading a historically good line. In Game 1, the trio combined for 11 points, torching the Bolts in all facets of the game. Marchand scored and added three assists, Bergeron potted two goals and added a helper, while Pastranak dished out four assists continuing his phenomenal start to the postseason.
This was the best way for the Bruins to play defense against J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts’ top line was a minus -4 with only seven shots on goal. The Bolts are going to come out with a lot of passion in Game 2, and the Bruins have to be mindful of the elite talent of Stamkos and Kucherov. Let’s see if the Lightning can find an answer to a problem no other team has been able to.
It’s amazing how much can change from game to game in hockey. In Game 7, when the Bruins were down 4-3, people were calling for Tuukka Rask to never start another game for the B’s. Now less than a week later, Rask just played one of his more impressive games of the season. That’s how fine the line is when you have a goalie like Rask. He needs to be engaged into every single play fighting for every single puck. When Rask is emotionally engaged he never misses an angle and makes it look effortless.
Maybe the most promising thing from Rask was after he lost his skate blade. Rask was noticeably furious throwing his broken blade against the boards. This is exactly what we need to see from Rask: some fire and fight to his game. Do not be fooled by Game 1; Tampa can flat out score and Tuukka needs to play like an elite goaltender for the B’s to win the series.
In Game 2, the Lightning are going to come out firing on all cylinders in the first period. The Bruins are going to have to weather the storm in Tampa. Rask is going to have to be ready to be able to make some big time saves tonight. The question is which Rask is going show up: Game 7 Tuukka or Game 1 Tuukka?
Throughout his career Rick Nash has been snake bit in the playoffs. Nash only put up two points in round one against Toronto. In Game 1, Nash matched his point production from the first round, scoring two goals, and was one of the best players on the ice. Nash is one of the keys to this series. Everyone knows how good the top line is, but the Bruins need their second line to be dominant. On Saturday, everyone saw why it is so important that this line produces. Now that Nash has some confidence going and has put a couple past a Vezina candidate, the B’s must continue to feed the awoken giant. Nash can tip the balance in this series. All eyes will be on him in Game 2.
In the third period Jake Debrusk showed why this Bruins team has made it this far. He took a high hit, got right back up blocked a shot. Then, he out hustled everyone on the ice to make a diving clear of the puck. Seeing Debrusk hobble back to the bench showed what this kid and this team is made of. Later in the period Debrusk was rewarded with his sixth goal of the postseason. That is what it’s going to take to win the Stanley Cup.
Heading into their first round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, many were expecting a competitive series. Two games in, and it’s been anything but that as the Bruins hold a 2-0 series lead. In their first two matchups, the Bruins have outscored the Leafs 12-4 at TD Garden. The Bruins emasculated the Leafs in Game 2, with Pastranak going between the legs in front of the Leafs goal. Right now, the Maple Leafs are in a tight spot heading back to Toronto its do or die for them in Game 3. But let’s take a look at some of the reasons the Bruins have embarrassed the Leafs up to this point:
The Bruins have been men among boys against Toronto up to this point. Everyone knew that Toronto had issues on the back end coming into the series. But no one thought it would look this bad. The Bruins are doing whatever they want wherever they want on the ice right now, and Toronto cannot do anything about it. Backes and Nash in particular have been a problem down low for the Leafs, because they just cannot match that type of physically dominating player. We have seen this in both games, with both of them scoring a goal right on top of the blue paint. It’s getting to the point where the Leafs are shying away from contact. When they do decide to throw their weight around the Bruins have just bullied them. Mike Babcock needs to do something because right now. Toronto looks like a bunch of helpless kids out there.
The Bruins’ first line has taken one of the best players in hockey in Austin Matthews, and turned him into a scoreless almost useless player. Which should tell you how good the line of Marchand/Bergeron/Pastranak has been. “I don’t know **** happens”, is how Matthews responded when asked about the Bruins first line when they put up an insane 14 points in the Bruins 7-3 massacre of the Leafs.
