A Tale of Two Goalies

Timothy James Thomas Jr. And Roberto Luongo. Even the way their names sound suggests a difference in background, a difference in character. These two goalies have taken very different paths to be in the Stanley Cup Finals, with different results. And I think their different backgrounds can help explain why one is doing so well, and the other isn't.

Thomas was born in Davison, Michigan. Luongo in Montreal, Quebec. Davison is a suburb of Flint. Montreal is Montreal.

Luongo was a highly touted goalie as a youth, drafted 2nd overall into Quebec Juniors by the Val-d'Or Foreurs as a 16 year old. He won the Mike Bossey Award which is given to the best pro prospect in the QMJHL. When he was 18, the Islanders drafted him 4th overall amid comparisons to Ken Dryden. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Olli Jokinen were the players taken before him. At the time, Luongo was the highest drafted goalie in NHL history.

Thomas, like most American players, played for his school. As a high school freshman, he started off as a forward and defenseman, before eventually replacing the senior goalie who had told his coach "This kid's better than me." Thomas was respected in Michigan high school hockey, partially due to a 62 save, 6OT 3-2 playoff win. But the publicity, attention, and glory was nothing like the aura surrounding Luongo. Thomas was awarded a hockey scholarship at Vermont, becoming the first member of his family to attend college, and earning a chance to avoid working (or trying to work) in the collapsing auto industry in Flint.

Vermont was a mediocre program when Thomas arrived. They finished 7th in the ECAC the year before he got there. Hardly the center of the college hockey universe.

Luongo remained in Juniors, setting records, not being able to come to terms with the Islanders on a contract, winning two QMJHL Championships. He also started for Canada in the 1999 World Junior Championship, going 4-2-1 with a 1.93 GAA, and helping Canada win Gold.

Thomas started as a freshman for the Vermont Catamounts. He was good enough to impress the Quebec Nordiques, who drafted him 217th overall. Thomas improved each season at Vermont and so did the Catamounts. Having a teammate like Martin St. Louis helped. Thomas led the Catamounts to the NCAA tournament as a junior, and took them to their first Frozen Four as a senior. He was All-ECAC twice, and an NCAA East All American twice. After he graduated, he entered the pro ranks.

Luongo started his pro career in Lowell, MA, playing for the Lock Monsters, the Islanders' AHL affiliate. He was almost instantly called up to the Islanders, making his NHL debut as a 20 year old, beating the Bruins in a 2-1 game. He quickly surpassed Felix Potvin as the starting goalie, and the Islanders soon traded Potvin to the Canucks.

Thomas' path to the NHL was much less direct. His first year in the professional ranks started in the ECHL, playing 6 games for the Birmingham Bulls. Then he played 1 game for the Houston Aeros of the now defunct IHL. Then 18 games for HIFK Helsinki of the SM-liiga. So from Vermont to Alabama to Texas to Finland, all in one year.

Thomas helped HIFK win the Finnish Championship (the Kanada-malja trophy), then signed with the Edmonton Oilers in the off-season, once again attempting a traditional route to the NHL by playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. It didn't go too well so Thomas was once again transferred to HIFK.

In the 1999-2000 season, Thomas finally got to play for just one team in a season: the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. His 3.56 GAA and .892 SV% didn't impress. The 26 year old Thomas started the next year in Europe, with AIK, in Stockholm, Sweden. And it was seeming like his career was going to be spent as a journeyman. AIK was his 6th team, in the 5th different league, in the 4th different country, in 4 years since he graduated Vermont.

Islanders' head coach Mike Milbury didn't like Luongo. After his rookie season, the Islanders drafted Rick DiPietro 1st overall, and haven't looked back since. They traded Luongo to the Florida Panthers. Playing half of Florida's games, Luongo set a franchise record with 5 shutouts. His 2.44 GAA and .920 SV% were more than respectable for a 22 year old.

As the Panthers struggled, Luongo improved. He was nominated for a Vezina in 2004, leading the NHL in save percentage and recording 7 shutouts. A year after the lockout, Luongo was a soon-to-be free agent. He'd proven himself as one of the better goalies in the league, winning 35 games in his final year with the subpar Panthers. There were rumors that apart from a significant amount of money (which he deserved) he demanded that the Panthers retain goalie Jamie McLennan as the backup, and hire a new goalie coach.

