Former Boston Bruin Rich Peverley Collapses on Bench in Dallas

On Monday night in Dallas, a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Dallas Stars came to a sudden halt due to a frantic commotion on the Dallas bench. Coaches scrambled and yelled up into the crowd looking for a doctor. Players on both teams poured out of their benches and looked on in stunned silence as 31-year-old Stars forward Rich Peverley was on the ground, unconscious. It was a terrifying scene that seemed to be the beginning of a tragic incident.

Peverley had suffered a cardiac event. Thankfully, due to quick actions by everyone involved, Peverley's heart rate was brought back to normal. He was taken to the hospital and was conscious and aware of his surroundings. He even expressed a desire to return to the game.

That game was suspended due to the intense emotions of players from both teams.

In September Peverley underwent surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Peverley won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, playing a key role as a jack of all trades. A friend of mine once compared him to Troy Brown due to his willingness to do whatever the team needed him to do. Peverley is a veteran of 8 seasons, this was his first in Dallas. Former Bruins Tyler Seguin and Tim Thomas are his teammates with the Stars. Also, Nathan Horton plays for Columbus. Current Stars Kari Lehtonen and Vernon Fiddler also played with Peverley on other teams. Lehtonen in Atlanta and Fiddler for three seasons in Nashville.

Thankfully Peverley is as okay as you could hope for. It's always scary when the heart is involved. Medical staff responded quickly, chest compressions and defibrillation were necessary to get his heartbeat back in rhythm. He was also given oxygen. That's frightening stuff.

Hopefully this is something that he can have corrected.

Everyone in Boston is thinking about you, Pevs.

The Stars play the Blues in St. Louis tonight.

Photo Credit:
Fox Sports

Bruins Sign Iginla, Salary Cap Threatens NHL Success

The Bruins finally got Jarome Iginla. They had been pursuing Daniel Alfredsson, but the Red Wings secured the Swede for a 1-year $5.5 million bounty. So just like Jaromir Jagr was the silver medal when Peter Chiarelli failed to get Iginla at the deadline, Iginla is now the silver medal after pursuing Alfredsson.

Iginla will have a base salary of $1.8 million, with up to $4.2 million more incentives. It's a 1-year deal. Similar to Alfredsson, Iginla is a veteran that is looking for a Cup.

The guy has scored 30+ goals for 11 straight seasons. And with the departure of Horton and Seguin, the Bruins desperately need wingers. Wingers who can score.

The Bruins have 6 legitimate top-6 forwards. Krejci and Bergeron are excellent centers, you hang on to Lucic and Marchand, you add Eriksson and Iginla. It isn't a bad top-6 at all.

There's been a lot of movement in the NHL, thanks to the salary cap. Which means that while this off-season has been more interesting, it also means that fans must re-learn their teams rosters once the regular season starts. It also means that successful big market teams like Boston and Chicago can't retain the talent that they've developed. And that's bad for the NHL. The TV ratings were great for the 2013 Finals because two big markets that cared about hockey were involved.

Seguin and Horton were both popular players in Boston. Local stars. People bought their t-shirts, both from the Pro Shop and from street vendors.

Who in Dallas will care about whether Tyler Seguin scores or not? Who in Columbus will care about how physical Nathan Horton is playing?

Location, location, location. Seguin and Horton were stars in Boston. But because of the cap they need to be shipped elsewhere, where teams do poorly and nobody cares about hockey.

The salary cap is intended to prevent big market teams from overspending and pricing out medium/small market teams, making it difficult for the big teams to buy success. But in the NHL there are a handful of micro markets, like Phoenix and Miami, that lower the cap number for everyone, and also absorb talented NHL players that would draw a crowd (and TV ratings) in hockey-interested markets.

The NHL's biggest strength since the '04-'05 lockout has been the success of teams in big markets and in hockey-interested markets. LA, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York. However, the NHL has developed a system that focuses on putting dying franchises on life support, in markets that cannot support them, at the expense of teams that succeed.

It's like having a popular, successful restaurant in downtown Boston, then not allowing them to pay their best cooks and servers, and sending those quality employees to some crappy diner nobody goes to in north Texas or central Ohio.

Bruins Leave Penguins in Ruins

Before reveling in the Bruins' 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh, I must point out that the score doesn't do justice to how close this game was. Pittsburgh hit 3 posts, and one puck dribbled along the goal-line, kept out by flakes of snow, and perhaps the hockey gods, who are still cross at Matt Cooke for what he did to Marc Savard. And Erik Karlsson. And what he tried to do to Adam McQuaid.

What made Cooke's hit on McQuaid so dirty is what led up to it. This wasn't an instance of Cooke contesting with McQuaid, then McQuaid putting himself vulnerable, then Cooke deciding to finish his check anyway. Cooke was jousting with Krug. McQuaid, apparently unchallenged, went to the boards to get the puck. When McQuaid turned and made himself vulnerable, Cooke stopped playing Krug, and with a surge of energy he went after McQuaid's back, driving McQuaid, spinal column first, into the boards. Cooke was not going to touch McQuaid until McQuaid showed his numbers to Cooke. McQuaid's vulnerability is what attracted the vulture Cooke to hit him.

