MORE BULLSHIT

Really? REALLY?!? Another fucking loss?!?

Give credit to Steve Mason and Columbus. Mason recorded his 9th shutout of the season, which leads the NHL. Pretty good for a 20 year old. And even though the refs fucked up all night (only 2 minute penalty when Mark Stuart's nose was bleeding, no diving penalty for Kristian Huselius' embellishment of Chara's hook, no call when Thomas was accidentally hit behind the net, no interference call when Kessel was bowled into the boards before he even touched the puck), Columbus played a good, tight hockey game.

But wasn't it typical Bruin luck? Thomas gets run into, his helmet pops off, hits the ice, and breaks. He has to either use Manny Fernandez's helmet, or Manny Fernandez has to come into the game. The Blue Jackets get a power play score from an awkward angle, a shot Thomas typically stops. A shot that he perhaps stops if he has his own mask.

At the same time, the Bruins score 0 goals, which is the best way to avoid winning.

The Bruins can watch this game, among with several others, and find many examples of how they messed up. Early in the 2nd, Kessel had a clean breakaway, just him and the goalie, and he didn't even get the shot on net. Seconds later, he Savard, and Lucic bungled a 3 on 2 opportunity.

David Krejci and Marc Savard have both turned into turnover machines, not the high percentage playmakers they were in the first 50 games of the season. Phil Kessel can't finish anymore. PJ Axelsson flat out sucks. Why was Axelsson on the ice longer than Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler? With 2:04 left, why was Axelsson on the ice AT ALL?

I keep waiting for this team to emerge from this funk. And if it doesn't happen on Thursday when the 26-29-10 Senators come to Boston...

it may never happen.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Jay LaPrete

PATS' NEW LOOK DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD

The Patriots allowed the 2nd most passing TDs in the NFL last year, and the 2nd most 40+ yard pass plays. This off-season, there's been a concerted effort to improve the pass defending elements of the defensive alignment.

Last week they acquired veteran Shawn Springs, and today they signed Leigh Bodden formerly of the Detroit Lions.

Neither of these guys are shutdown corners, neither of these guys are big playmakers, but neither of these guys are Deltha O'Neal. Springs is a 13 year old veteran, and Bodden has 7 years in the League. They don't make big mistakes. They don't blow coverage schemes. They'll help the younger CBs, like Terrence Wheatley, develop into solid CBs.

But once again this year, the quality of the pass-defense will be determined by the consistency of the pass rush. Pass rushing isn't just about sacks, it's about forcing hurried throws, and not allowing the QB to go through his progressions. The front 7 will determine how many passing TDs and 40+ yard passes the defense allows, more so than the DBs.

DON CHERRY VS. SEAN AVERY

Don Cherry calling Sean Avery what he is.

WHEN DID MANNY FERNANDEZ BECOME MANNY RAMIREZ?

What once was a terrific tandem of tenders has turned into a Jekyl and Hyde in between the Bruins' pipes. When Tim Thomas is in net, the Bruins are practically guaranteed an excellent fundamental goaltender, one who makes next to no mistakes, and is capable of amazing athletic saves. When Fernandez is in, the Bruins are guaranteed a pointless night unless they score 5 or 6 goals.

The Bruins lost to the Rangers, in yet another unfortunate display of hockey. To be fair to Fernandez, it wasn't entirely his fault. Just mostly his fault. Byron Bitz was primarily responsible for the first of 4 Ranger goals. He found himself out of position after a faceoff in the defensive zone, allowing Nik Antropov space. Enough space to score a goal.

But Fernandez was responsible for New York goals #2 and 3. The Rangers took advantage of a dreadfully bad hooking call on Marc Savard. They also took advantage of Fernandez's inability to cover the inside of his post. That's Goaltending 101 stuff.



And the 3rd goal was pure blooper reel material. Fernandez gets the puck caught up in his skates, doesn't know it, twirls in the crease, the centrifugal force of the twirl spins the puck into the net.

The Bruins came back, which was nice to see. They seemed to be playing with some confidence and purpose, something that's been lacking as of late. But a big bounce of the endboards served as a perfect set-up pass for Nikolai Zherdev.

It's too bad. Had the Bruins left New York with a point, they could start rebuilding what was their biggest strength: their poised confidence. Instead, for most of them, it might seem like another wasted effort.

Oh, and what the fuck was with the NBC announcers talking about Sean Avery every 5 minutes? The guy's a 2nd or 3rd line forward AT BEST, and he's a cunt. When the word "cunt" was invented, the guy who came up with it had people like Sean Avery in mind.

The Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday, another decent team fighting i na tight playoff battle. The B's still have an 8 point lead on New Jersey, but the Devils have 2 extra games in hand.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Stephen Chernin

BRUINS MAKE DEADLINE DEALS

The Bruins traded Petteri Nokelainen to the Ducks for defenseman Steve Montador. Montador is 6' 0", 210 lbs, has 4 goals, 16 assists and a +14 rating. Not surprisingly, he has a lot of penalty minutes, 125 already. He's a hard-nosed player that can move the puck. He reinforces the 2nd or 3rd defensive pairings, and he seems like a good guy to have on your team. I like this video clip of him sticking up and dropping the gloves for a teammate.



The B's also traded Martin Karsums and Matt Lashoff to Tampa Bay for veteran winger Mark Recchi. The 41 year old's been in the League for 19 years. He's got 13 goals and 32 assists. More importantly, he's got 1,472 regular season games under his belt, and 140 playoff games. He's been there, done that. He won the Cup with Pittsburgh in '91, and again with Carolina in '06.

With Lucic out for an unknown period with an unknown injury, Recchi adds some needed depth. Honestly, I don't see him making much of a difference on the ice, barring an injury. But the Bruins do lack playoff experience, and he has plenty of that.



Source:
Boston.com

BRUINS EASE UP, FLYERS ROLL OVER THEM

The first period of this game got me excited. It was like watching playoff hockey. Really tight checking, solid defense, excellent goaltending, few mistakes. The Bruins ended the first frame up 1-0 after a nifty Patrice Bergeron power play goal. Then they took the rest of the night off. Simultaneously, the Flyers found a higher gear, and embarrassed the Bruins on home ice.

The Bruins can't exactly cruise into the playoffs here, at least not without major risk. New Jersey is only 8 points behind, red hot, and has a game in hand. There's 18 games left, and Jersey is only 3 wins behind the Bruins' pace.

There's another problem. The Bruins haven't fared well against the other top teams in the East: Washington, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. In the 9 games against these opponents, the Bruins are 2-4-3, or have 8 points out of 18 possible. And in their last 4 against these teams, the B's are 0-2-2. That's no good.

We've seen them explode for 5 or 6 goals. Against Washington, they had a phenomenal effort. In the 1st period Tuesday night, they were physical, fast, and fun to watch. Then Marc Savard, of all people, turns the puck over on his defensive blue-line, and finishes the night with 3 giveaways.



So here's the question: Are they fizzling, or are they cruising? A fizzle means they're out of fuel and will eventually crash. But you can accelerate from a cruise.

In their 18 remaining games, they have 2 against those top 4 Eastern teams, and 8 against current playoff teams. Even if they continue to cruise, they can secure the #1 seed in the East.

I'm looking at the schedule and April 9th jumps out at me. The Bruins host the Canadiens. If the Bruins are on cruise control, that game should wake them up. If they've fizzled, it will be blatantly clear that night.

By the way, this was the save of the season...



It may have even wound up to be the biggest play of the night, as it kept the then listing Flyers from falling behind 2-0.

Bruins host the lowly Coyotes Thursday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
Elsa/Getty Images

TOO MUCH GIVEN, NOT ENOUGH GAINED?

Mike Vrabel, and Matt Cassel for the 34th pick in the draft. Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassel for the 34th pick in the draft?

A brief timeline of this trade:

Friday afternoon:
I hear Vrabel's traded to Kansas City. Surprising, not shocking. He's 33 years old, and I've always found his pass rushing to be inconsistent, poorly disguised, and easily foiled by even the averagest of lines.

