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![]() The boys were off to a solid start in Tuesday nights contest against Montreal. They came out onto the ice flying and ready to go leaving the first period with a 2-0 lead over the Canadians. With early goals by Ryan Spooner and Christian Herhoff the Bruins had their fans fooled that they might take this W home with them. With all of our regulars back in black and gold rather than the colors of their respective countries, this was the first game where we were able to see the full squad out there, and it was surely looking promising. Nearing the end of the second period the Canadians management to put one between the pads of Rask. As Rask's first game back with the team, a few too many goals were put past. Jeff Petry made the first dent onto the Canadiens scoreboard with 6:31 left up for the period and then right behind him came another puck to the back of the net from Artturi Lehkonen to tie things up. As the battle started to see who could make it all the way to the finish line, both teams battled it out in the only way they know how to play against each other. Physically. These two teams are known for their rough and tough games, and they always seem to be crowd pleasers, and this was no different. Czarnik took advantage in the third when Montreal took a penalty taking the lead for the game but yet again nothing is concrete because Canadians Galchenyuk came right back to tie things up yet again. Dan Carr's shot at the end of the third ultimately sealed the deal for the red and white lifting the game to a 4-3 victory for Montreal. Coming off of last years less than successful season who were the top guys and what can we expect from them this coming year? 1) Patrice Bergeron Coming off of last season as the top scorer and the wearer of the big ole' A on his jersey, Bergy management to put up 68 point on the season staying relatively consistent with his last six years with the team. With 32 goals, a record breaking season high for the forward, and 36 assists it's easy to see the kind of player Patrice is and the reason he wears that A on his left shoulder. With the power to score along with the power to set up the plays he's truly a quite force to be reckoned. Having recently signed Patrice to another long-term contract it's safe to say that Bergeron is going to a lifer in black and gold and as a fan, I couldn't be happier. Hopefully within the next few seasons we can witness Bergeron net his 1,000 career goal, with 820 at the conclusion of last season he's inching his way closer to the exclusive club. 2) David Krejci Krejci continues to show hockey players that it's not all about the pucks you put into the back of the net. With 63 points this past season, Krejci netted just 17 goals with the remaining 46 points recorded as assists. Jumping up 25 points from the 2014-2015 season, it seems that Krejci found some new spark in his skates that we hope he brings along for the ride in the upcoming season. 3) Brad Marchand Well, we sure haven't forgotten to talk about him in the past but let's just reiterate the assets we have on our hands here. With 61 points on last years season, and the majority of his point coming from goals (37 goals, 24 assists), I think we can all agree that Marchand knows how to get it done. With the help of lineman Patrice Bergeron, the duo is able to capitalize when necessary and that's exactly what Bruin's management is looking for in the upcoming season.
After Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Red Wings the Bruins went on the road to Detroit for revenge. This time, taking home the overtime win. Falling behind in the second period 1-0 with a power play goal by Red Wings' Riley Sheehan the B's found themselves behind for yet another game until the third. University of Denver prospect Danton Heinen came out again to add another goal to his NHL repertoire with a backhander getting between the posts for his second goal in three preseason match ups. Ryan Spooner helped in the contest with a slap-shot in the opening minute of overtime playing giving the black and gold their first W of the preseason.
The guys immediately hit the road again on the road to Philly where the faced the Flyers for game four. Subban took the game between the pipes and charted his first win with a .906 save percentage allowing three shots past the pads. Backes and Pastrnak were helpful in the contest putting up three points a piece with Pastrnak being the top scorer of the game with two past Neuvirth, Flyer goaltender. Heinen yet again came into play making a real statement during the preseason putting the Bruins ahead at the start of the first period to record his third goal in just four games. Will Heinen stay down at Providence this season or will Claude take the chance and move him up to the big leagues? The World Cup of Hockey was wrapped up last night with the final match up between Team Canada and Team Europe. With the Canadians unexpectedly trailing the entire game as Europe was up 1-0 Canada picked up the pace in the third, scoring two goals to secure and defend their title as world champions. But what even more impressive than Canada's World Cup win is the Bruins' presence on the ice. All three goals put up on the board last night were those of Bruins players, talk about making a good impression for Team Canada and Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien. But let's be honest, he was already impressed and knows the talent he has on his Boston roster. In the opening period Bruins captain Zdeno Chara started Team Europe off with a shot to the back of the net helping ride them out for most of the game. Well, until Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron kicked into gear at least. In the third period the Canadians picked it up a notch, first by taking advantage of key opportunities Bergeron's power play goal helped to tie things up for the Canadians while Bruins standout, Brad Marchand sealed away the win taking a center pass from Toew's and slinging one in top shelf over Carey Price. Now, with only a few weeks until the NHL season kicks off, I think it's time these guys bring it back to Boston. I mean, it's only fair. The Bruins came up short in another preseason game Wednesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. With a 5-1 score on the board at the final buzzer, it's easy to get nervous in what this season has to hold. I'm trying to convince myself that the absence of recognizable players and their skills such as Tuukka's agility between the pipes, the dynamic duo of the Bergeron and Marchand line, and we can't forget the reach and power of Zdeno Chara who has a lot to teach his fellow rookie defensemen. Although starting off preseason with two losses isn't necessarily how we want to start things, let's not lose hope just get, it's only preseason.