And the reaction of the Pittsburgh crowd demonstrates the kind of spoiled morons they have for fans down there.

Anyway, to the game. The Bruins did a few things that put them in position to win:

#1 Rask
Tuukka was great. He made a few tough saves. He didn't make saves tougher. He adapted his play to each situation. Sometimes he looked like a standard butterfly goalie, solid and predictable. Other times he flailed around like Dominek Hasek, keeping the puck out of the net with instinct and sheer will.

#2 No gifts
The B's did not have bad shifts. They didn't make bad turnovers in dangerous areas of the ice. Pittsburgh is good enough to generate their own offense, for the Bruins to win this series they can't afford to give the Penguins bonus opportunities.

#3 Neutral zone
The Penguins were almost never able to move the puck through the neutral zone without some minor disruption. This threw off their timing, and more importantly it frustrated them. They're used to skating through the zone unimpeded. This got under their skin more than anything, I think.

#4 First line play
Lucic, Krejci, and Horton find another gear in the playoffs. Lucic becomes a speed demon. Krejci becomes a tough along-the-boards grinder, and Horton becomes a smooth scorer. Horton has 4 multi-point games this postseason. He's also +17. Krejci is +14, leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in points, and has the second most goals. Lucic is +11.

#5 Under their skin
Zdeno Chara is +9 in the playoffs. He goes against the best forwards the opposing teams have, and he's +9. And having to play against him every night pisses off even the best of players. In this game both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby tried to get physical. That's way out of their element. And for Crosby against Chara, that's way out of his league. Chara would end Crosby. When Crosby was trying to antagonize Chara (and also elbowed Rask who had a great "wtf, mate? I'm a goalie" reaction) it reminded me of footage from protests in the Middle East, when unarmed civilians throw rocks at tanks. It's like really man? Do you really want this to get real? This is what Chara did to a guy who was 6' 6" and 238. Crosby is 5' 11" and 200.

Crosby, who is teammates with Matt Cooke, had this to say about the game's level of physicality:

"They're letting a lot go out there, and the more it gets like that, the more it’s going to escalate. You can only control and channel that stuff so much. You keep letting guys do that stuff, you’re just going to push the envelope. That’s something we obviously want to stay away from, but it’s kind of a natural thing when it gets like that."

What a whiny dink.

So this was a great win. Starting a series with a road win, it doesn't get any better than that.

All this being said, you can't rely on the posts all series long. You can't lean on your goalie and one line all series long. And I'm sure Pittsburgh will adjust and adapt to what the Bruins are doing to them in the neutral zone.

There were also a lot of "zero tolerance interference" penalties called. This favors Pittsburgh, who have the best PP units the Bruins have faced, and also have an aggressive PK group. The fewer penalties, the better.

Game 2 is tonight. A win would be titanic. A loss wouldn't be the end of the world. The Bruins are playing with house money, which has sometimes been when they play their worst. This is a chance, however, to really get in the driver's seat of this series.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

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

Bruins Win, But Shouldn't Be Happy

This team really pisses me off sometimes. They get a few bounces, make a few plays, and find themselves up 4-0. And that's when you get nervous. Because this team tries to run the clock out. They let the Devils back into this game, and that's just too bad. They lose Brad Marchand to an elbow to the head, get a 5 minute Power Play, then fail to get a shot on goal, and allow one in their own end.

It's the same on/off switch crap with this team. I'm tired of seeing Milan Lucic cruising around like it's an open skate. I'm tired of forwards that don't move in the neutral zone to help the defensemen break out. I'm tired of seeing Julien forced to put Jordan Caron on the ice in a Power Play because Lucic and Nathan Horton are lollygagging.

This team now sits in first place in their division. And that's great. But after a game like this it's difficult to be happy. The Bruins had this game in the palm of their hands, and they nearly dropped it. One unfortunate bounce in the last 37 seconds and they might have lost a point.

And the Devils aren't an elite opponent. They're a borderline playoff team, struggling through injuries.

The Bruins host the Islanders tonight. The Islanders are in a tight playoff race, 6th through 10th in the Eastern Conference are covered by 4 points. The Islanders are tied for 7th and are 11-5-2 on the road. The Bruins will need to play a full game, and not just parts of a game.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Bruins Acquire Jagr-Meister

It's official. The Bruins have acquired Jaromir Jagr. He has not decided to go to Pittsburgh instead.

Two illuminating facts about Jagr:

1. He was an All-Star in 1992. He's old.

2. He has 14 goals. Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic have combined for 17 goals this season.

He is not a typical Claude Julien guy. He isn't a good defensive forward. He's an offense-first player. And maybe that's a good thing. The Bruins must emerge from their comfort zone and get a little aggressive on offense. Especially on the Power Play.