With his contract looming, the Panthers traded Luongo to Vancouver, in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld, and Bryan Allen.

The Bruins decided to sign Tim Thomas as a free agent, but also allowed him to remain in Europe. He joined the Finnish team Kärpät. A year later, he found himself in Providence of the AHL. Even though he still had John Grahame, Andrew Raycroft, and Steve Shields ahead of him on the Bruins' depth chart, Thomas made his NHL debut on October 19, 2002. He was 28 years old. 8 years older than when Luongo made his debut.

Luongo was welcomed to Vancouver as a conquering hero. A hockey-mad city finally had a legitimate goalie. The Canucks' own GM had once described the team as a "goalie graveyard." Luongo didn't let them down. In his first season as a Canuck, he tallied 47 wins, a 2.29 GAA, and a .921 SV%. He was nominated for the Vezina and Hart trophies, but lost out to Martin Brodeur and Sidney Crosby, respectively.

Thomas, like most players, spent the lockout playing in Europe. But this was familiar territory for the American goalie. He joined Jokerit in Finland, registering a 1.58 GAA in 54 games with a .946 SV%. He won awards for the best player in the league.

In 2005, it seemed as though Thomas was going to settle down as a European hockey player. He signed a deal with Jokerit, that included an NHL option. He was now a European player with the potential to transfer to North America, not the other way around.

The day before the Finnish season began, the Bruins signed Thomas. He was sent to Providence, but eventually found his way to Boston when Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen both got hurt. He played 38 games, and after the Bruins traded Raycroft to Toronto, they needed Thomas as a back-up and signed him to a 3 year deal.

While Luongo was having regular season success in Vancouver, the Canucks were struggling to get to that next level. They were consistently surpassing 100 points, yet were annually getting knocked out of the playoffs in the Conference Semis. Luongo was getting most of the blame.

He was great in the '07 playoffs, but allowed a series-ending OT goal when he literally looked at a ref for a penalty instead of watching the puck. In the '09 playoffs, he allowed 7 goals in a series-deciding Game 6 loss to Chicago. The Canucks then signed him to a 12 year, $64 million contract.

Tim Thomas finally became a true NHL goalie when the Bruins signed him to a 3 year deal. Although there always seemed to be someone in his way, preventing him from starting. Hannu Toivonen had the job in 2006, and Thomas wound up starting anyway. In 2007, the B's signed Manny Fernandez, and Thomas was once again relegated to the backup role. Fernandez got hurt, Thomas stepped up, and even made the All-Star Game. In 2008, Thomas was the clear-cut, 1A starter, with Fernandez in a 1B role. Thomas won the Vezina. In 2009, Thomas was again the starter, but he was sluggish on the ice. 22 year old Tuukka Rask won the starting job, along with the affections of countless Boston fans, spawning phrases such as "Tuukka Time."

Luongo replaced Martin Brodeur as Team Canada's goalie in the middle of the 2010 Olympics. He won four straight elimination games, and the Canadians won their first Gold since 2002. But he struggled in the NHL playoffs, posting a 3.22 GAA and .895 SV%. He also stepped down as the Canucks' Captain, yielding the position to Henrik Sedin.

Before the 2010-11 season, the Bruins tried trading Thomas. But teams found his long-term contract to be a bit too hefty to swallow. The Bruins kept Thomas, starting the season with Rask in net. Rask's 1.97 GAA the year before had earned him the spot. And once again, Thomas entered a year as a backup.

But Rask lost 7 of his first 8 starts. Thomas won his first 7 straight. By December, he was the starter, Rask was the back-up. By January, Thomas was an All-Star. By March, he was a Vezina nominee. By June, he was a Conn Smythe contender.

Luongo's career also seemed to be rejuvenated. A new goalie coach in Vancouver produced a more conservative approach from Luongo. He set a career low with a 2.11 GAA, and his 2nd best SV% ever at .928. He struggled in the opening round of the playoffs, but wound up a Game 7 hero against Chicago.

These goalies have now met in the Finals, and after 4 games, one has allowed 5 goals against the best offensive team in the NHL, the other has surrendered 14. That's more goals than Luongo allowed in the previous two series. Tim Thomas has been the Bruins' answer, while nothing but question marks surround Luongo.