The Bergeron line has put up 20 points in the first two games. Pastranak has four goals, nine points, and is the youngest player in NHL history to put up six points in a playoff game. Marchand has one goal, and five assists, while Bergeron has also put up five assists. Combined they have a +18 rating heading into Toronto. If Toronto has any chance of winning this thing they need to contain the Bergeron line, or they are going home fast.
A change of venue usually has a big effect in hockey, so do not count the Leafs out quite yet. But one thing that I did not expect to see this series is that Toronto is a soft team. While the Bruins have kept doing what they have done all year: winning.
I drove down to Boston the other day to meet former Boston Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe for an interview. Dafoe was kind enough to take a little time out of his trip to meet with me, and I’d again like to thank him for doing so. Dafoe has kept in touch with the area since leaving and feels a strong connection to the city and its sports teams. He was at the Bruins opening game of the playoffs last Thursday with his son and got to watch the game from the alumni box for the first time. His son, who was playing hockey at the ice arena where we met, hopes to play hockey for a college in Boston.
Dafoe played five seasons with the Bruins, starting with the 1997-98 season and lasting through the 2002 playoffs. During that time he really blossomed, even leading the league with 10 shutouts in 1998-99. That year he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and posted a 1.99 goals against average. Byron Dafoe is fifth all-time in Bruins history in saves made despite playing in parts of just five seasons. His 2.30 goals against average places him third on the franchise’s all-time list, as does his .911 save percentage while with the team. Anyway you cut it, he is one of the better goaltenders the Bruins have had.
Byron Dafoe was drafted in the 2nd Rd by the Capitals in 1989, just 16 picks after they selected fellow goalie Olaf Kolzig.
BSE: You were drafted the same year as Olaf Kolzig, another goalie, both pretty high picks. What were your thoughts on that, them taking two goalies early on?
Byron Dafoe: Yup, first and second. I think it’s still the only time it has ever happened. It was at that point, I don’t think anyone has done it since. What’s funny is, Olie and I became best friends after that, and we still see each other every year. He always tells a story, he got drafted in the first round and he was going down to meet the coaching staff, and then he heard over the PA “the second round pick of the Washington Capitals is Byron Dafoe.” He perked up, “wait a minute, what are you guys doing now?” There’s always been a competitive competition between the two of us on the ice. They had some holes in goaltending so they took the top two available.
BSE: So the two of you did wind up best friends; how did that come about?
Byron Dafoe: So actually, right after the draft, that September in training camp the Capitals did what was called “the Friendship Tour” over in Russia. It was back when Russia still had the iron curtain up, so it was a big deal for the NHL to go into Russia and play hockey. We played five or six exhibition games in Russia. They took their current team from the year before and then their two top draft picks, which were Olie and I. As the young kids, we hung out all the time and we became good friends. When we turned pro we lived together in Baltimore and then again when the Skipjacks moved to Portland, Maine and became the Portland Pirates we were roommates there again.
BSE: I know you probably get asked this a lot about your little scuffle with Olie on the ice. What was going through your head with that?
Byron Dafoe: You know it’s funny, my wife was at the game and she just shook her head. Basically what happened was, a little skirmish happened in the corner. We were out-manned, I think they might’ve been on the power play. I did maybe the dumbest thing and grabbed Dale Hunter, which is not the guy I would want to tussle with. In the meantime, Olie saw me go in so he skated the length of the ice. I think he grabbed Ken Belanger, which that would’ve been fun to watch. Somehow we ended up getting paired up, the whole place is going crazy, they want to see two goalies fight. I did get his jersey over his head, and I have a picture of that in my bar, and he refuses to sign it. He was 6’3″ 220, he did say, “don’t you dare do anything because I will kill you”, and he would, I admit that. But I’m the one who has the picture to prove it.
Dafoe and Kolzig during a skirmish.
BSE: I don’t know, Patrick Lalime might have something to say about that.
Byron Dafoe: Well that’s true. That one I do like.
BSE: That one isn’t as talked about, probably because you and Olie are such great friends, but your fight with Patrick Lalime might be my favorite hockey fight ever.
Byron Dafoe: My son and I were watching it just the other day for some reason. Yeah, that was legit, that was real, and I’m definitely going to take a knock out win on that one.
BSE: Yeah, you got some knocks on him, then he took your mask off and you really got some hits on him.
Byron Dafoe: Yeah, then I got mad. What’s funny about that story, we played in Ottawa, but a week later, and during warm-ups we’re both stretching at center ice and he’s got a nice shiner.
Dafoe lands a knock out punch on Patrick Lalime. January 17, 2002.
BSE: We touched on this a little bit, things were kind of crowded in Washington, Olie was there, they also had Jim Carey, who I think won the Calder. What were your thoughts when you got traded to LA, was it like, alright, here is my chance?
Dafoe playing goal for the Kings.
Byron Dafoe: Yeah, how that came about was the lockout year, 94, Jim Carey got sent to Portland. I was going to Portland, so they didn’t want both of us playing together, so I got loaned to the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL, which was LA’s farm team. I played almost a whole year in Phoenix, had a really good season. And that essentially is what prompted the Kings to trade for me. I played two years in LA, Kelly Hrudey got hurt and I kind of got thrown into the starting role, which is what ended up getting me to Boston.
BSE: You were traded with Dmitri Khristich twice, once to the Kings and once to the Bruins. Did you guys form any bond being traded together twice?
Byron Dafoe: Yeah, we were friends, our wives were friends. That’s another rarity, I don’t think it’s happened very often that the same two guys get traded together like that. For me personally, I had two solid years of development in LA, but then coming to Boston, Pat Burns is the coach, I loved playing for him. Completely different organizations and cities, going from LA to Boston, and I just loved the feel of this city. The fans are just so passionate, which just different situation in LA (laughs).
BSE: So you feel more pressure playing out here?
Byron Dafoe: For sure, without question. But again, it’s a good pressure. If you are going to play in the NHL, you need to perform under pressure. For me, I think it brought another element to my game that I hadn’t had in LA or Washington. I loved it.
BSE: You seem to stay in touch with Boston sports, based on what I see on twitter, and you are wearing a Red Sox hat right now, I like it. So this was your favorite place to play?
Byron Dafoe: Without question. It was unfortunate we never came to a contract after my fifth year here. I always would have loved to stay, but it’s a business for both sides. I ended up going down to Atlanta, I was kind of banged up at the time, I’d had eight knee surgeries. I was hurt down there as well, so it probably made sense why the Bruins did what they did and why I did what I did. But like I said, my heart’s always been in Boston. Both my boys were born here and we’re thinking of potentially moving back here. Got lots of connections and friends still here.
BSE: What accomplishments are you most proud of from your career?
Byron Dafoe: Anytime you win a championship is obviously great. The Stanley Cup would’ve been the best, but that didn’t happen. But, to win a Calder Cup in Portland with the Pirates was pretty special, to be playing hockey in June and have a ring to show for it was fun. In the NHL, here in Boston, being nominated for a Vezina was pretty cool. I was fortunate to play in four completely different organizations. It was pretty amazing career, I wouldn’t trade it for anything, other than to have a Stanley Cup.
Byron was not a fan of the “Winnie the Pooh” jerseys.
BSE: How do you feel about the team this year?
Byron Dafoe: After the first month I wasn’t too sure what was going on. Since then, by far the best team in the NHL. Obviously, they’re just hitting their stride after these first two games with the Leafs. One thing they have is their scoring power, they can put the puck in the net. Even their support players, Donato stepping in, Riley Nash is having a phenomenal year. A lot of guys you didn’t expect have stepped up which makes them so much deeper than just their top three. They have got to be a favorite to win the Cup. Tuuka is Tuuka, he’s played phenomenal down the stretch.
BSE: You played with Don Sweeney, back then did you see anything like this in his future?
