How the West Was Won

Maybe the Bruins should request to play their playoff games on the road. They certainly seem to perform best while away from Boston. The Bruins have won all 5 on their road trip, including a 3-1 win over the Canucks, holders of the best home record in the NHL.

How? Well, it starts with goaltending. Tim Thomas excelled in Vancouver and Calgary, and Tuukka Rask more than held his own in Edmonton, Ottawa, and Nassau.

Then comes the timely scoring. Horton's muscular goal to tie the game in Vancouver. Then Lucic's winning score in the 3rd of the Vancouver game. Lucic has learned the art of scoring in the slot. When he scored against the Canucks, it wasn't just good old fashioned aggression. When Seidenberg blasted a shot, Lucic was ready to smack in the rebound.

What's amazed me about Lucic this season is how quickly he becomes ready to score, how he positions himself in scoring position, before the rebound reaches his stick. When Seidenberg was rearing back to take his shot, Lucic was already prepping for the rebound. And that's why he has 27 goals.

In Edmonton, the team's effort wasn't as inspirational. Then again, they'd just taken on a tough opponent, then traveled to another West Canada bastion of hockey. Nevertheless, the Bruins still overcame the lowly Oilers. It was nice to see guys like Horton and Ryder finally paying their dues on the party bus.

This is a team that will take some doing to reckon with.

Bruins at Senators on Tuesday night.

-The Commodore

NHL Draft: Bruins Edition

I wanted to do something for the NHL draft, but when I sat down to do a mock draft I figured out it is completely pointless since I don't know a lot of these guys. So instead I will give you the players you should know for tonight's draft.

Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor (OHL)
Hall has everything you are looking for in a wing. He plays physical, he's fast, and he knows how to finish. The only concern with him is injury, since he plays with such reckless abandon, but so does Ovechkin, which makes me like him even more. Too bad it looks like he is going #1 to the Oilers.

Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth (OHL)
There is no reason to even ask who is going #2. Seguin came on strong last year, rising from a borderline top 10 prospect to a 1a/1b guy with Hall. It looks like the Bruins are going to end up with him, which also means Savard, Bergeron, or Krecji will be traded.

Cam Fowler, D, Windsor (OHL)
There are 3 very good defensemen in this draft. He is only 18 years old, but has experience winning in big game (won a gold medal as a member of the American team at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships). He is a great "puck-mover", and could be a real asset on the powerplay in years to come. There have been a lot of rumors the Bruins are trying to land another top pick, so they can land one of these defenseman (We'll get to the other two in a sec). If that is the case expect Thomas and/or Savard to have to go.

Eric Gudbranson, D, Kingston (OHL)
Out of the 3 top defenseman this guy has the least offensive talent, but might be the best defenseman. Expect the Panthers to grab him ealy.

Brandon Gormley, D, Moncton, QMJHL
Scouts say he has the best "hockey sense" of any of the top 3 defenseman, but he doesn't have the same amount of physical skill as Fowler/Gromley, but he is still very solid and will surely go in the top 10. No one has climbed the NHL draft ranking more then this kid.

Brett Connolly, RW, Prince George (WHL)
On a talent level is one of the best in the draft, but there are questions about his desire and willingness to be in shape and last 82 games. Still, with the right coaching staff he should be fine.

Well guys that's the players that I think you need to know if you're a Bruins fan. There are rumors flying all over the place about what the Bruins might do. They are still thoughts that they will pull something off to land Hall, but I still don't believe it. If I am right, it could actually lead to even bigger deals. The Bruins are letting Tim Thomas shop himself to other teams, and there are also rumblings that Boston would love to move Savard if they end up getting Seguin.

Ray Whitney To Bruins Rumor

"The Boston Bruins are reportedly looking at the players the Edmonton Oiler and Carolina Hurricanes have to offer. Those two teams are likely going to do most of the moving come the trade deadline, and there are a handful of player they could offer.

This rumor comes via the Twitter of James Murphy of NESN.com. He says he knows they have interest in the Canes Ray Whitney, who has been a hot name on the trade market as of late. He also speculates that they may be in on Shelden Souray of the Oilers (ESPN)."

There is no doubt in my mind that the Bruins will make a trade before the deadline. They need offense badly, and they have a lot of picks. The Bruins need to get healthy first, so they can figure out what they already have, but in the end I think you will see them pick up a veteran like Whitney (or maybe even Keith Tkachuk) to solidify their offense.

Bruins 1, Oilers 0 (OT)

The Bruins haven't lost to the Oilers in this decade, winning 7 straight contests coming into last night's game.

The 1st and 2nd stars were given to the two goalies in this tight match. The Bruins defensive play, and Edmonton's inability to finish, also deserves a "thank you" from Tim Thomas, who nabbed his 8th career shutout.

The Bruins were extremely aggressive on offense. Once they crossed the blue-line, they shot the puck. They didn't bother flirting, they just went straight for the bedroom. And for the most part, it failed. Scoring 1 time out of 36 attempts isn't a good success rate at the bar, or on the ice.

Thankfully, Thomas was on his game, and the Bruins owned their defensive side of the ice. Edmonton didn't get their first shot of the game until the Bruins shot 8 times.

The North by Northwest trip continues Tuesday night when the Bruins face the Canucks. Then they come back to Alberta to play Calgary.

-The Commodore