When Tim Thomas struggles, he summons an excellent game the next time out. He thrives in adversity. You can see it when he willingly enters the fray in front of the net. But Luongo often finds himself in quicksand. He makes his struggles worse. He presses, he pushes. He tries too hard to win the game on his own. We saw him push too hard in Game 4, abandoning the conservative approach that made him a Vezina nominee. And nobody in Vancouver knows exactly what version of Luongo will play in Game 5, if he plays in Game 5.

And maybe the reason Thomas handles adversity, handles tough losses like Games 1 and 2, is because he's accustomed to the struggle. He's battled and earned every second of ice time he's ever played, from a high school freshman to Finland to Sweden to the Bruins. Luongo, on the other hand, has always been the star. Since he was a 16 year old drafted into the QMJHL, since he was selected by the Islanders, then eventually traded to Vancouver. He started as the top dog at every level of play. He didn't have to climb the mountain, he was born at the top. He's been able to rely on just his talent, and perhaps that's why his character has never fully developed.

Maybe I'm psychoanalyzing too much here, but these two goalies are completely different types of people. And that matters, especially in such a unique position as goaltending, it's not just about strength, speed, vision, or flexibility. The so-called intangibles have a huge impact on how well a goalie performs. And in that category, Tim Thomas is much more qualified. And it's because he's had to build character to get to where he's gotten.

Sources:
Canada.com
ECAC Hockey
MLive.com

-The Commodore

Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2 (SO)

The good news is that the Bruins left Columbus with 2 points, ending their season long 4 game losing streak. The not so good news is that they barely did it. If not for some heart-attack saves by Rask, the Bruins would have once again found themselves outworked, and outscored by a significantly inferior opponent.

Even if the B's had dominated and won 7-0, I wouldn't be happy. This team has "turned it around" too many times in the past for me to invest any more faith in them. And ultimately, it's Columbus. Who gauges where a team is at by its performance in Columbus?

Krejci technically got the Bruins on the board in the 2nd, but it was a point shot by Chara, set-up by Lucic winning a battle along the boards. The deflection was actually due to Krejci being boxed out of the crease, losing a battle, but finding himself "guided" by a Blue Jacket to the right place at the right time.

The second Bruins goal was from Peverley, who's played solidly since arriving, but has yet to properly demonstrate his skills. I think that's because he hasn't been lined up with a very talented supporting cast. Sort of like putting Edward Norton in a serious cop movie, but casting him alongside Jimmy Fallon and Charles Barkley.

The problem is, who would Peverley play with? Bergeron and Marchand are mired in slumps. The 4th line hasn't scored since Marchand left it (I actually think Marchand should return to them and focus on playing, not scoring. The goals will then come). I actually wouldn't mind seeing Peverly centering the 1st line with Lucic and Horton, because he can score, and Krejci cannot.

Anyway, the offense has to come from the defensemen for now.

And thank the hockey gods above, Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch. That's actually what Ryder means in the native tongue of Newfoundland. "He who is healthy, but unworthy of a roster spot."

In the end, though, Rask won this game with some acrobatics. His teammates occasionally bailed him out, but they also occasionally put him in bad situations. He got lost on Columbus' 2nd goal, but the play should have never happened. This team still struggles with breaking out of its own zone. Such a childish thing for an NHL team to struggle with.

Bruins visit another hockey hotbed on Thursday as they play the Predators in Nashville.

-The Commodore

Bruins 6, Stars 3

The first 35 seconds of this game saw three fights and a goal. And the first 4 minutes saw four fights and two goals. And by the end of the night, 91 penalty minutes had been dispensed, and 9 goals scored. So yeah, this was a pretty action-packed game.

The 6-3 scoreline doesn't convey how thoroughly the Bruins dominated this game. The referees helped slow the B's down in the 2nd period. They disallowed a goal by McQuaid that would have made it 5-0. Then there was the matching 10 minute penalties to Chara and Ott, which kept the Bruins' leading ice-timer in the box.

Tuukka Rask had a bipolar outing. He was brilliant in some key stages. He made a Thomasesque post-to-post stop to keep the score at 2-0 in the 1st. In the 2nd, he made 10 stops in a 5 minute penalty-kill. In the 3rd, he allowed a pair of soft goals that gave Dallas some hope.