Byron Dafoe: Oh yeah, it didn’t surprise me at all. Donny, Harvard grad, smart, astute guy, very long successful career playing. It’s totally natural he is now the general manager and architect of this team. And now it’s paying off after just a couple years.
BSE: Moving on to the NHL right now, do you see any changes that you think should be made to the game?
Byron Dafoe: I put a tweet out there about the goaltender interference. I ended up going on Sportsnet in Canada with Darren Millard and Grant Fuhr. We had a big debate on that, which was all because of the tweet. I personally think that they’ve kind of missed the boat a little bit on this goalie’s interference. Even now, they’ve made another change where they have someone upstairs make the official call. That’s great, but you’re never going to have the same guy for every game, every call. The guy wouldn’t have a life. I think that’s gotten a little carried away, goalies can take advantage of it. Now they’re not so worried about stopping the puck in traffic, they’re more worried about, “hey, I got interfered with.” I think that’s a negative on the game right now. Positives, I love the 3-on-3 overtime, I think that’s one of the best things to come to hockey. I think in my career I had 50 ties, I’d love to trade those for 3-on-3 and see how many more wins we could get. The game, to me, is as exciting as it’s ever been. It’s fast, there is more scoring, it’s pretty exciting.
BSE: How about goalie equipment? Has it gotten too big? Or should the nets be expanded?
Byron Dafoe: I think you can’t put a handicap on the size of the athlete. When I played we had wider pads. I believe they’re more narrow than when I played. They seem to be taller, but that’s just personal preference. You got a guy, 6’6″, 6’7″, he’s just going to take up a lot of space in net. That’s how things are trending now, they aren’t looking for goalies under six feet too often anymore, I’d have a tough time at 5’11”. Once you make a change, it’s a snowball effect, that’s the concern when you start tinkering with the rules. There’s nothing wrong with a good 2-1 hockey game, it doesn’t have to be 7-6 all the time. As a fan I’m pretty excited with where we are at.
BSE: What are you doing nowadays?
Byron Dafoe: I’ve been living in Kelowna, British Columbia for the last ten years. It’s a real big hockey spot, a lot of hockey players live there in the summer. I got involved in purchasing some real estate, developing it, and selling it off. I’m kind of getting at the end of that. With my kids getting older I was kind of prompted to maybe make a personal change and come back east. I’ve kept myself busy, been able to coach my younger son who plays hockey, and it’s been a lot of fun for me. His goal is to get a scholarship and come play hockey here in Boston. He was only six months old when we left but he feels like this is his home.
BSE: Is there any charity work you have been doing?
Byron Dafoe: I got involved with, my older boy has autism, so we were involved with an autism foundation for a while. Anything I can do to help, charity golf tournaments and stuff like that.
BSE: I was thinking of throwing out a few names and having you say what comes to your mind about them. Dominik Hasek.
Byron Dafoe: You know, the one thing that always impressed me with Dominik Hasek is one of the very first times I was playing against him, I was watching him during warm-ups. I wasn’t playing, so I was just watching him. For the 15 minutes of warm-up, I still, to this day, don’t think he ever let a goal in. That epitomized to me what he was as a goaltender, he never let up, and he tried on everything. There is a reason why I think he is one of, if not the best goalie ever to play.
BSE: Martin Brodeur.
Byron Dafoe: Marty was a year younger than me, we came up through the minors together. When I think of Marty I think of a winner. What I think he was a little underappreciated for was, New Jersey had a very defensive-minded team all those years, sometimes he might only get 18 shots a night, but he would get that big save when they needed it to win the game. There’s a reason he won three Stanley Cups.
BSE: Patrick Roy.
Byron Dafoe: Another proven winner. Fiery guy, that’s what I liked about him. Very intense for a goaltender. How he orchestrated his trade from Montreal to Colorado, then to win a couple Stanley Cups there, pretty impressive.
BSE: Well, think I got everything, I appreciate your time.
Byron Dafoe: Alright Scott, thanks for driving down.
Now for your viewing pleasure, below is the must watch fight with Patrick Lalime. If you have seen it before, it’s always worth a watch. If you haven’t, then you definitely need to watch it.
The newest Head Coach of the Merrimack College Warriors Ice Hockey team is Scott Borek. Merrimack College lured Scott Borek away from Providence College. Scott Borek has been working under Nate Leaman the past three seasons. Before that, he was working under Dick Umile at the University of New Hampshire since 2003.
Coaching History
Scott Borek first broke into the college hockey scene as a Dartmouth man before a neck injury. However, the end to his playing career did create some positives. He remained with the Big Green as a student assistant coach. Little did Scott Borek know how important to his life taking that role was to his career.
Scott Borek did not squander this new opportunity. After learning and becoming a student of the game, he turned it into a full time career. In 1985, Scott Borek became an assistant coach for the Providence College Friars. Rhode Island remained his home until 1991. He left his assistant coaching job for his first head coaching job with the Colby Mules. Scott Borek’s reign as a head coach is an uneventful one as he accumulated a record of 33-35-5. This led Scott Borek back to the Division 1 scene as, again, an assistant coach with the Lake Superior State Lakers. Nevertheless, his time as assistant coach only lasted one season. Following this season, the head coach title was his. This stint lasted four seasons. Then Borek had another head coaching gig with New England College. That only lasted one season.
Student of the Game
His up and down time as a head and assistant coach did not last. Borek found himself working under the legendary Dick Umile. While a certainly successful run as assistant coach in New Hampshire, Scott Borek’s time at UNH was not without controversy. During the 2007-2008 season, Borek, who worked with recruits, sent over 900 text messages that are described as “impermissible.” What is said in these messages is unknown. However, the incident was self-reported by the school. Not to mention, Borek only served a two-year suspension. If the messages were anything unspeakable it is unlikely he would be allowed to remain the game of hockey.
In 2015, Borek made his triumphant return to the Friars. This time working under another legendary coach, Nate Leamen. During his time as assistant coach, the Friars are extremely successful. Reaching the NCAA tournament every season under Leamen and Borek. He oversaw recruiting for the Friars, as well as the defense and the penalty kill. Under Borek’s tutelage, Providence ranked 7th nationally in defense, and 6th nationally in the penalty kill. Not too shabby. When asked about Scott Borek, Nate Leaman says,
“Scott is a tireless worker who has an excellent mind for the game. He is an effective communicator with the student-athletes and develops long-lasting relationships with his players. His 16 years of experience provide a great base of knowledge for what it takes to be successful in Hockey East.”
Scott Borek is replacing Mark Dennehy as the Warriors head coach. This upcoming season is going to be a good one for Merrimack. Watch out for the Warriors on the penalty kill and defense. Watch his introduction interview:
Follow Matt McGurn on Twitter: @MickGurn @Ta_CawHawkey
We’re finally here. The season began with plenty of doubt, but the Bruins are second in the Atlantic and have started their first round match up against Toronto. They shattered expectations throughout the regular season, but right now is all that matters. The Maple Leafs are the task at hand, and the Bruins need to defeat them before they look any further. The Bruins easily took Game 1, blowing out Toronto 5-1. But last night’s showing should not teeter your expectations of this series.
Toronto is a young, energetic team that has quite a bit of offensive prowess. Even with Auston Matthews spending 20 games on the IR, the Leafs still managed to finish third league-wide in goals-for. This speaks volumes to their depth up front. 20 year-old forward Mitch Marner leads the team in scoring with 69 points. Matthews isn’t far behind at 63, and William Nylander has also made his mark by putting up 61 of his own. Nazem Kadri got off to a slow start, but picked it up during the second half. He’s not a huge offensive threat, but look for him and Marchand to be taking jabs at each other every chance they get. That’ll be a whole game on its own. Also, look out for Patrick Marleau. He put up mediocre numbers, but he’s a veteran presence with 120 career playoff points.
