More Horror, More Heroes

This has been a rough couple of weeks in America. Bombings in Boston, a massive explosion in West, Texas, and now a devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. And as horrific and horrible as each of these tragedies have been, the heroism and compassion of people has shone through, like a beam of sunlight shooting through the darkest of clouds and making things bright again.

In Boston we saw Police, Fire, EMS, BAA volunteers, Soldiers, and runners clearing debris, and caring for victims, and running to hospitals to give blood.

In West we saw First Responders willingly go into a blazing inferno to try to save the lives of strangers.

And now in Moore we see teachers using their bodies to shield children. We see cops and firefighters from across Oklahoma carefully sifting through rubble. We see busloads of police from Texas pouring into Moore to help out. We see donations of food, clothing, money, shelter. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder pledged to donate $1 million to the Red Cross. The Thunder also pledged $1 million. The University of Oklahoma in nearby Norman opened its dorms to displaced survivors.

Each of these disasters have had traumatic and striking effects on the human psyche. A terrorist attack, a chemical explosion in a factory, a natural disaster. Each has people asking "why," without any satisfactory answer apparent.

One thing that is apparent is how strong and indomitable human beings are. Humans are capable of unbelievable courage in the face of danger and death. Humans are capable of immeasurable compassion even when it's complete strangers who are suffering. Humans are capable of sacrificing themselves to save other humans.

"Good job, teach."

When I was in film school I wrote a screenplay about the end of the world. The theme of my script was that greedy and selfish people took advantage of disaster and disease, and they were the ones who brought about the end of the world. And while the rare good people were taken away to a safe paradise, the bad people conquered a cruel world that wasn't worth living in. I wrote this before I had much faith in humanity.

I was wrong. Extremely wrong. In my script, people behaved like animals when faced with adversity. And I've seen so much in these last few weeks that disproves that concept. People are at their absolute best when things are at their absolute worst. People care.

There's a reason we were able to evolve into the dominant species on this planet. Our brains were a big help. But I think what gave us the decisive edge was our ability to lift each other up off the ground when something knocked us down. Our perseverance, coupled with the compulsion to help others, is what makes this species great.

I'm proud to be a part of it.

Fourth Line to the Rescue

I really thought the Rangers were going to steal this game. Fans up here in Boston had been feeling cocky about the Bruins "beating" Lundqvist for 8 goals, when he actually hadn't played that bad. I thought maybe the players would feel a little too overconfident as well. Lundqvist came out and made some Vezinian saves, and this game looked like it would end as a 1-0 Tortorella special. It would have if not for the play of the Bruins' 4th line.

Some people, such as 98.5's Michael Felger, like to complain about the 4th line. And even I sometimes get annoyed when they're on the ice in a potential scoring situation. The fact is, they play their roles and occasionally add a little more. Thornton is the enforcer. Paille is a speedy penalty-killer. Campbell also kills penalties and is sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. Sometimes they go above and beyond their roles. Like last night when they generated 2 goals. Shawn Thornton's numbers speak volumes to their contribution...

6:42 time on ice, 11 shifts, 2 assists, +2, 2 shots on goal, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot

He only played in 11% of the game, and he did all that.

You never fail to notice that the 4th line is on the ice. Sometimes you don't notice Lucic or Horton or Peverley. But you never fail to notice the 4th line. And they won the game last night. So from me, and from the 4th line, suck it, Felger...

Tuukka Rask's play made it so the 4th line was in position to win the game. The goal Rask allowed in the 2nd possibly could have been saved, but apart from that he was flawless. His 3rd period right-pad stop on Rick Nash during a 4-on-2 breakaway when the game was 1-1 was the biggest save of the game. Bigger than any saves Lundqvist made. It was also a timely save. And it could prove to be the biggest save of the series. That save is probably the difference between a 3-0 series and a 2-1 series. And just like the ball-strike count in baseball, that's a huge difference. The Bruins now have a 3-0 count in their favor, and a green light to swing away.

Continuing the baseball comparison, Rask was like a pitcher who gave up a solo homerun in the 2nd inning, but retired the last 9 batters he faced, starting with striking out the side with the bases loaded in the 7th.

Rask was an Ace last night.

And let's not forget Johnny Boychuk, who scored his 4th postseason goal. That's second most on the Bruins (behind Krejci's 5 and tied with Horton), and the most of any defenseman in the playoffs. He has 10 career playoff goals in 55 games. That's not bad at all for a defenseman.

I do have a question to pose: if the Bruins get all their defensemen healthy, should they put Torey Krug on the 3rd line as a winger? Obviously this is not a serious question. Or is it? It isn't.

Or is it?

Game 4 Thursday night. Expect a desperate Rangers team to fight tooth and nail. It could be the hardest game of the series for the Bruins. Or maybe the Rangers will quit on their coach and get blown out 5-1.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Sunday Funday for Bruins

I don't think the Rangers know how to play this series. They were dominated in the OT of Game 1. And in Game 2, they started the game by not forechecking the Bruins at all. They made it so easy for the Bruins to move the puck up the ice. I know John Tortorella is perceived as a good coach, but his team looks flat and his tactics don't make much sense.

The Bruins, on the other hand, were terrific yesterday. There were some mistakes, especially along the blue-lines. And turnover goals resulted. Apart from that the team played outstanding hockey. Krejci was strong on the boards and on the puck. Lucic and Horton were skating hard. Bergeron and Marchand continue to attack with ferocity. Chara dominates half the ice surface when he's out there, which is half the game. Rask made huge saves on Ranger breakaways.

Then there's the defensemen, who now have 10 goals in the playoffs. Boychuk scored his second of the series and third of the playoffs. And Torey Krug, who went to Michigan State in case NBC didn't mention that, scored his second in two games. In the first two playoff games of his life.

On most deep Stanley Cup runs, unexpected heroes like Krug show up randomly and contribute. Like Chris Kreider did for the Rangers last year. We were all worried about losing Seidenberg, Ference, and Redden. Now one of their replacements has 2 goals, an assist, and is +2.

Seguin has yet to get going. But he's so close. It's like an engine struggling to start on a cold morning. It revs and revs but doesn't turn over. Although once it gets going I think the floodgates will open and he'll score several goals in a stretch.

The third line is still struggling. And you can see the frustration in Peverley and Kelly. Kelly went after Dorsett and that's almost stupid aggressive. They're no longer dominating faceoffs like they did against Toronto. They're still not generating much offense. And they're making little mistakes like that offside when Seguin would have been open on the seem. It hasn't hurt the Bruins. They're not making negative plays, apart from Peverley's serial high-sticking. Hopefully they can contribute in a grinding, fourth line kind of way.

Up 2-0, the Bruins can't afford to get too comfortable. This is the time they seem to slip back into bad habits. They need to remember that New York lost their first two games to Washington on the road. And during the regular season they were a much better home team (16-6-2) than road team (10-12-2). New York is down, far from out, and there's no need to make it easy for them to get back into this series. Make them earn it.

Game 3 is Tuesday night at MSG.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Bruins Grind Down Rangers

The first period of this game almost put me to sleep. I have never seen such boring hockey in the playoffs. I suppose both teams were tired coming off of bitter 7 game series. They grew accustomed to hating the Caps and Leafs. Familiarity breeds contempt. In the 1st period of this game, the Rangers and Bruins were essentially strangers, indifferent to each other.

It didn't take long for things to percolate. The Bruins' first goal seemed to ignite both teams.

The end result is great. The Bruins played better than the Rangers. The young defensemen filling in were solid. Not only did they not make mistakes, Torey Krug (who went to Michigan State, in case you didn't hear that mentioned a half-dozen times) scored a goal.

The Rangers didn't play their best. An unwise pinch resulted in a giveaway in overtime, Bergeron and Marchand took advantage, and that decided the game. It's great to see Marchand contributing to the offense again. He helped carry this team in the regular season, and it's critical that he step up in this series.

As I said in my pre-series thoughts, the Rangers lack that extra something that drives a team to win. They just don't have that edge, that special something, that pushes a team forward in the playoffs.

It's good the Bruins took advantage and won, but there were still some very aggravating aspects of this game.

Rask has to stop that second goal. He just has to. It wasn't a horrendous goal to allow, but that has to be stopped. Period.

The way Jagr plays is like if you're playing video game hockey with a friend, and the pass button on his controller is broken. The only things he can do are skate and shoot. He's got to remember how to pass the puck.

And just a reminder as to how old Jagr is, it's been 40 years since the Bruins and Rangers met in the playoffs. Jaromir was already 1 year old during that series. He gets tired after only 25 seconds on the ice. I think you have to consider giving some of his shifts on the 2nd line to Seguin. Then again, the 2nd line has performed very well since Seguin was moved down to the 3rd. Then again Seguin was on the ice for the Game 7 OT winner. So give Seguin a few extra 2nd line shifts, give Jagr a bit of a break, and I think everyone wins.

Zdeno Chara: 38 minutes and 2 seconds of ice time. A goal, an assist, +2, 6 hits. This guy's a freak. I love him.

This series is going to be long, tough, and it's going to be decided by a margin the width of a dime. This game could have turned on a post, or if Rask didn't make a huge save in the 3rd, or if McDonagh doesn't make that pinch maybe the game goes on and into another OT period. A handful of plays will decide these games and this series.

So buckle up, Bruins fans. This will be a bumpy ride.

Game 3 Sunday afternoon, which is an advantage to the depleted Bruins. It gives Chara (38 minutes of ice time), Beregeron (27 minutes), Boychuk (27 minutes), and others a chance to rest and recover.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Bruins vs. Rangers Thoughts

A few nights ago I thought that we'd spend this week discussing how to fix the Bruins after an epic collapse. Now we're looking forward to another series. A winnable series. Despite the issues this team still has, along with some injuries.

The Rangers are not the Maple Leafs. They're actually very similar the Bruins. They play a conservative defensive system. They rely on goaltending. Their forwards play a big part in their defending. Their Power Play isn't that good (23rd in the NHL). They have talented forwards, but it always seems like a handful of players are in a slump at any given time.

Rick Nash, for instance, had 0 goals and 2 assists in the Washington series. Brad Richards had 1 goal and 0 assists. As a team, the Rangers only managed 16 goals in their 7 game series against the Caps.

What's scary is that the only allowed 12. And they haven't been scored on for 6 straight periods.

The Bruins, who already struggle to score, will continue to struggle against the Rangers. That's why the B's will need every frontline forward to step-up and contribute what they can. No more series long slumps from Marchand or Seguin. And the 3rd line has to find a way to at least threaten to score.

I'm not sure about much with this series. On paper, the Rangers should do well. They're perennial Cup favorites because of their Vezina winning goalie, their defensive system, and their talented forwards. They just seem to lack that intangible quality that propels a team through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That thing that makes a no-name 4th-liner a one game hero, that urgency that causes a team to score with the goalie pulled to force overtime, that ability to win the series changing overtime game. The Rangers have never shown much of that.

Then again, they made the Conference Finals last year. So maybe they do have that X-factor and I just have been oblivious to it.

Something that troubles me as a Bruins fan is how banged up the B's defensemen are. We don't know how much time Seidenberg and Ference might miss. And these guys are vital to the way the Bruins do things in the playoffs. Seidenberg is Chara's wingman, and Ference always plays at top gear in the playoffs.

This is a tough series to pick. I have to lean toward the Bruins, just because they have that intangible, indescribable something that can win a tough game in a tough series. So long as Rask does his job, and stops a few big breakaway shots after the Rangers block shots on the other end of the ice. It's up to you, Tuukka. He doesn't have to outplay Lundqvist, but he's got to make the big stops in the big moments.

So Bruins in 7. With multiple overtimes throughout the series.

I Don't Mind All the Crazy Girls Who Have a Crush on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has developed a cult following of teenage girls infatuated with the alleged terrorist. They're like Beleibers, only instead of loving a musician they're in love with a murderer. Although they claim he's "too pretty" to be guilty.

This pissed me off until I realized something. And now I am somewhat happy that these misguided young girls have a thing for this creep and are broadcasting their puppy love over the internet. Why?

Because he'll spend the rest of his life unable to touch any of them. He'll be like a hungry dog forced to smell a steak that it will never be able to eat. It will be exquisite torture.

He'll have to sit in a cold grey supermax cell, longingly gazing at pictures of these crazy young girls making duckfaces at him, maybe licking their lips, perhaps bending over in a micro mini shirt and a thong. And he won't be able to get his little hands on any of them. Instead, he'll be bunking with inmates nicknamed Jackhammer and Black Python. And taking showers with a prisoner named Big Slick. And being required to sit when he pees. He'll be rented by the hour for a carton of Winston 100s.

So I hope these stupid young girls continue their #FreeJahar movement. Because it will only tease this douchebag with what he can never ever have.

What he will have, for the rest of his life (which could drag on for 70 or 80 years), is a chance to "enjoy" the wrestling techniques and holds he learned in high school. And not in a wholesome way.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs Might Suck Next Year

We're certainly enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs here in Boston. And there have been great series across the NHL. Three opening round series went the full 7. There were 17 overtime games. Two #7 seeds upset two #2 seeds. Two #6 seeds upset two #3 seeds. There are 4 Original Six teams left. The top 3 American media markets still have teams left. This is great.

Enjoy it while it lasts because next year will be completely different. There will be no Pittsburgh/Ottawa or Boston/New York meetings in the 2nd round. Everything will be divisional as the NHL realigns and revamps its playoff system.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs aren't broken, yet the NHL will try to fix them. The League will realign into 4 divisions, and the first two rounds of the playoffs will be within the division.

I don't mind divisional meetings in the playoffs. I love them! Boston/Toronto was a great series. So was Ottawa/Montreal. And Washington/New York will be a divisional meeting next year. But don't force the drama, NHL. Don't try to artificially create excitement and rivalry by keeping the playoffs inside divisions until the Conference Finals.

This won't create new rivalries, or enhance old ones. It will, however, reduce the potential for interdivisional rivalries as well as eliminate some that already exist. Philadelphia/Boston. Chicago/LA. New York/Boston. Chicago/Vancouver. Boston/Pittsburgh.

You'll face the same teams throughout the regular season, then the same in the playoffs. The Bruins won't meet the Flyers, Rangers, Penguins, or Capitals until the 3rd round.

The NHL's shortsightedness in this issue is demonstrated by the fact that the Capitals will be in a division with the Rangers and Penguins. The Caps have built a rivalry with these teams. And they built those rivalries by meeting in the playoffs. Even though they were in different divisions. Rivalries like these will no longer be born in the postseason.

There's nothing wrong and everything right with the current playoff format. The drama comes naturally. The 7 and 8 seeds are tough because they fight their way into the playoffs while the 1 and 2 seeds cruise in. The series are great because the different matchups and styles can all mix together. The stars of Pittsburgh can meet the grinders of Ottawa while the Boston and New York metro areas can play out their rivalry in another sport.

Hopefully next year the playoffs are just as exciting and captivating. And if not, hopefully the NHL has the sense to go back to a 1-8 two Conference format.

Bruins Roller Coaster Ride to Continue

Wow. In my mind I'd already written an indictment of the Bruins, their coach, their GM, their system, their players. All of this was in my head and ready to disseminate into a tirading blog post. Horton scored to make it 4-2, and my pre-written blog post remained undisturbed. Lucic scored to make it 4-3, and I became partially optimistic. Then with 51 seconds until death, Patrice Bergeron scored and extended the season. An intermission and 6 minutes later, he catapulted the Bruins into the next round. And may have also exonerated Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli. Or at the very least, made them more difficult to fire.

As joy and optimism flows through my veins and courses through my mind, I must also temper myself with the knowledge that the Bruins put themselves in a position to be eliminated. The Bruins blew Game 2, sucked in the 1st period of Game 5, sucked in Game 6, and allowed the series to extend as long as it did. And if the Bruins play at the same level against the New York Rangers, then they will be quickly disposed of. Henrik Lundqvist is not James Reimer.

Give due credit to the Krejci line. Bartkowski scored the first goal, but it was Lucic's physical play that allowed it to happen. Horton and Lucic both scored in the 3rd to make it a 1 goal game.

Marchand and Seguin assisted on the game-winning goal. It was Seguin's first point of the series.

I love how the jubilant Bergeron first hugged Zdeno Chara. These are two of the hungriest players on the team. These are two guys who give 100% on each shift. They drain their reserves in order to win. I hope their teammates pay attention and follow suit.

It's good news and bad news time. The overwhelmingly good news is that the Bruins won and will advance to the Conference Semifinals. The bad news is they will play the New York Rangers.

The Rangers played the Bruins well in the regular season. They have as many offensive weapons as Toronto but also have a defensive capability and a goalie that can be quite difficult to score on. This will be a tougher series. And the Bruins needed 7+ games to get by a weaker opponent. In other words, the Bruins need to shift into a higher gear. All the time. They can't afford to play 2 periods a night anymore.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Bruins Are Ruining My Spring

That 4-1 pounding in Game 1 seems like ages ago.

This Bruins team really pisses me off. They no longer hold leads. Not in games, not in series. It was once a trademark of this team under Julien, that when they were up 2, they'd win. And once again, they've blown a 3-1 lead.

