BRUINS GETTING SOME TRACTION

You can add Tim Thomas to the injury list for the Bruins with a "nagging minor injury." The good news is that he might be able to play in tonight's game in St. Louis. The even better news is that Tuukka Rask is perhaps the best backup goalie in the NHL, and could be starting for many teams.

The Bruins beat the Sabres 2-1 in the overtime a well-played, hard-fought, playoff atmosphere kind of game. Combined with the shootout win in Atlanta and this two game winning "streak" is only the second time the B's have compiled back-to-back wins.

But they have gotten 8 points in their last 7 games. More importantly, Milan Lucic is not only back in the lineup, he's back to being Milan Lucic. He and Byron Bitz terrorized the Sabres all night and in all three zones. They combined for the Bruins' lone regulation goal, which was set-up by their nice forechecking, and a good feed from Rask (who got his first NHL point with the assist).

A line of Begin-Bitz-Lucic would put the fear of God in opposing teams.

The Bruins look to get their first 3 game win streak tonight at 8 as they face a struggling St. Louis Blues team.

Sources:
ESPN
Boston Herald

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Don Heupel

ON NOVEMBER 23, 1984...

This happened:



Also, I was born. Sorry, no YouTube clip of that.

DIRTY SANCHEZ LEADS TO BIG MESS

Are there enough tissues in New Jersey for Cryingasaurus Rex? His Jets are now 4-6, on the outside of the outside, looking in at the teams looking in. Mark Sanchize added 4 more picks to his collection. Remember this stage of Mark Sanchez's career?



It's not surprising that Sanchez sucks so much. He was "coached" by Pete Carroll at USC. Carroll's job at USC is to cash inflated paychecks, and fail to inspire his ultra-talented teams to actually play solid fundamental football, and beat the likes of Stanford and Oregon State. Sanchez's current coach is little more than a blubbery blubbering blob of buffoonery.



This was a nice win, and important win. A loss would have been devastating, both in basic factuality, and psychologically. It's not the glorious triumph that some out there might still need after what happened in Indianapolis, but it's a vital step in the rightest of directions.

Laurence Maroney sucks. That's all I'll say. It was fun hearing the groans of the crowd at Gillette whenever he was stopped at the line of scrimmage. I genuinely hate him. Hopefully the Pats draft someone, or get some free agents that are under 30 years old next season.

The defense was excellent, but Sanchez makes that easy. He never tries to look safeties off, never does anything deceptive, nothing clever, his new nickname is Dr. Seuss because he's easy to read.



Massive test next Monday down in New Orleans. A strong showing there and it's clear that the Pats are contenders.

Wins are also extremely important at this point (more so than usual). There are three teams vying for the #2 seed in the AFC, and that coveted bye. Cincy, San Diego, and the Pats are all 7-3, and 5-3 within the conference (1st tie-breaker).

As mentioned earlier, Pats @ 10-0 Saints next Monday night.



Source:
ESPN

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

PATRIOTS/JETS PREVIEW

The 2006 AFC Championship loss to the Colts hurt. The Super Bowl loss to the Giants killed. Last week's defeat in Indy didn't hurt nearly as much, and this Sunday's meeting with the Jets is why.

The Jets and Pats met in Week 2. New England was 0/3 in the red zone. Gostkowski kicked three field goals, two of those were under 30 yards. Brady couldn't find Moss, there was no Wes Welker, and Mark Sanchez threw a 2nd half TD to propel the Jets to a 16-9 lead.

It's safe to say that a lot has changed since Week 2. Brady's found himself in the pocket, and is once again synced with Moss. Wes Welker has returned with a vengeance.

When confronted with these realities, Cryingasaurus Rex harped on the addition of Braylon Edwards to the Jets lineup. Well la dee dah. The Jets are 2-5 since their Week 2 victory, with wins over the mighty Titans and the indomitable Raiders.

Sanchez is piling up the interceptions, 11 since Week 2. But Rex Ryan has reigned in his play-calling to compensate. And the Jets do one thing very well on offense: run.

Thomas Jones and Leon Washington each average 4.6 yards per carry. The Jets already have 1,500 yards on the ground. That's the most in the NFL. Their 4.7 yards per carry is 5th best.

The best way to stop the run, at least for the Patriots, is to score points. The red zone shenanigans have to stop and Brady has to put the ball in the end zone. Get a 10 or 14 point lead on the Jets, and Rex Ryan will be forced to pass the ball, which will lead to interceptions.

This is nearly a must-win for both teams. A loss and the Pats are only 1 game up on Miami, only 1 game up on the Jets (with the Jets possessing the tie-breaker), and a Monday night date with the undefeated Saints. And if the Jets lose, they're pretty much out of the playoff races.

I think the Patriots do enough to slow down the Jets' running attack, or at least keep them from putting the ball into the end zone. Welker and Moss will run circles around the Jets' secondary, and the Pats will come out of the gate strong. It'll get close later on in the 3rd quarter, but Sanchez will blow it and the Pats will pull away.

Patriots 31, Jets 20

WHAT EXACTLY IS A THRASHER?

Thrashers are a group of small bird species, not unlike mockingbirds. There are 15 species of thrashers. They're called thrashers because they quite literally thrash their beaks through dirt, leaves, and grass on the ground, searching for food (insects and berries). Perhaps the least intimidating and lamest nickname for a sports team EVER.