Toronto’s defense is less of a concern. They were 12th in goals-against with 230, but their defensive core is weak. They have a few solid guys like Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly, but the others are shaky. Luckily for the Leafs, Frederick Andersen has had a career year in net. This has kept their semi-reliable defense from getting more exposed. Andersen set a career high with 38 wins while posting a .918 save percentage. Curtis McElhinney has also been a reliable back-up. In 18 games played he put up a miniscule 2.15 GAA to go with a .934 save percentage.
WEARING THEM OUT
Make no mistake about it- this will not be an easy first round. This Toronto team is fast, skilled, and determined. They have an excess of young talent but they could be too young for their own good. Their three leading scorers are ages 20, 20, and 21. The team relies on these players but they may not be able to handle playoff hockey. There’s a sharp uptake in physicality during the postseason and the Bruins can play this game better than anyone.
As long as they can limit the production from Matthews, Nylander, and Marner, the B’s should be able to take the series.
Brad Marchand crushed the perception that he can’t perform in the playoffs with a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 5-1 win against Toronto. The performance earned him NBCSN’s first star of the game. His first goal came just five and a half minutes into the game. He caught a pass from Torey Krug, who had drawn both Toronto defenders with a charge across the blue line. With space behind the D, he pulled the puck across his body to flip a backhand over Frederik Andersen. Then, as the second period drew to a close, Marchand shook off Kasperi Kapanen with a deceptive head fake along the corner boards. This gave him space to set up David Pastrnak for a goal from the high slot, the B’s third of the night.
(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Making His Case
Marchand came into the game amidst questions about his ability to perform in the postseason. The Canadian left winger had put up just one goal in his last 18 playoff appearances (2014-17). Additionally, he accumulated 24 penalty minutes and averaged half a point per game in the same span. And while Thursday’s points are a good start to the Cup run, Game 1 was Marchand’s 69th game of the 2017-18 campaign. He still has to prove that he can play at the same caliber in game 70, game 75, game 80, and so on. With 53 points and a +20 rating in his last 40 games, Marchand has added momentum from the regular season. There’s no guarantee that the goals will keep coming as the season drags on, but number 63 has given his critics something to think about. Marchand’s Bruins will take the ice again Saturday night at 8 pm for Game 2 against the Maple Leafs.
Patrice Bergeron is one of the premier two-way centers in the NHL. He values the defensive side of his game just as much as the stat line, and sometimes that means blocking a shot. This led to a fractured right foot which sidelined him for a month, but Bergeron is back in full form just in time for the playoffs.
Back in Black
He was slotted back into the lineup while in Minnesota and wasted no time making his presence known. Three minutes into the second period, Bergeron fed Pastrnak a perfect one-time pass in the high slot. Pasta tee’d it up and ripped a slap shot past Stalock for his 30th goal of the season. The scorecard read “Pastrnak assisted by Bergeron and Marchand”, so it doesn’t seem like much changed in a month. Later he assisted on Marchand’s fifth overtime winner- another common occurrence.
(Bruins, MA 12/23/17) Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron #37 celebrates his goal in the third period of the Boston Bruins vs. the Detroit Red Wings at the TD Garden. Saturday, December 23, 2017. Staff photo by John Wilcox.
His play against Tampa offered even more proof that Bergeron hasn’t missed a beat. He finished the night with three points and scored his first goal since returning to the lineup. Bergeron came out from behind the net and was the beneficiary of a beautiful tic-tac-toe play. The puck went from the tape of Marchand, to Krug, to Bergeron, to twine in a matter of seconds. This was one of the biggest wins of the year for Boston and propelled them into first place.
Bergeron continued his prominent return with another tally against the surging Florida Panthers. He extended his goal scoring streak the very next day against the Flyers. With only seconds remaining, Bergeron ripped home a loose puck to tie the game. He has a stat-line of 3-4-7 in five games played since making his return.
Bergeron’s patented two-way game is also perfectly intact. There are always concerns about a players conditioning when they go down with a late season injury, but the lungs are just fine. He’s averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time since returning which is equal to the amount he’s played throughout the season. He even played a total of 22:38 in the overtime loss against the Flyers, so he seems prepared to log the extra minutes that he’ll see in the postseason.
It’s all starting to come together for the Bruins heading into the playoffs. Bergeron’s back, McAvoy’s next, and the team is looking sharp. The top line has carried the B’s all season, and now the trio is back together. With the return of Bergeron, the Bruins are just as deep as any team in the league.
The Boston Bruins are currently in first place in the Atlantic. They are two points and a game ahead of the second place Lightning. With one more match-up against the Lightning coming up, Boston controls its own destiny. While winning the Atlantic is not necessary, it certainly makes Boston’s road to the Stanley Cup substantially easier. The Stanley Cup Playoffs start nine games from today, and right now the first round match-up would be Bruins vs Devils, and Lighting vs Maple Leafs.
Do not be fooled, New Jersey is not going to be an easy match-up for the Bruins. But they will be the easier of the two. The Devils are a fast team with a well-rounded group of forwards headlined by Taylor Hall. They possess many of the same strengths that Toronto does, just on a lesser scale. The Bruins are going to have a hard time handling the Devils’ quickness up front, but should be able to minimize the damage.
Mainly since Tuukka Rask has excellent numbers against the Devils. In 13 career games, Tuukka has a 6-4-2 record with a .945 save percentage and a 1.59 goals allowed averag, along with two career shutouts. It’s not a stretch to say Rask has the Devils’ number. While the Devils are a team that should be respected, they should not be feared. The Bruins should be able to make quick work of New Jersey, which is why the Bruins should genuinely pursue the number one seed.
Of course there are obvious benefits to being the best team in the Eastern Conference. Guaranteed home ice until the finals is certainly something any team wants. But not only does Boston get an easier match-up against the Devils. It also forces Toronto and Tampa to go head to head. Toronto is the team to get behind in that series. Not because they are a team to be taken lightly, because they are not. Even though the Bruins are undefeated against the Lighting this season, the amount of pure talent on the Lightning roster is just insane and demands respect. For now the Bruins have to go take that number one seed and get ready for their first round match-up next week.
Montreal’s a beautiful city. It’s one of my favorite places in the world, and the Bell Centre is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a relatively modern arena but it’s packed with history, being highlighted by the 24 Stanley Cup banners that hang from the rafters. This technicallyleads the NHL, but how many of these actually mean something?
Back in the Day
People so often forget that up until 1967 the NHL only had six teams. In theory, this essentially means that the Bruins, Canadiens, Rangers, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, and Red wings each had a one in six chance of winning the cup every year. The Bruins weren’t near the caliber of Montreal but still managed to win three cups during that era. With only six teams, everybody was bound to get their name etched on lord Stanley at some point. Montreal won 14 out of their 24 cups during this time.
Although there were only six teams, Montreal did dominate- there’s no denying that. Just look at the late 1950’s where they won a league record five consecutive cups. This leads to one central question- what made them so good? The answer to this is that there was no draft. Up until 1963, teams could scout out whoever they wanted regardless of their age.
Montreal literally invented hockey, playing the first game ever right at McGill University in 1875. Like anything, it took some time for hockey to become fully globalized. This meant that for a while the Canadiens had the best players in the world right in their own backyard. Look at the names of all their star players from back in the day. Geoffrion, Beliveau, Morenz, Plante, Lafleur- they were all French and natives of Quebec. It’s like when you were a kid at recess. There was always that kid who would invent his own game, play it with his buddies, and declare himself champion every time.
Since the end of the original six era, Montreal has won 10 cups. These are more valid than the first 14, but the last time they won was in 1993. At the time there were still only 24 teams, so to this day the Canadiens are yet to win with a full 30+teams in the league. The 24 banners hanging from the rafters are a nice touch to the Bell Centre, but don’t take them at face value.
