The Bruins beat the Rangers 1-0 Saturday night, securing the top seeding in the Eastern Conference (I hate people saying "Eastern Conference Champions. The B's have 3 playoff series to win before they can wear that crown).
Quick thoughts on the game:
Sean Avery is a twat. That's the best word to describe him. And the NHL is stupid. He gets suspended 6 games for a lewd joke, but only gets 2 minutes for hitting Tim Thomas with the blade of his stick after the whistle? That was bullshit. Thomas retaliated and got a matching minor. That was bullshittier.
Look how much Avery turtles as he waits for his teammates to defend him. He's a tough guy cheap-shotter that turns into a helpless old woman when threatened.
I honestly don't care what Avery does or says off the ice. His on-ice provoke-then-hide behavior is what the NHL needs to legislate. The following penalties could have/should have been called on Avery:
Hitting after the whistle
Roughing
Unsportsmanlike conduct
High sticking
Instigator
A 2 minute instigator along with his roughing call would have been appropriate, along with Thomas given 2 minutes for retaliation.
Then again, the refs may not have seen it. But the NHL's offices certainly have, and Avery should get some sort of punishment for pulling this kind of crap. Again, 6 games for a joke, what's the penalty for actually doing something wrong on the ice?
Anyway, the Bruins are the #1 seed, and why is that so awesome?
#1: You get to play the worst seeded team in every round. 8th seed in the opening round, and if you move on, and let's say the 7th seed upsets their opponent, you get #7 in the second round. The highest seeded team you can see in the second round? The #4 team.
#2: Home ice advantage. The Bruins are 28-6-6 at The Garden. The other top teams in the East also have outstanding home records (Washington is 29-9-3, New Jersey is 27-11-1), so it's even nicer to get home ice advantage against them.
#3: You don't have to face BOTH the #2 and #3 seeds. The 2 and 3 teams in the East (Washington and New Jersey) are the teams to fear in the Conference. But being the top seed, the Bruins won't have to go through both of them. They'll probably have to go through one of them, but not both. The B's can't face either until the Eastern Conference finals, and by then, at least one of them will have to have been knocked out. This is the best part of being #1.
The Bruins have 4 games to stay fresh but rested, get Manny Fernandez some playing time, and get into playoff shape. Right now, the Panthers and Rangers are in a dead heat for the 8th playoff spot. I'd rather play Florida, but both teams are good, and whoever finishes 8th, by definition, will be a hot team.
Bruins' remaining schedule:
Tue 4/7 @ Ottawa
Thu 4/9 vs. Montreal
Sat 4/11 @ Buffalo
Sun 4/12 @ NY Islanders
-The Commodore
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