And I'd like to meet the brain surgeon who decided to put a hockey team in Atlanta. Not only is it warm down there, but Atlanta fans are some of the worst in sports. The Falcons depend on day-of-game walk-ups to sell out, and we've all seen how empty Turner Field is for PLAYOFF games.

Anyway, to the game. Normally, a 4-3 shootout win in Atlanta is hardly anything to rave over. But Atlanta won 4 straight coming into this game. They've got some very talented players like Kovalchuk, Antropov, and Peverley. And we all know how much the Bruins have been struggling.



This was so close to yet another blood-curdling loss. The B's were up 2-0 in the 1st, but the Thrashers tied it at 2-2. Michael Ryder, who had one of his best games of the season with 2 goals, scored his second shortly thereafter to make it 3-2. The B's killed 5 penalties in the 3rd, but an unfortunate bounce from a shot blocked by Derek Morris set-up Afinogenov for the tying goal.

Then Tuukka Rask shined in the shootout. Thomas has an undisclosed injury (broken brain from all the wins he's been robbed of), and being able to put a guy like Rask between the pipes is a nice insurance policy. Rask stonewalled all 3 Thrashers in the shootout, no easy task.

It's up to Buffalo Friday night in an important divisional game. Savard might be available. Lucic played in this one buy was hardly the player we're accustomed to seeing.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/John Amis

LUCIC AND SAVARD CLOSE TO RETURN

Marc Savard skated in practice Tuesday morning for the first time since leaving the lineup with a broken foot. Since his departure, the Bruins have missed him on the power play, and frankly, all over the ice. When he returns, David Krejci will be able to play on the 2nd line, against opponents' 2nd tier of defensemen. Krejci's looked excellent the past few games, and this shuffle could further emphasize his hotness.

Milan Lucic has also been skating with the team, and Tuesday morning was finally allowed to practice full contact. Lucic will be a game time decision Thursday night.

I'd like to see the Bruins hurry Savard, but take their time with Lucic. Lucic depends on being stronger than his opponents, Savard depends on being smarter and slicker. I wouldn't be shocked if Lucic plays Thursday night, perhaps with limited ice time.

Sources:
NESN
Boston Globe

WHAT ISN'T BEING TALKED ABOUT

"Belichick's Gamble." That's all anyone can talk about, both inside and outside I-495. But any man who thinks a football game is decided by one play should be neutered so his stupidity cannot pass to a new generation.

Some have come to Belichick's defense. Football mathamagicians have even used past history to determine that going for it was a better percentage play than punting (79% win "probability" compared to 70% win probability).

I still think it was an error, but let's not forget what preceded this error.

The Patriots offense achieved 477 total yards, yet when given the ball late in the 4th quarter, only moved 8 yards in 3 plays to set up that 4th & 2.

It was also a Patriots offense that was a weakly 3 for 6 in red zone conversions. Midway through the 4th quarter, the Patriots were given the ball at the Colt 31 yard line. Peyton Manning had thrown an awful pick, essentially giving Tom Brady and the offense the hammer with which to drive home the final nail in the coffin. The Pats moved the ball to the 16 before kicking a field goal.

A touchdown there gives the Patriots an unassailable 17 point lead with only 4 minutes left. 3 scores in 4 minutes is a deficit next to impossible to overcome, even for Peyton Manning.

I guess my point is that the Patriots didn't just lose this game on "Belichick's Gamble." They lost this game in a number of failed plays. 3 for 6 in the fucking red zone is inexcusable, particularly for an offense that amasses 477 yards.

And to be fair to Belichick, how much is it to expect your 477 yard offense, which has averaged nearly 7 yards per play, to get 2 more yards?

Let the National Sports Media and the dumbasses here at home rail against Belichick all week. There's no cure for stupidity. And while the decision still irritates me, there are many more elements of a lost football game than one play and one coach's call.

THE RETURN OF THE BIG BAD HABITS

Turnovers a mere 5 feet from their own net. Is there a more horrible sin in hockey? It's the equivalent of red zone interceptions for a quarterback, or lead-off walks for a pitcher. Actually, it's worse. The Bruins resorted to some of their bad habits from early October. Combined with another bland night of finishing scoring chances, and you get a 4-1 loss to the Islanders.

The Bruins have made goaltenders look very good this season. And why is that? Well, it's because they are good. NHL goalies don't mess up, they're good at everything a goalie needs to do, and if allowed to get in position, with a clear sight-line, they'll make saves on just about everything.

Without a player like Marc Savard, the Bruins lack the cleverness to create space, and ultimately draw goalies out of position. The things Savard can do are fractional, hardly noticeable elements of an equation. But hockey is a fractional game (as proven by Guerin's goal Saturday night with 2/5 of a second left).

The Bruins power play was 0 for 4, which includes a 95 second stretch of 5-on-3. The Bruins have scored 5 power play goals since the 2nd game of the season. That's where this team misses Savard.

But Savard's absence cannot be blamed for this loss. The turnovers were awful. Assignments were missed, particularly Bergeron's, and he's normally the best defensive forward on the roster.

Maybe it's frustration. The defense had been phenomenal lately. The penalty-kill unit has killed 38 of 39 penalties since October 17th. But this team has allowed itself to lose focus far too often this season. And we're no longer in the beginning of the year, we're in the middle. Things need to change quickly.

The Bruins begin a 4 game road-trip, which might help get their collective head back into the game. They play 10-6-1 Atlanta Thursday night.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa