Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 1

The hits. The saves. The goals. There's just nothing like the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here's how night #1 went down:

DETROIT RED WINGS 4, PHOENIX COYOTES 2
Detroit leads series 1-0

Detroit's annual goal is to win the last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They won the first thanks to goaltending and special teams. Jimmy Howard carried the Wings through the 1st period, and Phoenix was unable to capitalize on some early power play opportunities, including a 5-on-3. In the 2nd, Detroit scored a power play goal, and another goal just after a power play expired. Players like Datsyuk and Franzen were engineered for the playoffs.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 3, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 0
Pittsburgh leads series 1-0

M.A. Fleury was all over the place, stopping 32 shots for his 5th career playoff shutout. Kovalev and Arron Asham did the scoring, plus Chris Kunitz added an empty-netter. The power play reliant Lightning only had 1 power play opportunity. Stamkos was held to one shot, and met Mr. Brooks Orpik.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS 2, NEW YORK RANGERS 1 (OT)
Washington leads series 1-0

The Rangers were on their way to a 1-0 shutout over the Caps. Late in the 3rd, Lundqvist locks up a puck between his thighs, Ovechkin pokes at it, the ref is tardy with his whistle, the puck rolls across the line. Then after almost a full period of OT, fatigue catches up with Marc Staal who gives the puck away to Jason Arnott. Then Alexander Semin scores the winner. Without Ryan Callahan, the Rangers might be in serious trouble.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 0
Vancouver leads series 1-0

Roberto Luongo was brilliant. 32 stunning saves. His 2nd career playoff shutout. Chicago held the Sedins scoreless, but weren't able to do much offensively themselves. This Blackhawks team is just completely different without Dustin Byfuglien driving the engine. Sharp, Kane, and Toews need to show up.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 4, ANAHEIM DUCKS 1
Nashville leads series 1-0

Mike Fisher scored twice with an assist, Shea Weber had a few big hits and a power play goal, but the star of the game was Pekka Rinne, who made an unbelievable kick save to keep the game at 1-0. As you might expect from a blowout, there was some ugliness at the end. The Ducks collected 32 penalty minutes in the last 15 seconds.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Canadiens @ Bruins - NESN (Versus nationally)
7:30 PM - Sabres @ Flyers
10:00 PM - Kings @ Sharks - Versus

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Playoffs: East Preview

The most exciting postseason in pro sports begins Wednesday. Here's a preview of the first round Eastern Conference matchups:

#1 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. #8 NEW YORK RANGERS
Ovechkin had an atypical year, only scoring 32 goals and 53 assists. The Capitals found some defensive discipline, and guys like Semin and Knuble contributed on offense. The Rangers won the season series, thanks in no small part to Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed 4 goals in 3 games against Washington. If guys like Marian Gaborik wake up for New York, it might be another early exit for Washington. I'm picking the Rangers in 7.

#2 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. #7 BUFFALO SABRES
The Flyers limped down the stretch, having clinched their division long ago. They boast some serious playoff experience, and a number of dangerous forwards. Buffalo also have some weapons. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford each surpassed 30 goals. And an ex-Vezina winner in net always helps. I think Buffalo takes an early lead in this series, then the Flyers wake up and win in 6.

#3 BOSTON BRUINS vs. #6 MONTREAL CANADIENS
Strength vs. speed. I'm not very optimistic about the Bruins in the postseason, but I think they'll be able to instill fear in the Canadiens. Montreal doesn't have the high flying offense they once had, and Tim Thomas will help shutdown the Habs' power play. Bruins in 6.

#4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. #5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
No Crosby, no Malkin, no problem. The Penguins have been playing playoff calibre hockey for months now. They grind out every battle, turn every inch of the ice into a war zone, and make opponents pay for everything. Tampa Bay falls down too easily, their offense is too reliant on the power play (less penalties are called in the playoffs), and Pittsburgh's goaltending is far superior. Penguins in 5.

I actually think Pittsburgh will win the East. We'll preview the Western Conference tomorrow.

-The Commodore

Who Will the Bruins Meet in the Playoffs?

It's not about seeding, it's about matchups. This weekend, we'll find out who will matchup against the Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs. It could be one of four teams: Montreal, Buffalo, the Rangers, or Carolina.

Right now, it'd be Montreal. They're nearly a lock to be the 6th seed. And despite losing the season series to the Habs, this might be the best matchup for the Bruins. The Canadiens have been a terribly streaky team. They're 6-6-1 since the Pacioretty/Chara incident. They're very fast, but they wilt against physical teams.

But the Bruins might not finish 3rd. They have a very good chance at earning the #2 seed. The Flyers are currently 2nd. They're 4-4-5 in their last 13, and have lost 4 straight. So the Bruins might face the 7th seed.

Which is currently Buffalo. The Sabres and Bruins have had mixed results against each other this year. And while you might feel confident about meeting Buffalo in the postseason again, remember one key fact: Thomas Vanek was injured in Game 2 of that series. And Vanek owns the Bruins. In 6 games against the Bruins, he's scored 4 goals, and added 3 assists this year. Not to mention Drew Stafford, who scored 7 times against the Bruins this year. And 6' 8" defenseman Tyler Myers will not be pushed around by any Bruin forward.

While the Bruins would be the favorites against Buffalo, it'd be a very tough series.

Then there's the Rangers, who are perhaps the worst matchup for the Bruins. The Rangers have an excellent goalie who has frequently frustrated the Bruins. They play disciplined defense. And now they have some guys who can score. I haven't felt good about a Rangers/Bruins game for 3 years now, and I don't want to see the Rangers somehow sneak into 7th and face the Bruins.

The longshot opponent would be Carolina. The Hurricanes are currently 9th, but have won 7 of 9 to get close. The B's won their season series with the Hurricanes 3-1. All three of those wins came within a 16 day span. Cam Ward isn't as good as he was in 2009, so I think the Bruins would win this series. But the odds of Carolina making it up to the 7th seed are so astronomically slim that it's hardly worth thinking about.

So, I'd prefer the Bruins met the Canadiens. Then the Sabres. Then the Rangers. If the Hurricanes make it, then they'd be better to play than Buffalo or New York.

-The Commodore

Rangers 5, Bruins 3

You wonder why I'm so negative about this team. Games like this one stick in my memory more than 3-2 wins over Atlanta. Games like this one not only hurt, they scare me.

The Bruins took a 3-0 lead, taking advantage of a worn out Rangers team. Then McQuaid makes a mistake, and it's 3-1. Then more defensive lapses, and it's 3-2. But the penalty killing unit seems to sap New York's momentum, and the Bruins get back to sensible hockey.

Then comes the 3rd period. The exhausted Rangers summon their final ounces of energy, and pressure the Bruins. As we've seen again and again, the Bruins failed to put away a desperate team.

McQuaid and Kaberle made the two most glaring defensive mistakes. Both of them assumed their teammates would win a battle, and moved to positions to receive a pass. Instead, their teammates lost their battles, and dangerous amounts of space was opened up. McQuaid surrendered the middle of the ice on Vaclav Prospal's first goal. And Kaberle left the crease open, giving Brandon Dubinsky all the time and space he needed to deke out Thomas.

In the defensive zone, you can't assume your teammates are going to win the puck. You have to react and play DEFENSIVELY. Weird concept, eh?

There were also numerous defensive shortcomings by Andrew Ference. I'd rather see Hnidy out there. I'm tired of watching Ference lose battles. Kaberle isn't much of a defensive defenseman either, but at least he can pass and score.

And the game-winning goal came when the Bruins collapsed into the slot. But none of them took a body. They tried fishing for the puck. Which is exactly what the Rangers did to allow Horton's goal in the 1st. In that type of frantic situation, you have to tie up your opponents' stick. The puck will randomly bounce around, but at least if it finds your opponents' stick, they won't be able to do anything with it.

Statistically, the Bruins are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. 4th fewest goals allowed. But in tough situations in big games, they make so many inexcusable defensive errors. Claude Julien might have implemented a masterful defensive plan in Boston, but it relies too much on the opponent playing predictable, traditional, station-to-station hockey. In other words, not the brand of hockey you see in the playoffs.

The Bruins finish the season against some non-contending teams. It's a good chance to give Thomas a break, and to play guys like Seguin and Kampfer. B's host the Islanders Wednesday night.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Rangers Preview

The Bruins have already clinched the Northeast Division title and are 4 points behind the Flyers and Captials for the top two seeds, while the Rangers are fighting for the last spot in the Eastern playoff seeding.

The Bruins improved to 5-1-1 in their last 7 games overall after beating Atlanta 3-2 on Saturday, but they are going to need to play a lot better tonight if they want to come out with a win. Rangers goalie Lundqvist is 9-3-1 with a 1.86 goals-against average and 3 shutouts over his last 13 games, and leads the league in shutouts (11). That could be a problem for the Bruins as their offense can be spotty at times.

The key for Boston will be getting their defense to pinch in and become part of the offense. I don't think the Bruins offense is good enough to score on Lundqvist alone, so having guys like Chara and Kaberle come up and be part of the play is key. That could leave the Bruins more vulnerable on defense, but its the only way I see them coming out with the win tonight.

Bruins win 3-2
Player of the Game: Chara
Game starts at 7:30pm on Versus

Bruins Drift Into Playoffs

Yes, I am going to kill your buzz with this post. The Bruins clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win over the Flyers last night. Sounds grand, doesn't it? And if I hadn't seen the game, and also hadn't seen the 1-0 loss to the Rangers, I'd probably be smiling.

But how hard did the Flyers play last night? Those were two teams on cruise control, and the Bruins were going slightly faster. And maybe that's fine. Maybe the B's will hit the accelerator once the playoffs start. Then again, we've seen such "tendencies" from this team before. Are they coasting into the postseason, or just in the midst another mood swing?

On Saturday, the Rangers were trying. They're vying for a playoff spot, and are essentially in playoff mode already. And they completely shutdown the Bruins' offense. Sure, the goal they scored was a deflection which came after a missed offside call, but the Bruins never looked like the better team until about 8 minutes left in the 3rd.

The Rangers' forecheck kept the Bruins pinned in their own zone. The Rangers' stickwork harassed the B's in the neutral zone. And then there were the blocked shots. New York blocked 29 shots. But for most of those, the Bruins would shoot right at the skates of the Ranger standing 5 feet in front of him. They weren't blocks, they were bad shots taken by the Bruins.

The Bruins are in the playoffs, and that's nice. It's sort of like being bowl eligible in college football, though. Half the league gets in. They have 7 more games to tune up for the postseason, and there are more than a few wrinkles that still need straightening out.

Bruins host the Blackhawks Tuesday night on Versus.

-The Commodore

Bruins 3, Rangers 2

This was one of the more boring games of the season. Both the Bruins and Rangers play very defensive styles. "Positional," was the word that best describes it. And if not for breakaway goals from Seguin and Recchi, this game goes the other way. Also, without another Vezinian performance from Tim Thomas, this game goes the other way.

I don't like how Julien is playing Seguin. Lining him with Paille and Thornton is a misuse of talent. Give him two or three shifts with Lucic and Horton. I'd also love to see Seguin and Recchi on the same line. The Bruins are without centers, and it's a good opportunity to move Seguin around as he learns how to be an NHL center. Don't put him on a line with Paille (45 career goals) and Thornton (18 career goals).

I also didn't like how the Bruins played when they went up 3-1. The Rangers became more aggressive on the forecheck, and once again, this baffled the Bruins. Eventually, the turnovers turned into a goal.

The Bruins' Power-Play is now 2 for 19 since Krejci left the lineup. As much as that demonstrates Krejci's cleverness, it also shows a severe lack of offensive talent and wherewithal on this team. Role-players like Jordan Caron and Daniel Paille and even Patrice Bergeron are supposed to be the complimentary pieces to the puzzle, not the core components.

Bruins host the Panthers tonight.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Rangers Preview

Tim Thomas has been the best goalie in the NHL so far this year, and if he is in net again tonight he is going to have to be on top of his game again, because Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist has crushed the Bruins in the past.

Lundqvist has won 4 of his last 5 starts in the series, putting his record against Boston to 14-4-2 with 4 shutouts and a 1.42 GAA, by far his best against any team. That's not good news for a Bruins' team that has trouble putting the puck in the net recently.

The good news is it sounds like Boychuk will be back for the Bruins tonight, so that should help the defense at least. Like I have said since Krejci went down the Bruins need to have their players get the puck to guys like Horton and Lucic near the net, because their are their best chances on finishing off a play. A lot of that responsibility falls on Bergeron, who in my opinion has been far from impressive so far this year.

I don't think there are going to be many goals in the game, and if Thomas is in net again I think the Bruins have the advantage even with Lundqvist's career numbers against the Bruins.

Bruins win 2-0
Player of the Game: Thomas/Bergeron
Game starts at 7pm on NESN.

Bruins 2, Rangers 1

I won't get too excited over Sunday's 2-1 victory over the Rangers. The game can be summed up thusly: a solid Bruins team with good goaltending took advantage of two Rangers' missteps to score twice and beat a 10th place team.

The Rangers are almost as offensively inept as the Bruins, averaging just 2.58 goals per game. Despite having some recognizable names on their roster, they've been a disappointment all season, failing to fully function as a team. And you saw that yesterday when their defencemen were easily "mesmerized by the puck" and drawn out of position, allowing Miroslav Satan, then Dennis Wideman time and space to score.

You know every time the Bruins' power play fails, I not only miss Marc Savard, I think to myself "The loss of this unit's effectiveness resulted in only 11 seconds of retribution?" I'm still not over Thursday night's shortcomings, at least in the revenge department.

But this win is what the Bruins must do if they want to make the playoffs. It's what they must do to control their own destiny. It's what they must do to maintain hope of avoiding Washington in the 1st round.

The Bruins are a mere 3 points behind 5th, 6th, and 7th placed Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Montreal. The Bruins also have an extra game remaining. Unfortunately, the B's are also only 1 point ahead of 9th place Atlanta, who they play Tuesday night in Atlanta. The Thrashers have won 4 straight.

-The Commodore

Rangers 3, Bruins 1

The Bruins and Rangers have played each other pretty close. Lots of 1-0, and 2-1 games. And as frustrating as those losses can be, they're at least exciting to watch, and the Bruins typically register a good effort. Neither of those things were true Saturday afternoon.

You can blame the injuries all you want, and the Bruins have had their share and a half. But injuries don't excuse Dennis Wideman's inability to consistently handle the puck. They don't excuse Michael Ryder's stilted and deliberate shooting (in high traffic areas, he doesn't one-time the puck, he catches it, handles it, then tries to shoot. Of course, by that point, a quick reacting defenseman has poke-checked the puck away). They don't excuse David Krejci's puck ignorance in the crease. They don't excuse a defensive scheme that surrendered the neutral zone without a fight, and yielded the defensive zone almost as freely. Saturday afternoon, the Bruins' supposedly vaunted layered defense looked more like the French in WWII.

From now on Dennis Wideman's new name is Harvey Dent, because he's a Two Face. He flips a coin, and half the time he does something clever with the puck, the other half he does something wholly moronic.



David Krejci is a premature ejaculator.



Derek Morris is back to being Derek Useless.

And I'm starting to think that Michael Ryder is the reason the Bruins acquired Miroslav Satan.

How many Too Many Men violations have the Bruins made this season? 10? Isn't anything higher than 2 at this point far too many? If you want tangible evidence for a team not focused, look no farther than their obscene amount of Too Many Men penalties.

At the game, some people around my seats kept yelling for Rask. Talk about treating the headache by taking some Pepto-Bismol. The goaltending is not the problem on this team. Nowhere near the problem. Injuries and good players playing like bad players, that's the problem. These "Tuukka Time" people are the same guys who wanted the Pats to put in Michael Bishop.



Nothing against Rask. I'd venture to say that he and Thomas are close to equals. And I don't really mind who is in net. But mostly that's because when the defense forfeits the zone so easily, it doesn't much matter. You could have Vladislav Tretiak and Patrick Roy's lovechild in net, and you'd still give up bad goals.



The Bruins have a West Coast trip that might help them get their heads back in the game. But how many times have I had to write something like that this season? "Hopefully this gets them focused," "Maybe now they'll get their act together," "This trip is what they need to get back on track."

It's January.

Bruins @ Ducks Wednesday at 10 Eastern.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Rangers Preview

Last time the Bruins took the ice it was a thrilling with over the Flyers during the Winter Classic. They will try not to have a let down tonight, as they travel to New York to take on the Rangers.

The Bruins really didn't play well until late in the game last time out. Their goaltending once again bailed them out. Boston picked up Satan to hopefully spark the offense, but he is at least a week away, so Boston is going to need to find a way to put the puck in the net with the guys they got.

Boston has the 3rd lowest goals total in the NHL. Though I can chalk some of that up to Savard and Lucic missing time, it still has to be the main concern of the Bruins. Scoring wasn't easy the last time the Bruins played the Rangers, as they fell 1-0, so you know Boston would like to get over that scoreless streak early in this game.

Game starts at 7pm on NESN.

Rangers 1, Bruins 0

You get a decent effort with an unfortunate loss to the Devils. Then a great, high-flying game against Edmonton, then get shutout by Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.

I guess treading water until guys like Savard and Lucic return isn't so bad. I suppose losing by 1 goal to good teams isn't so bad.

But a 13.6% power play is bad. It's worse than bad. It's flat-out inexcusable. That's 28th in the League. Only the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators are worse. A team with plenty of forward depth should not be below 15% this deep into the season. They should be 20% or better.

And having the 21st best PK unit isn't too good either, but at least that's shown some signs of improvement lately.

It's a long season, but it gets shorter every day. And if the season ended right now, the Bruins would be 9th in the Eastern Conference.

Big stretch of games coming up for the B's. They play Western Conference Champion Detroit on the road Tuesday night. That game's on Versus. Then they host Montreal and Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

-The Commodore

Phil Kessel Update

"Trade talks surrounding Phil Kessel are heating up. The Boston Bruins don't have the cap space to sign the restricted free agent because the 21-year-old center is demanding $5 million. For the Bruins to sign Kessel, they would have to dismantle their roster to stay under the cap. At least three teams, including the New York Rangers, are rumored to be interested (ESPN)."

I would Kessel to be back on the Bruins, and for some reason I still think he will be, but for that to happen the Bruins are going to have to make a trade, or Kessel is going to have to back down. My guess is that Kessel backs down and signs a 1 year deal, and then try his luck again next offseason. We'll keep ya posted...

Rangers Trade Gomez To Canadiens

"Scott Gomez’ brief New York tenure ended yesterday when the star center was traded by the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens as part of a six-player deal. The key player coming back to New York is forward Chris Higgins, a Long Island native who is set to become a restricted free agent today when the NHL’s free-agent shopping season opens. New York had been looking to clear space under the NHL salary cap and cut out a major contract that still has five years and $33.5 million left on it. Gomez was sent to Montreal with minor leaguers Tom Pyatt, a forward, and defenseman Mike Busto. Along with Higgins, the Rangers got defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko (Boston Herald)."

The Rangers need to dump some payroll. Gomez is a good player, but overall he is overrated. He had one great year with the Devils in 2005 when he had 33 goals and 51 assists. He is still a playmaker, and the Canadiens basically need to rebuild their entire team. Not really sure if it is a good idea to bog yourself down with this kind of contract (about $6.7 million for the next 5 years) when you are rebuilding.

Rangers Fire Tom Renney

So another coach who had recent success has been dumped in the East, as the New York Rangers have fired Tom Renney after only winning twice in their last 12 games after leading the Atlantic Division much of the first half of the season. The Rangers have talent (Nikolai Zherdev, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Markus Naslund, ect) and the hope is that a changing of the guard will help fire up a team. Even with all the offensive talent the Rangers have, they seem to be going through the same thing as the Bruins, which is struggling to put it in the net. Still, there is too much talent on this team for them to fall out of the playoffs, and if they can get it going they could be a very dangerous team going through the rest of the season.

Bruins 1 Rangers 0

The Bruins got a lot of help today from one of their future stars, as Tuukka Rask made the most of his first start in nearly 14 months. The 21-year-old stopped 35 shots, and Marc Savard scored the only goal in the game to get the Bruins their 36th win of the season. Rask will be playing a very important role on this team next year, as Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas are free agents at the end of the season. I have read nothing but rave reviews about this kid, and the Bruins have to be excited that they are building so much young talent to a team that is already one of the best in the NHL. Boston is now 11 points up on the Capitals for the lead in the Eastern conference, and will only be getting better as players keep getting healthy.

Rangers Beat Bruins in SO 3-2

The Bruins dominated the first 2 periods, but then turned around and let the game slip away in the 3rd. The Bruins had a lot of chances to put the game away, while they were up 2-0, but Henrik Lundqvist made some incredible saves. Chara and Wideman were able to get the two goals by him, but this game could have easily been 5-0 if it wasn't for the play of the Rangers' goalie.

In the 3rd the Bruins seemed to relax a bit, and the Rangers took advantage scoring two goals. The goal that tied it up with was under a min left, and you could just feel the air come out of the Bruins sails. In overtime, the Bruins were horrible, but Thomas was able to keep them alive to force a shootout. God I hate shootouts, and apparently so do the Bruins, as once again they were not able to pull this one out. Chris Dury was the only one to score as both goalies were incredible. Bergeron looked as if he was going to send it into another round of shootouts, but a replay showed that the puck didn't pass the goal line.

If the Bruins had won they would have been one point behind the Rangers in the race for the Eastern Conference lead, but now they are dropped four back (hatred for shootouts growing). Still the Bruins have to be happy that during the last two games they have played the best in the NHL, and have got 3 points to show for it.

-BMack

19 Year Old Hockey Prospect Dies On Bench

Alexei Cherepanov was drafted 17th overall by the New York Rangers just a few months ago. During the 3rd period of a game in Russia for Avangard Omsk, a game in which he scored a goal, he collapsed on the bench. His heart had stopped. No word yet as to the cause of death. He hadn't been involved in any collisions on the ice or that type of thing. He simply fell down dead.

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Playoffs: 2nd Round Recap

Eastern Conference:
#6 Philadelphia Flyers defeat #1 Montreal Canadiens in 5 games
Carey Price was exposed in this series, even to the point of being replaced in game 4. Watching Montreal lose is always fun, but it makes the Bruins’ first-round loss hurt even more, because it is now all too clear how human Price is.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat #5 New York Rangers in 5 games
I honestly thought this series would be much closer. Although Pittsburgh never really blew out the Rangers, the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury (who is 5 days younger than me) stifled New York. Sidney Crosby may not have scored a goal in the series, but he did pick up 6 assists.



Western Conference:
#1 Detroit Red Wings defeat #6 Colorado Avalanche in 4 games
The word “sweep” is insufficient to describe Detroit’s domination in this series. Detroit scored 21 goals, Colorado managed to get 9. Although two of the games were close, Detroit was never in any danger of losing this series. They made Jose Theodore look like an amateur, which gives them a special place in my heart.

#5 Dallas Stars defeat #2 San Jose Sharks in 6 games
Dallas is playing out of their minds. Marty Turco has been a wall in net, and guys like Mike Ribeiro, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, and Brad Richards are not only scoring, but scoring when it counts the most (like 9:03 into the 4th overtime).



-The Commodore