Even though he's 6' 2", Rask isn't that big of a guy. He doesn't occupy much space. He's 171, and a bit stringy. Whereas Thomas is 5' 11" and 208. So while Rask excels at the close-quarter stuff, he's vulnerable in long-range situations, when he simply can't make himself big enough to properly cut down the shooter's angle. Plus, he's nowhere near as balanced as Thomas, which is why it takes him so long to move from side to side.

Bergeron scored his 18th and 19th. He scored 19 all of last season. He hasn't reached 20 since the concussion but he's right on the doorstep.

Lucic scored the first goal, his 21st. Krejci set him up with a move so brilliantly subtle that the defender didn't even know he was being manipulated.

Seguin, Marchand, and Thornton rounded out the scoring. You were happy to see Thornton score in the 2nd, after he won his fight in the 1st period. You were happy to see Seguin score because Dallas was coming back, and Seguin has been mired in a slump. And Marchand now has 14, which is simply amazing.

The Bruins host San Jose Saturday afternoon.

-The Commodore

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1

I was glad to see Tuukka Rask in the Boston net to start the game. The Bruins need Thomas fresh and rested, which therefore means they need Tuukka Rask to perform as an adequate backup. And he has done that this year, despite a deceptively bad 3-7-1 record.

Rask stopped 36 shots, and the only goal he allowed was aided by Mark Recchi skating off the ice to be changed out, giving Mikhail Grabovski a world of space for his breakaway goal.

The Bruins' top line had been in a mini-slump coming into this game. Lucic hadn't registered a point in 7 games. Horton hadn't scored a goal in 9 games, and had only 1 assist in that stretch. Savard only had 2 assists in the last 7 games.

Last night, all three resumed their productivity. Horton and Savard scored in the 2nd, with Horton and Lucic getting the assists on Savard's goal. They were threatening all night, cycling the puck around, moving without the puck, creating space and opportunities for each other, getting the defensemen involved, and ultimately winning the game.

Lucic and Horton have scored 28 of the Bruins' 112 goals this season, which is precisely one fourth the team's total. In other words, when these guys are cold, the Bruins aren't scoring. And Savard also needs to get in on the fun. It's kind of weird to see him at only 2 goals nearly halfway through the season.

The Bruins end their 5 game road trip with a 3-0-2 record and 8 points. Not too shabby. They just need to keep up the good work, and straighten a few rough edges. Ryder and Wheeler, for instance, need to get going. Last night, I don't think they did a single thing right on offense.

The Bruins host the Wild on Thursday. Minnesota are 13th in the West, so this is a good chance to keep things rolling going into a tough stretch of games in Montreal and Pittsburgh.

-The Commodore

Sabres 7, Bruins 6 (SO)

For the first time in team history, 4 defensemen scored goals. It was part of a 6 goal night for the B's, and they still failed to leave Buffalo with two points.

Most of the blame can be focused on Tuukka Rask, who made some poor decisions trying to play the puck a few times, and also allowed some soft goals. Now, it was his first start in 16 days, so a little rust is excusable. But he flat out didn't have it Saturday night. I'll give Julien some credit for pulling him after the 1st.

Even though they led 3-1 at one point, it wasn't as if the Bruins were dominating the Sabres. They were taking shots from the point that were finding holes through Ryan Miller. Then the well dried up, and Buffalo scored their share of the fortunate goals. Everything was going in.

The Bruins took a 6-5 lead in the 3rd, and how they blew that really pissed me off. For 3 minutes, they were pinned in the defensive zone, icing the puck three times, desperately trying to survive. Then Buffalo pulled their goalie, and playing 5 on 6, both Savard and Recchi attacked the puck carrier at the point. This left 3 Bruins to defend against 5 Sabres.

When games get frantic, and other teams get desperate, the Bruins' positional discipline and situational awareness simply breaks down. Claude Julien receives a great deal of praise for the well organized defense the Bruins play. But maybe there's too much focus on careful and logical play. Maybe the players need to play with more instinct, and less contemplation. At least in those furious moments at the end of a close game.

As this road trip moves north, it's starting to turn south. Buffalo isn't a good team. And neither is Toronto, whom the Bruins play tonight. Anything short of 2 points tonight is inexcusable.

-The Commodore

Bruins 5, Islanders 2

Normally, I'd criticize the Bruins for not utterly destroying a team as bad as the Islanders. Let's be honest, though. You don't need 100% effort or execution to beat that team. They're just awful, and actually kind of sad to watch. Thankfully, the Bruins beat them.

Milan Lucic scored his 14th and 15th goals in this game. Like pretty much all of his goals this season, they were hardly highlight reel snipes. But I like what he's been doing. He seems to have learned how to be a better player from his teammates. His puck-handling is better, perhaps learning from Krejci. His defensive play is better, thank you very much Mr. Bergeron. And like Mark Recchi, he now has an instinct to put himself in the right place at the right time. And that positional awareness is why he has 15 goals.

The second Bruins goal was a shorthanded score from Brad Marchand, his 4th, and 3rd shorty of the year. He's been a very nice addition to that 4th line, which plays so often in key situations, it can hardly be called a 4th line.

Andrew Ference had one of his better games of the season. His pass found Ryder in the high slot, giving the Bruins a 3-1 lead. And he also set the events leading to Marchand's goal into motion by winning a battle in the corner. He and McQuaid will need to play well the next few weeks, with Stuart out of the lineup.

It was nice to see Rask get a win. He played well, and it was refreshing to see him get his second victory of the season, even though he deserves a few more than that. And how relaxing is it to give the best goalie in the world a night off, and get to put the likes of Rask in there?

I'm calling the next 8 days Exam Week for the Bruins, because they've got some games that will test them, and allow us to gaage how good they really are. Here's what's coming up:

Saturday 12/11 - vs. Philadelphia
Wednesday 12/15 - @ Buffalo
Thursday 12/16 - @ Montreal
Saturday 12/18 - vs. Washington

There's games against the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th best records in the NHL in an 8 day stretch, along with a divisional road game squeezed in. Not easy.

-The Commodore

Bruins 4, Panthers 0

Milan Lucic scored a hat-trick last night, which gives him 10 on the season. That surpasses his total for all of 09-10, and he's got more than a good chance at beating his career best of 17 set the season prior. Yet he wasn't the top performer of the night. Tuukka Rask stopped 41 shots en route to a shutout, and his first win of the season.

For good chunks of this game, the Panthers were just a bit better than the Bruins. The Panthers also had 10 minutes worth of Power Play time. Tuukka kept the game even, then kept it at 1-0 for about 30 minutes, waiting for Lucic to explode.



The big difference for Lucic this season has been his skating. He's moving around, getting to pucks, crashing the net. That's how he scored all 3 of his goals (it was a "natural hat-trick" by the way, which means he scored all three in a row, uninterrupted by another player's scoring), by getting himself in position to make plays.

He's also developed a nice in-stride shot. His goals are rarely pretty, but they're never ugly. Being with a guy like Nathan Horton seems to help too. He had an assist on all three of Lucic's goals.

Lucic stands at +12, with 10 goals, and 7 assists. He's only amassed 18 penalty minutes, but that's because he's using his strength to make productive plays, not to send messages. Shawn Thornton can do that quite well.



The Bruins have won 3 straight, but they've hardly faced world-class opposition. Florida have the 5th worst record in the NHL, and the Devils are 3rd worst. The Rangers are tied for 15th in the League.

But wins are wins, hat-tricks are hat-tricks, and shutouts are shutouts. The LA Kings (5th best record) come to town Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Canadiens 3, Bruins 1

Until Montreal's 3rd goal, I was going to applaud the Bruins for playing a decent, though not great, game. They were coming off a big comeback win the night before, were up against a good team, and the refs were apparently born in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. They didn't play bad enough to lose, though they weren't good enough to win either. I felt like they deserved a point, but certainly not two. But in the end, they got none.

The Bruins needed Rask to be nearly perfect, and he wasn't. On the first goal, Subban found a gap between Rask's side and the post. And Gomez's goal came off a juicy rebound, which Rask repeatedly gave up all night. Rask wasn't bad, but he wasn't great. I don't like his style, I don't like how small he is, and I cringe whenever he handles the puck.

Plus/minus is not a stat to take too literally, but in the case of Mark Stuart, it's very telling. It seems like Stuart is always "involved" when the opponent scores. Last night, he misplayed a breakaway, which eventually resulted in Gomez's goal. His +/- is at -1, which doesn't seem horrible until you look at all the other Bruins' defensemen, and their +/-. Chara is +5. Hunwick is +6. Ference is +6. Seidenberg is +5. Boychuk was +3 when he got hurt. Even Adam McQuaid is +1.

I love how physical Mark Stuart is. But technically, he is a mediocre defenseman at best. The Bruins need to shed some salary. I think they could get decent value if they traded Stuart.

After Montreal scored their 3rd goal, the Bruins gave up. That's too bad. I'd like to see this team string together 5 good periods of hockey in a row. Then try to string together 10. They were on the verge of reaching 4 solid periods, until they quit in the middle of the 3rd.

I'm not very impressed by Montreal, though. So that's something. The Bruins host the Senators Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Lightning @ Bruins Preview

The Bruins have been playing for their playoff lives lately, and have responded nicely winning their last 2 games against team they are fighting with for the final playoff spots. Right now the Bruins are holding on to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference (3 points ahead of Atlanta), but there is room to move up as the team in the 5th spot (out of 8) is only 5 points ahead of them.

The key is Rask. I know Rob you hate this, but this guy is carrying them. Since the start of Feb Rask is 8-3-2 with a 1.86 goals-against average. That is fucking flat out amazing, but still to do anything in the playoffs the Bruins need their offense to show up.

One way to do that is to convert on the powerplay, which has been horrendous since Savard went out for the year. Bruins have gone 1 for 21 (4.8 percent) on the power play. The good news is that Krejci seems to be getting it going, and Lucic finally did something last game, so hopefully he will stop being a useless piece of shit.

I think the Bruins are on a roll right now. Rask will get them to the playoffs, and the Bruins will win tonight.

Bruins 5, Flyers 1

168 minutes, 57 seconds. That was the gap between multi-goal Bruin leads. It was March 6th on Long Island when the Bruins last held a 2+ goal advantage.

I'm going to bathe in this victory a bit. Not just because I hate the Flyers. Not just because I hate Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians. Not just because it was the B's first multi-goal margin of victory since February 7th. Not just because this was without Savard. Not just because the Bruins have a 5 point cushion over the 9th place Rangers (and a game in hand). Not just because Philadelphia is a playoff team.

But because it was the best Bruins game I've seen them play since... well, a long enough time. In a pre-game interview, Mark Stuart said the team was hoping for an "ugly win," simply wanting anything to get them 2 points. This win was far from ugly.

Normally, my Bruins' recaps are an airing of grievances, Frank Costanza on Festivus style. But this will be the opposite: a list of praise, because quite a few Bruins put in very good efforts last night.

Tuuka Rask got Daisuke Matsuzaka support from his offense, but he had an excellent game in his own right. He made a huge cross-crease save in the 1st when it was 0-0, and that certainly changed the dynamic of the game early on. He also made another athletic stop when it was 4-1, which essentially closed the door on the Flyers' chances of winning.

Patrice Bergeron had a goal and 2 assists in an excellent three-zone performance. The Bruins need his offense in order to consistently score goals.

David Krejci and his line looked like they did last year. Krejci-Wheeler-Ryder totaled 70 goals last season. They're only up to 41 this campaign, but they were outstanding last night. Wheeler's first goal was the end result of textbook hockey played in all three zones. Wheeler and Ryder harassed the Flyers as they tried to carry through the neutral zone. Then Wheeler forced a turnover, passed it up to Krejci, who carried it into the offensive end. Then Wheeler got it, and calmly made a slick move that beat Leighton and put the B's up 1-0.

Brad Marchand's stat line looks pretty dull. 11:02 on ice, 1 hit, 0 shots, 0 assists, 0 blocks, 0 PIM, etc. But that one hit was when he sent James van Riemsdyk over the dasher and into the Philly bench. Marchand had a solid night, didn't make mistakes, played within himself, and did what he could when he could.

The same can be said of Vladimir Sobotka, who was a bit busier. He made his presence felt, and I was actually surprised to see that he was only on the ice for 12 and a half minutes because he made so many solid plays with and without the puck.

A lot of people have whined that the "Bruins didn't do anything on deadline day." Tell that to Dennis Seidenberg. It's fun to watch him and Chara play on the ice at the same time. And it's a relief to have him on defense as opposed to Derek Morris. Seidenberg had his best game in black and gold. He had a clever assist, was a deserved +3, and blocked 4 shots. Maybe it's because he's from Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, but he's quickly found a place in my exclusive Bruin Binky Club.

I'll give marginal credit to Dennis Wideman too. He had a good game, and was actually consistent for 60 minutes.

Mark "Crazy Eyes" Stuart scares me sometimes. Lucic and Thornton might be the brawlers on this team, but Stuart has the most rage. A pair of fighting majors and a nice display of intensity.

The Bruins are 7-2-1 in their last 10. Hard to believe.

Now, this is just one game, one mile-marker on a very long and harsh road. There's a big game on Saturday in Montreal that has lots of playoff implications. It starts at 7.

-The Commodore

Bruins 5, Lightning 4

The Bruins scored 5 goals on their way to their 3rd win in a row. That's the most goals they've scored since December 23rd. The B's are also on a 5 game point-streak, and haven't been trailing in any of those games.

But it wasn't as pretty as it should have been or could have been.

The first 30 minutes was sheer dominance. The best the Bruins have looked since Game 2 of the season when they crushed Carolina 7-2. They got 21 shots off in the 1st. After the first 7 minutes of play, Tampa Bay didn't get a single puck on net in the opening period.

But in the 2nd, the Bruins only got 5 shots on goal.

Remember Mighty Ducks 3? The Ducks get recruited to play JV hockey for some prep school. In their first game they score like 8 goals, and everyone's real impressed, then they allow 8 goals in the 3rd period. That's what this game reminded me of.

I actually felt worse about the game AFTER the B's scored the 5th goal. The Bruins play awful when they have leads. And the bigger the lead, the worse they play. They lose their focus and the fundamentals breakdown.

Tuukka Rask is not God. He's mortal (unlike Manny Fernandez) and he has flaws. Flaws which can eventually be polished, but they're still there. All the "Tuukka Time" jerks out there are quick as Mercury to point out Tim Thomas' foibles and miscues, so when I criticize Rask, just shutup and deal with it.



He closes up his 5-hole well enough, but he is slow to close it. That comes with being 6' 2". He's not anticipating things well enough. Again, that can improve with experience. He doesn't steer rebounds away as well as some goalies (Thomas). He's wretchedly indecisive handling the puck.

He's the hot goalie, and if a playoff series started tomorrow, I'd want Rask in net because he is the hot goalie. But he is human.

Had the Bruins blown this game, the season would've ended. No exaggeration here. To surrender a 5 goal lead against a playoff competitor, right before going into the Olympic Break. That's utterly devastating. And guys like Derek Morris did their best to sabotage this win.

I wish the Bruins would alter their breakaway strategy. When you're up by 2+ goals, you're going to force turnovers and get odd man rushes up ice. The Bruins fail to score about 99.9% of the time on these rushes. And what they often do is create a rush for the opponent.

It's simple math. You have a 2-on-1 edge going up the ice, that means your opponent has a 4-on-3 advantage behind you (or worse if you're changing lines). So puck possession is precious in these situations. Unless there's a good scoring chance with the goalie out of position, the B's should hang onto the puck and wait for everyone else. Try to set-up a sustained possession, keeping the puck 150 feet from your own net.

When up 3 or 4 goals, the Bruins need to summon their inner Bill Belichick and "run up the score." The best way to protect a lead is to add to it.

Despite the near tragedy, a win is a win is a win. Michael Ryder looked confident for the first time this season. I think going against Nittymaki, who he's owned in the past, was a good opportunity for him to once again find that scorer's mentality.

Oh, and fuck Steve Downie. Guys like this just piss me off. He tries to fight with Satan, who has been in 2 fights in his 14 year career (Thanks Hockeyfights.com!) Then he instigates Chara by punching him in the back of the head, then Chara turns his 6' 9" 250 pound body around, and suddenly Downie shrinks and turtles.



If you don't want to fight Chara, who is nearly a foot taller and has 50 pounds on you, then don't strike him in the back of the neck. Don't pull on Superman's cape.

Although the whole thing reminded me of this video...



Bruins end their Florida excursion Saturday night against the Panthers. Why does Florida have 2 teams and Wisconsin has 0?

-The Commodore

B's Be Back in Business, Baby

Last Monday I was cautiously optimistic after an 0-1-1 weekend. So as you can imagine, I'm thrilled after a 1-1-0 weekend. With an OT loss Saturday and a shutout win Sunday, the Bruins have collected 4 points in 4 games. The sun isn't high in the sky just yet, but it's starting to peak over the horizon.

I'll focus more on Sunday's 3-0 shutout win over Montreal because it's much more pleasant to write about.

It was a game of firsts. The first Bruins victory since January 14th. Adam McQuaid scored his first NHL goal. And Blake Wheeler got into his first NHL fight.



It wasn't an epic debut for Wheeler into the world of fighter, but just the fact that he felt scrappy enough to drop the gloves, and was actually the only one in the fight who threw a punch, is a good sign.

Tuukka Rask is the hot goalie, and you have to ride him while he's hot. I'm still not completely sold on him, but the results don't lie. Besides, goaltending isn't this team's biggest concern, so why not let Rask play until he starts losing?



David Krejci left the game early with an undisclosed injury. The good news is that the Olympic Break commences soon. And honestly, I'm not going to miss Krejci's ghostlike presence on the ice, or lack of presence. He might be available for Tuesday's game in Buffalo.

To be perfectly frank, I was hoping Krejci would be out for a few weeks. Ryder too. I'd much rather have a forceful line with Sobotka and Bitz out there. Krejci's looked fine his last few games, but he's been lacking in every department all season long.

The Bruins bring their roadtrip to Buffalo Tuesday, then Tampa Bay Thursday and Florida Saturday. Then it's Olympic time. Hopefully a strong series of games will give the B's some positives to reinforce over the break.

-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 4 Thrashers 0

The Bruins ended this game in the first 17 mins, as they racked up 3 goals quickly. I would like to give the Bruins all the credit in the world, but the Thrasher simply looked like they didn't want to be there. Boston beat them to every puck, and the Thrashers really didn't even fight to get back on defense throughout most of the game.

The Bruins got 4 goals from 4 different players (Byron Bitz, Marco Sturm, Steve Begin, and Patrice Bergeron). Tuukka Rask stopped all 18 shots he faced for his 2nd shutout of the season. Rask is now 10-3-2 in games he starts, and is looking like he could be one of the better goalies in the NHL. There were rumors that the Bruins could send Wheeler, Rask, and one other player for Ilya Kovalchuk, but right now I wouldn't trade Rask for anyone. It is just that hard to find goalies this good (like good starting pitching in the MLB).

Anyways, the Bruins should be in good shape for the Winter Classic tomorrow (if it doesn't get rained out) against the Flyers.

Bruins 5, Leafs 2

Remember that hubris I alluded to a few days ago? That overconfidence the Bruins sometimes get when they get a 3 goal lead, or they sweep the Canadiens? We saw a bit of that last night. The good news is, they woke up just before it was too late to wake up.

How valuable has Mark Recchi been to this team since coming here from the Lightning? In 48 games wearing Black & Gold, he's scored 17 goals. Not bad for a guy who we all thought would only contribute experience to the Bruins' playoff equation.

It looks like Rask is the #1 goalie for right now. Thomas wasn't awful in that 7-2 loss in Montreal, but some injury problems and perhaps a bit of stress from performing perfectly with nothing but losses to show for it; seem to have caught up with him. Plus, Rask is the hot hand. His GAA in 12 games is 1.98, and his SV% is .931. You don't pull a goalie when they're performing like he is.

And don't worry about Thomas, either. This isn't the first time he's been pushed aside, although this is still temporary. And Thomas won the Vezina last year after only appearing in 54 games.

The Bruins have won 7 of 9, so I get to include a pic of Jeri Ryan, a.k.a. Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager.



Bruins @ Islanders Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Bruins 2, Sabres 1

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.

-The Commodore

Tuukka Rask Gone Crazy

Why not watch the Bruins future star goalie lose his mind...

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.