Speaking of which, Jagr has scored 6 PP goals. That's as much as Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin combined (each have 3). I'm salivating as I think about a Power Play line of Seguin-Krejci-Jagr or Marchand-Seguin-Jagr.

We have yet to see with which line Jagr will play. You don't want to mess with the Bergeron line, although if he Bergeron is out do you slide Seguin to center and have Jagr play the wing?

I can't imagine the Bruins would waste Jagr's offensive skill on the 3rd line. I think his best fit would be to play with Krejci and Horton, and move Lucic down to the 3rd line. There Lucic can focus on playing physical, Jagr can play with some talented forwards that will set him up, and who he can set-up.

They still need help on the blue-line. And certain players like Lucic need to step up their game. Jagr helps, and can solve some of the Bruins problems. Not all of them. And some problems need to be solved by players currently on the roster.

Bruins Show Energy in Victory Over Ottawa

The Bruins played a lively game last night, edging Ottawa 3-2 in what has become one of the most exciting matchups within the division. Certain players, such as Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic, seemed to be playing with extra energy. Perhaps they don't want to be demoted when Jaromir Jagr arrives, perhaps they're eager to be the ones to play with him.

In any case, the Line Formerly Known as First showed up in a big way. Krejci and Horton scored. And Lucic had an assist on each one.

The Bruins got 50 shots on goal. Seguin fired 12 of them. The Senators launched 47 at Anton Khudobin. Those stats demonstrate how wide open and up-and-down this game was. And how close these two teams have played each other all season.

Speaking of Khudobin, has he earned a third-straight start? He's played excellent, especially at home. He's making big saves. And

The Bruins host the Devils Thursday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Bruins Claw Their Way Out of Carolina

Special teams made the difference in this game. The Bruins killed all 6 of Carolina's power plays, and scored a shorthanded goal. The B's also scored 2 on their own power play (although 1 was an empty-netter). Zdeno Chara's power play goal wasn't scored by a scheme, it was scored by a talented player who did something creative

Was it me or did the puck seem extra bouncy? Both teams struggled to settle it. And almost every pass was just a bit off target. Puck possession was difficult for both teams to maintain. So I'm just going to forgive and forget all the times the Bruins turned the puck over.

Nathan Horton's goal was a beautiful thing to behold. He's going to become the keystone player on this team in the playoffs. Without the unique combination of scoring and physicality that he brings, that Krejci line will be ineffective. And we saw what can happen when that line is effective.

We've been spoiled by goalies in Boston. Rask and Thomas have alternated between back-up and starter, and both have been good enough to start. Now we have Anton Khudobin. He's talented, but inexperienced. He doesn't read the play very well. So his role on the team should be much more limited than we're accustomed to.

The B's host the Devils tonight.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Thankfully the Bruins Are Back

If the NHL were still locked out, then how miserable would this February be? I'm not a big fan of NBA basketball, and don't get into college basketball until March. Without hockey, the next few weeks would totally suck.

The Bruins have won both their games. And in this abbreviated season it's vital for teams to win and accumulate points early. There are only 46 games left. After one long weekend over 4% of the regular season is already over.

The B's look relatively sharp. That's partially because many players went to Europe. But I think it's mostly because this team is not very different from the team that played last year. Players don't need to get used to playing with new teammates. Most of this team has been playing together for a few years.

Tuukka Rask looks smooth. I've never been much of a Rask fan, but he's playing bigger, he's not retreating into the net, he's staying balanced, and moving from side to side with ease. Almost as good as Tim Thomas in his prime.

The Power Play still looks slow and predictable. The coaching staff can scheme up whatever they like, but the Bruins do not have the personnel to make for a truly effective Power Play. Although a healthy Nathan Horton can help change that.

The Bruins are in New York on Wednesday to play the Rangers.

Photo Credit:
Associated Press

Horton Out for Playoffs

The Bruins have announced that Nathan Horton will miss the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. This isn't much of a shock, but it's still a disappointment. Horton was a major part of the Bruins' 2011 Cup run, with 3 game winning goals (two of them in Game 7s). When he was injured by the Canucks, the Bruins seemed to focus their efforts and rally around him. And we all know how well that turned out.

Horton is the latest in a long line of talented players that have to watch NHL games from the stands because of concussions. And I don't think issuing 2 or 5 or even 10 game suspensions will solve the problem.

The players need to police themselves, not launch at opponents who have their heads down. It seems like concussions are occurring as often on clean hits as they are on dirty ones.

The rules need to be altered to allow for some clutching, grabbing, and interference. I don't want to see the game slow down, but give a defending player more options than just a hard shoulder check into the boards.

Anyway, I think we'll all miss Horton during this postseason.

B's Back to Business

With Marchand out, other Bruins were going to have to step up. Pouliot was going to play with Bergeron and Seguin, and guys like Krejci, Horton, Lucic, and Seguin were going to have to step up. And they did.

Krejci is hotter than hot right now. He won 11 of 13 faceoffs, and his 2 assists were highlight reel passes. We really saw a good display of the top line's strengths last night. Krejci's vision and passing, Lucic's skating and drive, and Horton's point blank finishing touch. Krejci has 5 goals and 9 assists in his last 9 games. Horton's scored 5 goals in his last 4 games.

One thing that cost the Bruins on Saturday was lack of a power play goal. They got a timely one from Pouliot last night that sealed the victory. Shawn Thornton also scored on a penalty shot. Yes, that sentence was just written.

Rask was brilliant again. He allowed 3 goals, but all 3 were deflected. And he made some huge, very timely stops in the first 40 minutes of the game.

Speaking of which, the Bruins had their share of sloppiness in this one. Giveaways, not taking care of the puck, and it cost them a few goals. Corvo's intercepted pass was the most blatant. But Rask prevented Winnipeg from flying away (pun intended) with a big lead. And in the 3rd period, the Bruins played like a team determined to win.

Back to Corvo, I'm still waiting to find a reason to like this guy. I don't hate him. There just isn't much to like about him yet. He hasn't contributed much to the offense, which was something he was expected to do. And in my opinion, he's the 6th best defenseman. He's 4th in time on ice, but I'd much rather have Ference's stability or Mcquaid's physicality out on the ice.

Anyway, Corvo isn't costing the team much. And he's not struggling. He just hasn't impressed me yet. He's not Dennis Widemen. And he's certainly not Tomas Kaberle.

The Bruins are back on track, and they end their homestand Thursday when the Canadiens come to town. Montreal are struggling. There was a fight a few days ago in practice between PK Subban and Tomas Plekanec. The team has lost 8 of 11. And their fans' biggest concern is that their interim head coach can't speak French. Nice priorities, Montreal.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Howe Chara Got His Groove Back

Zdeno Chara returned to the Bruins lineup and his impact was felt early and often. He was challenged to a fight 2:13 into the game. He scored a goal about 6 minutes later. And he completed his fourth career Gordie Howe hat-trick 7 minutes into the 2nd. Horton was an assist shy of accomplishing the feat.

This was a big test for the Bruins, and they Aced it. The Flyers had won 7 straight, they were atop the Eastern Conference standings, and this was the team that beat the Bruins on Opening Night, partially dampening the B's banner raising celebration. The Bruins got some revenge, and made a huge statement with this win.

The B's scored with deflections and rebound goals. Seguin's was the prettiest of the bunch, and it should have been stopped by Bobrovsky. But as ugly as the goals were, they were the products of good play and puck possession. Also, the Bruins' defensemen were excellent at getting shots at net. Those either went in, were deflected, or were juicy rebounds.

I have to give Julien tons of credit for getting this team to play this well on Saturday. They were flat in Ottawa, and instead of coming to Boston, then going to Philly, the B's stayed in Ontario. Claude gave the team a day off. I'm sure some guys relaxed, some guys went out and blew off some steam. But they all came back reinvigorated.

The Bruins had a full hour of penalties. That's bound to happen in a game against a rival like Philadelphia with a lopsided score. Horton's fighting major means that 10 different Bruins have dropped the gloves this season. That's more than half the skaters on the team.

Lucic got a boarding major, and it was a dirty hit. Thankfully everyone was okay, but I think a suspension is in order. It was a classic case of a defenseless player being checked between the numbers and into the boards.

Tim Thomas recorded his 30th career shutout and 4th of the season. He made some brilliant saves throughout the game. We all know the Tim Thomas story, but it's worth repeating. Drafted in 1994, didn't make his first start until January of 2006, didn't get his first shutout until later that month, and he now has 30. If Dominek Hasek and Martin Brodeur somehow had a son, and he was a late-bloomer, his name would be Tim Thomas.

The Bruins are now on top of the Conference, a month after being stuck in the bottom. They host the Canadiens tonight. Montreal is reeling, having lost 8 of their last 11. They also just fired their coach. This is a good chance to improve the Bruins' already impressive 9-2 divisional record.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Slice Sabres

The Bruins extended their winning streak to 5 and also ended Buffalo's at 4. I think it's safe to say that the Bruins turned a corner on November 1st against Ottawa. Since then, they've scored 30 goals, and allowed only 10.

One of the biggest reasons for the onslaught of goals is Tyler Seguin and the Seguin-Bergeron-Marchand line. They were +3 Saturday night and Seguin has already matched his 2010-11 total with 11 goals. He's on pace for 60. The only Bruin to ever score 60+ goals in a season was an Italian guy named Phil. He did it three times. The last Bruin to score 50+ was Cam Neely in 1993-94.