Saturday:
Patriots trade Cassel to Chiefs. Not at all surprising. Entirely expected. Brady's knees must be healthy.

Later Saturday:
Released that Cassel and Vrabel are part of the same deal. I assumed that throwing in Vrabel was to justify whatever exorbitant price the Chiefs paid for him. Friend of mine tells me it was just a 2nd round pick. I call him a liar.

Sunday morning:
Yeah, just a 2nd round pick for Cassel and Vrabel. Huh?

Let's assess this objectively. I know Mike Vrabel was a popular player. #50 was one of the most seen jerseys at Gillette this year. And he's caught TD passes. BUT, he's 33 years old. He had 4 sacks, and only 40 solo tackles last year. He's neutral against the run, rarely gets into the backfield on the backside of plays, can't disguise his pass rush, and he's 33 years old.

Matt Cassel had a great season, and he's emerged as an NFL calibre quarterback. But he was going to be a free agent. The Patriots weren't in a great situation to trade him because everyone in the NFL knew the Pats weren't going to keep both he and Brady.

But at the same time, there were multiple teams interested in Cassel, which should have (and did) drive his worth to a higher price. And shame on the Patriots for not exploiting this value to its maximum value.

I didn't want a first round pick for Cassel. Early first rounders are too expensive in terms of salary. I wanted multiple picks. I wanted a good 2nd rounder, and maybe a 3rd or a 4th along with it. At least a couple of 6th rounders thrown in as token compensation.

It's hard to believe that Scott Pioli being with the Chiefs had nothing to do with this. It seems like a twisted form of compensation for all his years of service with the Pats. A kind of severance package.

The Pats could have had a 1st and 3rd round pick for Cassel, but didn't explore this thoroughly. Or so it seems. Some suggest Belichick turned down better offers. I find that notion laughable. He'd sell his soul for 5 yards of field position. I just think maybe the Pats didn't explore their possible options fully.

Then again, maybe the Pats have a specific player targeted with this 34th overall pick. Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel points out that teams may have been hesitant to acquire Cassel, as it would require a large contract extension. And remember, the teams that would want Cassel are poor teams, with many problems, and they need all the cap space they can get for multiple players.

Whatever the reasoning is, the Pats have failed to win the Super Bowl the last 4 years. This year will see more scrutiny, and even criticism if things don't go well.

In Foxborough, failure is not an option in 2009.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
Associated Press

EXTRA! EXTRA! CAPITALS HAVE HORSESHOES UP ASSES

Does Jose Theodore play with his eyes open? That's my question. I know a few years ago with Montreal he was outstanding, but now he just seems to be the luckiest goaltender in the history of the game. Maybe it's because I'm used to seeing Tim Thomas' textbook form, so when Theodore wanders 8 feet out of the crease, and goes to the butterfly in the slot, Jose simply looks retarded.



The Capitals have won 3 of 4 against the Bruins this year. And I'm barely worried about facing them in the playoffs. Firstly, I think it will be miraculous if Jose Theodore brings them as far as an Eastern Conference Final. Secondly, their biggest enemy against the Bruins will be the law of averages catching up with them.

The Devils and Martin Brodeur are the biggest threat out there, folks.

One of the video headlines on ESPN.com reads "Caps send Bruins a message in overtime win." I wonder what the hell this message could be? "We're luckier than you?" "Without your most physical forward, we barely beat you." "Dennis Wideman had our biggest goal." "If the refs call bizarre hooking penalties every 10 minutes, we'll have the edge."

I'm not trying to detract from Washington. They're a great team, and Ovechkin's the best player in the world. I just think that the season series could have easily been 3-1 Bruins if not for one or two bounces.



But it is what it is. And Washington is a mere 8 points behind the Bruins, and both teams have 19 games to go. The Caps have the 2nd tie-breaker by winning the head-to-head series 7 points to 3, and the 1st tie-breaker is total wins.

Bruins host the Flyers Tuesday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Lisa Poole