On the bright side of a 5 - 1 loss, and yes there can be a bright side to that believe it or not, Malcolm Subban sat back in the goal during the contest for the first time since February after suffering from a fractured larynx. It's safe to say he may have been a little rusty but hey, isn't that what these games are for? Get the cobwebs out now because we officially hit the ice October 13th in another Columbus Blue Jackets match up at Nationwide Arena. The young blood of the Bruins organization hit the ice last night for the B's preseason opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With key players like Marchand, Bergeron, and Chara sitting game one of preseason out, because of their involved with the World Cup of Hockey games, it gave the rookies a time to shine, and despite a 3-2 loss, progress was made on the Bruins bench. Second seasoned Bruin, Jimmy Hayes, started things off with the black and gold scoring on an assistant from DeBrusk during the second period. Hayes also took home the second star of the game despite the loss. Danton Heinen is another rookie to look out for. Playing just two games with Providence last season Heinen got his name up on the board during last night's matchup with a tip into the back of the net off of defenseman Brandon Carlo. Heinen, the 21-year-old NHL rookie out of the University of Denver is someone to keep a lookout for this coming season; the young talent is sure to come through. Lastly, let's not forget about the youngster defenseman Brandon Carlo. With the assist in the third period along with his successful defensive play in front of the net in game one, it looks like Carlo may be just the candidate the Bruins are seeking to fill a spot in the top four. Although he's just nineteen, the skill he is already showing is very promising to the organization. ![]() As we've all been patiently been waiting for what feels like far too much time now, the waiting can finally be over, the Bruins have officially managed to get Marchand's signature on the dotted line. Boston re-signed the feisty little forward today to an eight-year contract extension worth $49 million! It's looking like drinks are on Brad tonight. This signing is a huge relief to the Boston community though, can you picture the Bruins without Marchand on it next year? He's just getting started. We've all seen it before, the big name being traded off their home teams but Boston is in no position to lose one of the highest scorers on the team. Last year Brad set a career high, putting 37 pucks past the goal keep and assisting in another 24 for a total of 61 points on the season in just 77 games of play. With Bergeron signed on until 2022 and now Marchand until 2024 the Bruins have some time to really get something going out there. So, it's been a little while since I last blogged and I think it's only fair that we touch upon the first week on the World Cup of Hockey and how Team USA is doing. If anyone isn't already aware, it's not looking very good for them. No, Team USA wasn't the prospected winner of the tournament but they weren't expected to be knocked out of the round robin without winning a single game! Three games up and three games down for the Americans. I've never seen them go down so easy! Here's a little recap of each robin robin game: Game 1: Team USA (0) vs. Team Europe (3) Looking at the stats it's easy to say that Jonathan Quick didn't have his best night between the posts this night. With Team USA outshooting Team Europe 35 to 17, Quick made just 14 saves on the night. Team USA DOUBLED their shots on net but could find the back of the net the entire night. By simply looking at the box score the two teams were fairly matched up, and where they weren't even, Team USA came out on top in each category other than the most important, goals. Game 2: Team USA (2) vs. Team Canada (4) As one of the biggest rivals in hockey, at least Team USA made it onto the board for this one. But again, statistics wise, Team USA pulls slightly ahead of Team Canada, although it is a much closer matchup compared to game two against Team Europe. The Americans pulled away with 62% of the face-off wins and had an additional two shots on net compared to their rivals but still weren't able to put the few extra into the net. Quick stood between the pipes for this matchup as well with another save percentage in the eighties compared to Carrie Price's 94%. Bruins center David Backes went -1 on the night but held a 70% face-off percentage while on the other side of the ice Bergeron helped seal the win for the Canadians bringing them to their 4-2 victory. Game 3: Team USA (3) vs. Team Czech Republic (4) With a 4-3 loss to the Czech Republic, Team USA got a little closer but just not close enough. For their third game in a row they outshot their opponent but were unable to get it across the goal line. This time, Bishop and Schneider each took time serving as the goal keep for the Americans although Bishop failed to save each of the four goals. In this level of play I think Team USA showed that the minor mistakes can be game changers. Although, according to the stats, they didn't have an awful run, they allowed teams to capitalize on prime opportunities and failed to capitalize on opportunities that were given to them. After the first weekend of the World Cup of Hockey took off in Canada this weekend, the six Bruins players playing in the World Cup tournament are off to a good start. For starters, Team Canada took the win from the Czech Republic in an easy coast to a 6-0 victory. With their top line compromised with Bruins, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand paired with Pittsburgh Penguins standout, Sidney Crosby we can expect some high scoring games out of Team Canada. Maybe we can get Crosby in a black and yellow jersey in the near future? Marchand and Crosby are on the top of the leaderboard after the first official weekend of the tournament kicked off, each with three points under their belts. Marchand sunk a goal of his own with a deflection of Brent Burns shot from the point and also assisted for two points off of each of his linemates. Bergeron ended the weekend with one goal in the first period of play versus Team Czech Republic and finished the night +2 on the ice. As for the rest of the Bruins, Team USA faced a tough loss on Saturday evening to Zdeno Chara and Team Europe being shut out 3-0. Although Chara ended the game with only one shot on net, he was given prime ice time throughout the contest. Bruins, David Backes, who is rostered with Team USA, didn't see much time on the ice during Saturday's game, and it's not looking too promising for Backes for Tuesday night's matchup against Canadian rivals. Tuukka Rask is also scheduled to sit between the posts Tuesday, September 19th as Finland takes on Team Sweden. |
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