It's not just one line, though. While Seguin is scoring the pretty goals, Lucic and Horton are generating ugly ones. They've combined for 8 goals during this streak. Neither of these guys were producing at the start of the season and it was killing the team. But now they're both playing physical, and allowing the game to come to them.

Apart from Seguin, this team doesn't have a pure scorer. They rely on depth, and being able to grind their opponents down. Right now they have two lines playing very well, a third line that's producing (Chris Kelly had a goal and an assist) and the 4th line is doing what the 4th line is supposed to do. Not only that, the defensemen are contributing with timely pinches and breakout passes.

Everything is clicking right now for the Bruins. This level of play is difficult to maintain for very long, but the Bruins just need a few of these parts playing well at the same time in order to succeed. As opposed to back in October when it was just Thomas and Seguin playing well.

Bruins host the Devils Tuesday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

It Isn't a Stanley Cup Hangover

The term "Stanley Cup Hangover" will get thrown around a lot today and I just don't think that the Bruins are suffering from one. Why? Because they didn't win the Cup in 2010, and they still had stretches like this last season. This "hangover" notion is an excuse. They're simply not playing 60 full minutes of good hockey, the offensive guys aren't providing offense, they're not taking care of the puck, and their Power Play sucks.

Sound familiar? It happened last season. A few times. Two stretches in November, another in December, a long and painful one in March, it even happened in the playoffs. Games 1 and 2 against Montreal, for instance. And these lulls were not preceded by any Cup hoisting or parades. This Bruins team sometimes doesn't put in 60 minutes of effort, they have streaky players (Horton), and they are very vulnerable to a well-executed forecheck.

It's the player's fault. They have to play better. They did so in the 1st period. They sustained possessions in Montreal's zone. Then Price made an unforced error and it was 1-0. But the 2nd period saw less pressure, the 3rd saw next to none. We also saw the Bruins making casual passes with the puck in the 3rd. That led to Montreal's game-winning goal.

And if not for Price's mistake, the Bruins get shut out. The offense isn't functioning. Somebody besides Seguin has to score. He and Peverley lead the team with 3. They have 6, the rest of the team combines for 14. The Flyers and Jets scored more than that in one game last night (Winnipeg won 9-8).

Where is David Krejci? He had a great defensive play in this game but have you noticed him at all on offense? He has 1 goal and 0 assists. He and Horton are dragging this team down. The Lucic-Kelly-Seguin line is working nicely, the Thornton line started to show more energy last night, and while Bergeron and Marchand aren't scoring, they're at least getting shots on goal. Bergeron has more shots (29) than Krejci (12) and Horton (13) combined.

There are no pure scorers on this team. This offense succeeds when they get 2nd and 3rd chance shots on goal. When they stay in the opponents' zone for prolonged periods. Last night they struggled just to enter the zone. And then after the 1st, they struggled to keep the puck in. Even with their abundant Power Play opportunities.

It's frustrating. We've seen what this team is capable of when they decide to show up. Right now we're seeing giveaways, we're seeing careless neutral zone passes, we're seeing a pair of top line forwards competing with Shawn Thornton in the Shots on Goal category (Thornton has 10).

Maybe the Bruins feel like they can wait to turn it on when it matters most. But 1/9 of the season is over and the Bruins are 29th in the NHL. And they've already played 1/6 of their home games. You need points to make the playoffs, usually around 95. You need more points to win a division and get some home playoff series (the B's were 10-3 in home playoff games, 6-6 on the road), usually around 105 points. The Bruins have 6 right now. 6 points in 8 games with no injuries to any key players.

You can't just wait until January to turn it up. What if you're still in 4th place and you lose Thomas for 3 months? How do you dig yourself out of a hole then?

It's starting to get me concerned.

They should be well motivated Saturday night in Montreal. It's not a must-win. It's a must-show-me-something-so-I-can-relax.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Lose Tempers, Game

Give Carolina credit. They knew the Bruins would probably be frustrated, and the Canes took full advantage of that frustration. Cam Ward's goaltending didn't hurt either. The B's spent about a fifth of this game shorthanded. And when they weren't killing penalties, they seemed more concerned with killing Hurricanes than with scoring.

68 penalty minutes for the Bruins. And sure, the refs got a little bit over eager with their whistles, but can you blame them? Stuff like Horton pummeling Tim Gleason is simply ignorant hockey. Gleason was trying to goad Horton. And once Horton drops the gloves and Gleason refuses to fight, that has to be the end of it. Horton should have mocked Gleason by waving his arms John Wensink style, then skated away.

Maybe a little fire is what this team needs. The Peverley goal on the Power Play seemed to be a result of some of the sparks in this game. Then Horton committed his stupid penalty 30 seconds later, then the refs were a bit anxious and called Chara for high-sticking, then Marchand got ejected and Seidenberg was given a questionable boarding penalty. Things got a little out of hand.

And the throwing of objects onto the ice was sad. That's stuff that Montreal fans do. That's a whiny Canadian thing to do. You know what we do in Boston when we're pissed at the refs and the team for losing? We call up the Sports Grille, order a pizza, wait for the game to finish, then go drink. Beers are for drinking, not throwing.

Hopefully this team wakes up. But at the same time, they have to stay focused. They need to react with goals like Peverley's, not with penalties like Horton's.

B's host the 3-0-1 Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Get a Case of the Mondays

Uninspired. That's a good word to describe the Bruins' effort Monday afternoon. A few players played hard, Tuukka Rask played well, the Bruins just didn't seem to want to win as much as the Avalanche.

Give some credit to Semyon Varlamov (Voldemort), who made a few big stops. But the word "few" is the key part of that sentence. Only 30 shots on goal, 18 in the first two periods. Few of these shots were very good. The Bruins would enter the zone, shoot from 30 feet out, before anyone was in position to capitalize on a rebound, and Colorado would recover the puck. But Varlamov did have some outstanding stops.

The first line hasn't been productive. I think part of the problem is a rusty Nathan Horton. He was slightly off-balance for a scoring chance against Philly, and he was off balance in that 2-on-1 with Lucic. Varlamov didn't have to respect Horton's ability to shoot because Horton was too extended to shoot.

I wouldn't mind seeing Marchand or Seguin on the top line. I'd rather keep Marchand with Bergeron and Peverley. But until Horton gets his legs back, why not utilize a strong-skating Seguin on the most talented line?

A road trip isn't a bad thing at this point. Bruins are in Raleigh to play the Hurricanes on Wednesday, then Chicago on Saturday. A few days away from Boston might allow this team to focus and work.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

THE BRUINS: LOOKING AHEAD

The joyful exuberance doesn't have to stop, but as the hockey games have stopped, we can look forward to next season. And there's quite a bit to look forward to. The core group of guys will return. In other words, Tim Thomas will return. Will he duplicate his awe-inspiring performance from this past season? That might be tough. There's no reason to think that he won't be close to it, though, and I'd bet on him having at least one more top quality year left.

Chara, Seidenberg, Ference, Boychuk, and Mcquaid all return. Thankfully. And Tomas Kaberle is an unrestricted free agent. Thankfully. I doubt the Bruins will make any efforts to keep him here. The defense is the strongest part of this team, apart from Thomas. The Bruins don't need to improve much here. The whole idea of a "puck-moving defenseman" has always bugged me. Offense comes from forwards, defensemen can contribute to that, but it shouldn't cost them defensively. I like defensive defensemen that can also play the puck.

I wouldn't mind Kampfer being the #6 defenseman, but I imagine the Bruins will bring in a more experienced hand. And it probably won't be a big name, or a "puck mover."

In the forwards department, the Bruins will likely say goodbye to Michael Ryder. Although he sporadically provided memorable playoff moments, his lack of consistency has been the one consistent part of his career. Mark Recchi is also gone, going out with ring #3.

The top line of Krejci-Lucic-Horton should remain intact. The word from Horton's camp is that he's not experiencing any post-concussion symptoms. So let's be optimistic and assume that this line returns.

Marchand and Bergeron are on the 2nd line and will need a winger. Peverley is the ultimate utility guy and can slot in there. But I'd rather have Peverley on a grinding 3rd line with guys like Chris Kelly.

The Bruins have some cap room available. They have $52.2 million committed to players, and the cap will be $64.3. So that's $11.1 million they'll be able to commit to filling the few roster holes they have. There might be more, depending on what happens with Savard.

I'd like to see them acquire Erik Cole, who is a free agent. Every time the B's play the Hurricanes, Cole impresses me. He's a hard player, he can score (26 goals last year, 184 in his career), and he plays the power play. He's solid. He'll turn 33 in November. He's not a game changer by himself, but I think if he's on a line with Marchand and Bergeron, all three of them become very good players.

The 4th line of Paille, Campbell, and Thornton is a sturdy group, with Paille and Campbell providing invaluable PK minutes. And we all know what Thornton can bring.

I'd like to see Seguin start the year in the AHL, getting plenty of ice time to learn the NHL style of play. I also wouldn't mind him being on the 3rd line with Peverley and Kelly.

Brooks Laich might be the best free agent that the Bruins look at. He can play wing, and he can turn that power play around. I personally think Cole, at a lower price, is a better value.

As we saw in the playoffs, the game isn't played on paper. For the Bruins to repeat, they need the same quality defense and goaltending. They could use a more potent offense, so long as it doesn't lose it's physicality. Scorers get cold. Forecheckers don't.

The whole idea of needing a 40 goal scorer to win is a bit flimsy. Let's look at the 40 goal scorers from last year:

Corey Perry
Steven Stamkos
Jarome Iginla
Daniel Sedin
Ryan Kesler

Iginla's team didn't even make the playoffs. Perry's was out after Round 1. Stamkos made the East finals, we know about Sedin and Kesler. That's a wide range of team results from these 5 guys. Having elite scoring threats is nice, but they can get cold, they can get shut down. Relying on offensive production isn't enough. The Bruins need to improve by adding grinders who can also score.

NHL SUSPENDS ROME FOR REMAINDER OF SERIES

Aaron Rome was suspended for 4 games for his hit on Nathan Horton in Game 3. The suspension effectively ends the Stanley Cup Finals for him. Horton, it was announced, will also be out for the remainder of the series with a severe concussion.

The NHL wants to get serious about hits like this one, which is why they devised Rule 48. They wanted to eliminate the grey areas that in the past muddled the debate between what was dirty and what was clean. But as grey matter injuries mount, grey areas needed to be clarified. Hence Rule 48:

"A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted."

Rome targeted Horton's head. Not only that, he used his elbow, not his shoulder. Not only that, the hit was very late, even by playoff standards of interference.

Some might argue that Horton should have made himself aware of Rome's presence. But the fact that Rome was so far from him, and that the puck was gone for so long, Horton probably assumed Rome wouldn't interfere with him. Perhaps not the wisest of assumptions, because you never know what'll happen on the ice, but this is hardly a blame-the-victim scenario.

And while the suspension satisfies me, there's no justice, no revenge possible. Horton is out. No disciplinary action can change that. He'd scored 8 goals with 9 assists in the postseason. He got the game-winning goal in two Game 7s. And he's gone. And who knows what the long term affects on his career will be.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

PAINCOUVER

It's still annoying. I'll start my post with how I'll conclude my first set of thoughts. Alexandre Burrows was a major factor in all three Vancouver goals. After his bizarre biting incident in Game 1, he didn't deserve to be on the ice in Game 2. At the same time, he is a member of the Vancouver Canucks, and this series is between the Canucks and the Bruins. He and his team won Game 2 fair and square, even if I think his team should have been deprived of his services. But it's still annoying.

It's also aggravating to see guys like Maxim Lapierre getting cute by sticking their fingers in Bergeron's face. It's all a joke for the Canucks. And why not laugh? They're up 2-0.

And they deserve to be. As pissed as I am about Burrows' 3 point night, did the Bruins play their best game? Did they take care of the puck? Were they aggressive at the right times and careful at the right times? Nope.

Giveaways. Turnovers. Failing to get the puck deep into the zone. It's the same fundamental struggles that have been plaguing this team all year long. The Bruins are keeping themselves in these games, then pushing themselves out with these bush league mistakes.

Even when a giveaway doesn't lead to a goal, it's still extra time chasing the puck, it's still extra work for the defensemen. The Bruins rely on their defensemen not only to keep guys like the Sedins from scoring, but they're also a huge part of the offense. And if Chara and Seidenberg are gassed because David Krejci or Gregory Campbell makes a dumb pass in the neutral zone, you can't expect the big men to pinch from the point and contribute on offense.

But the defensemen are hardly innocent bystanders. They didn't take care of the puck either. In Game 1, an intercepted Boychuk pass led to Vancouver's late game-winner. In Game 2, Ference failed to clear the puck out of the zone, and Vancouver scored a Power Play goal. Then Chara was unable to find the puck, and Vancouver tied things up in the 3rd. And Burrows' OT goal came thanks to a Ference pass that went astray in the neutral zone.

The goal itself saw Thomas and Chara screw up. Thomas was too aggressive, Chara wasn't aggressive enough. Thomas should probably stay at home a bit more often, especially when there's traffic. It's a good way to get lost. All game, he was getting into hogpiles 5 feet from the crease and was bailed out by his teammates.

Chara had a mediocre game in general. He struggled to make plays to get the puck out of the zone. Most of the Bruins struggled with that.

The Bruins aren't going to be able to push around the Canucks, like they pushed around the Habs and Lightning. The Bruins aren't going to be able to abuse Luongo like they abused Philly's goalies. They MUST execute these fundamental plays. Get the puck out of the zone with a purpose, don't just clear it. Get the puck in deep either by carrying it or dumping it. Make Vancouver earn possession, and don't just surrender the neutral zone to them.

Johnny Boychuk is looking more like Mark Stuart every game. He's playing a hard physical game, and screwing up on the fundamentals. The Bruins need him at his best as a defenseman, not just a hitter.

Michael Ryder had his strongest game since the outset of the Tampa series. If that continues, the Bruins' PP gets better, the 3rd line becomes a factor.

It's not a coincidence that when Chara moved back to the point on the Power Play (and Seguin was on the ice), the Bruins scored. Chara is infinitely useful on the point. His slapshot, his passing, his ability to sneak up to the dots, his wingspan preventing opponents from clearing, et cetera.

Lucic showed up in Game 2. He was physical, he was skating, he was strong. His rebound goal was the type of stuff he's done all year to reach 30 regular season goals. But guys like Horton, Bergeron, and Marchand need to score. Not only that, they need to shoot. These three scored the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most goals for the Bruins this year. They combined for 3 shots on goal in Game 2.

Meanwhile, Krejci, Seidenberg, and Boychuk combined for 11 shots. These guys were 8th, 13th, and 17th in goals scored this year.

Horton had his worst game of the playoffs. His success against Montreal, Philly, and Tampa Bay helped carry the Bruins this far. They need him now more than ever. He registered 1 forgettable shot, and that was on a play that he should have passed to an open Lucic, who would've had half the net to shoot at.

These Bruins are so close. But with a 2-0 deficit, they need to take 4 of 5 from the best team in the NHL. They need to play as close to perfect as humanly possible. They need to execute the fundamentals, then take it from there. If they play their absolute best then lose, well that's life sometimes. But how they've lost Games 1 and 2 is inexcusable and embarrassing.

Game 3 tonight in Boston on Versus.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

STANLEY CUP FINALS PREVIEW

It's June. The weather is beautiful. And there's a Bruins game on tonight. What a great way to start the summer.

The Canucks are the best team - on paper and on the ice - that the Bruins will face this postseason. They have fast forwards like Tampa, but their forwards are also strong. They have stalwart defensemen like Montreal. They have a Vezina nominee in net.

It's nice to see two traditional hockey markets in the Finals again. Last year saw Chicago vs. Philadelphia, which was a refreshing break from the streak of southern and Californian teams that just don't seem to belong in the sport. And in case you were wondering, Vancouver is as hockey-obsessed as Montreal and Toronto, as this video of the Vancouver skyline reacting to their OT win over San Jose demonstrates:

Frankly, I think Roberto Luongo is a bit overrated. He's Canadian born, plays on a Canadian team, and that's a formula for the hockey media to give him more praise and credit than he's due. But he's still very good. He does tend to get overly aggressive at times. And unlike Tim Thomas, he's sometimes not able to recover and make the save. He's also susceptible to being rattled.

I lost all respect for Luongo's character in the opening round of the playoffs. He was pulled twice, and in Game 6 the Canucks started backup Cory Schneider. Luongo didn't even sit on the bench with his teammates. He watched the game on TV from the locker room. Thanks to a Schneider injury, he found his way back between the pipes.

The strength of the Canucks is their top two lines. The Sedin twins will likely win back-to-back Hart (MVP) Trophies. Only five players scored 40+ goals this season, and two of them play for Vancouver: Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. The Canucks can get offense from beyond their top 2 lines, but these units have to be the focus of the Bruins defensemen. Not only do Chara and Seidenberg have to continue their epic level of play, Boychuk and Ference need to be almost as good. Boychuk was hit-or-miss against the Lightning. He's capable of so much better.

The Canucks' defensemen also contribute to the offense. Kevin Bieksa's 5 playoff goals are 4th on the team. Christian Ehrhoff is also a weapon, and should be healthy enough to start Game 1 tonight. Their defensemen also play some pretty solid defense. The grinding battles between forechecking Bruins' forwards and the Vancouver d-men will be very fun to watch, and will determine who wins these games.

The numbers are all on Vancouver's side. #1 in goals scored, #1 in goals allowed, #1 power play, #3 penalty kill. So what do the Bruins have?

Tim Thomas. He's the key. If he plays at his best, the Bruins have a good chance to win this series. He can keep them in every game.

Also, neither team has much Stanley Cup Finals experience. So as talented as Vancouver is, they're just as likely to succumb to nerves as the Bruins are.

For the Bruins to win, they need guys like Thomas, Chara, Seidenberg, Bergeron, Horton, and Krejci to continue playing at the level they've been playing at. They need contributions from Seguin, Paille, Peverley, and McQuaid. They need Michael Ryder to step up for more than two games per series. Mark Recchi also needs to show up and make an imprint on the game. Tomas Kaberle needs to be benched.

The power play MUST be productive. I'm not a huge fan of Chara playing in the crease, because it takes away his fearsome slapshot, and also his ability to sneak in to the faceoff dots from the backdoor. I don't mind if he rotates to the crease once and awhile, but don't like him starting there.

Horton should be the distributor on the halfwall, not Krejci. Although Krejci is a better passer, the threat of Horton shooting is much more imminent. Opposing penalty killers must respect that shot, which will open up space for the forwards down low.

I like the idea of rotating a forward into the very high slot, essentially at the blue-line. This is a good place to put Bergeron or Peverley. Vancouver will either have to stretch themselves to defend against it, or leave the points ample space to shoot.

The key to a successful power play is to make the opposing team work their asses off. Don't make it easy with perimeter passes. Don't make it easy with giveaways, forced passes, or low quality entries. Move bodies, not just the puck. These are simple concepts.

I think the Bruins will win this. I think Luongo will have a flustered game at some point. I think Thomas will steal a game. Bruins in 6.