James Reimer has gained all the confidence in the world. And why not? He has all of southern Ontario behind him, and the Bruins have allowed his success. The B's forwards have not been able to consistently get body position in front of the net in order to take advantage of the rebounds Reimer allows. Is Marck Recchi available tonight?

Some Bruins have improved in this series over their regular season form. Milan Lucic, for instance. Nathan Horton as well, although in Game 6 in the box score claims he played 17:38 and I didn't notice him on the ice at all.

Other Bruins, such as Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin, have played worse than their regular season form. Neither have scored. Marchand has 2 assists and is -1. Seguin has no assists and is even. In the regular season these two combined for 34 goals and were the top 2 goal-scorers on the team. No THREE Bruins could combine for that many goals. Marchand and Seguin scored 27% of the Bruins goals in the regular season. So that's one fourth of the offense not producing in this series.

I also think the Bruins aren't as talented as we thought they were. I think this team essentially has two fourth lines. The third line has been meaningless in these games. Kelly and Peverley are both -3. So not only are they not scoring, they're getting scored on. Which goes against the Claude Julien system.

This team has scored 17 goals in the series. The Krejci line has 9 of those. Defensemen have 5. So only 3 goals have been scored by lines 2 through 4. Three goals from 9 forwards.

Horton and Lucic are each +8 in this series. Krejci is +7. The Bergeron line is -1. The Peverley line is -3. The Campbell line is even. Only one line is scoring. The second line can't score. The third line isn't scoring, and is allowing goals. The fourth line is doing what it does with its minimal ice-time. Only two lines are doing their jobs. The Bergeron line is capable of doing better. I don't think the Peverley line is.

This Game 7 tonight is an important game for the direction of this team. With a win, then things are fine. With a loss, then there needs to be a serious reevaluation of the coach, the staff, and the roster.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette

Four Reasons Why the Bruins Scored 4 and Won Game 4

There were four main reasons the Bruins won Game 4 (by scoring 4 goals and winning in the 4th period).

#1: Tuukka Rask
He was unreal. He was clutch. He stopped 45 of 48 shots. He was the Bruins' best penalty-killer. And his toughest saves came when the game could have dramatically changed. This was quite possibly the best playoff performance of his career. He was aggressive, but his play was less chaotic than it's been in previous games in this series.

#2: David Krejci
I'm not the biggest Krejci fan. But he knows how to bring it in big games. He's like the Rajon Rondo of the Bruins. When the spotlight is on him, he digs deep and finds another level of play. His hat-trick last night gives him 5 goals, which leads all players in the playoffs. So do his 10 points.

One thing that I think helps him is when Horton and Lucic show up and do work every night. Then he can do his thing, they do theirs, and the whole line functions the way it's supposed to.

#3: Special Teams
The Bruins scored 2 power play goals. They killed all 4 Toronto power plays. Their +2 margin in special teams play was literally the difference between winning and losing. In hard fought, closely contested playoff games like this one, special teams often decides the victor. Having a solid PK and a power play unit that can score timely goals is such a tremendous asset in a playoff series.

And I loved Krejci's PP goal in the 2nd. He moved without the puck into a scoring area. A good pass, a good shot, a great goal. The easiest way to get the puck to scoring areas is for a player without the puck to get there first, then wait for the puck to find him.

#4 Zdeno Chara
Perhaps overshadowed Rask's 45 saves and Krejci's hat-trick is Chara's 4 point night. He assisted on each goal. Not bad for a guy who also played 47 shifts for over 33 minutes.

During the regular season Chara didn't have the offensive output we've seen from him in years past. Especially on the power play (only 4 PP points). Last night he reminded us that not only is he a dominant defensive force, he has the offensive skills too.

This was obviously a huge win for the Bruins. It's so much different to come home up 3-1 compared to tied at 2-2. Being at 2-2 would have felt like being behind in this series. Reimer must be swimming in doubt. And his teammates can't feel too confident in him. That could lead to players like Kessel pushing too hard to score goals, and making big mistakes.

It's time to finish this team. They're demoralized. They're facing elimination. They're on the edge of the proverbial cliff. Time to give them a push.

Finish them.

Here's a GIF of a Mortal Kombat character dressed in black and gold killing a character dressed in Maple Leaf Blue.

Game 5 Friday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette