Bruins Weekly Report:

The Bruins opened the ‘06-07 season with five on the road, and started the season much like the last season ended (dreadfully). After the first five, the B’s sit in the basement of the NHL’s Northeast Conference with an underwhelming mark of 1-3-1 (3 points)…The offense has been non existent, especially the power play, that’s been clockin’ in at a torrid 2-for-26.

Game #1 (Fri. N. 10/6) at Florida: Opening Night was an unmitigated disaster. Tim Thomas got the start in goal but wasn’t around at the finish, as stupid penalties, bad special teams and pretty awful goaltending combined to spell doom for the B’s. Final Score: Florida 8, Boston 3. There was not a great deal of positive that was taken from this one. Four power play goals pretty much said everything. Thomas allowed 7 goals on 27 shots. Bruins’ goals were scored by Sturm (1), Murray (1) and Primeau (1). Chara had two assists. It’s only the first game of the year, other than whetting our appetites for the rhythm of hockey season, it really doesn’t matter a great deal.

Game #2 (Sat. N. 10/7) at Tampa Bay: The Bruins played sixty solid minutes of hockey. Hannu Toivonen got the start in goal and really gave the team a big lift, stopping 27 of 29 Lightning shots. Final Score: Boston 3, Tampa Bay 2. The Bruins took a quick 2-0 lead into the second period. Tampa Bay came back with two to tie, and the Bruins went ahead for good on Bergeron’s goal early in the third. It was a solid two-way effort, and alleviated any concerns regarding the opening night stinker. There were only 8 PIM’s as opposed to 15 in Game 1. Goals were scored by Primeau (2), Boyes (1) and Bergeron (1). Chara had two more assists (4) and Phil Kessel picked up his first NHL point, assisting on Boyes’ first period goal.

Game #3 (Wed. N. 10/11) at Atlanta: There’s a reason why Kari Lehtonen has been considered one of the NHL’s top prospects for the last few years. The Thrashers have brought Lehtonen along slowly, and he finally appears to be ready for the big time.
After a scoreless first, Atlanta knocked in three goals to the Bruins’ 1, and that was all Atlanta needed. In the third, the Thrashers scored early, and Lehtonen held down the fort the rest of the way. Final Score: Atlanta 4, Boston 1. Hannu Toivonen allowed four goals on 24 shots while Lehtonen established a franchise record with a scoreless streak of 167 minutes, 56 seconds. P.J. Axelsson scored the lone Bruins’ goal (1) in the second. A highly uninspiring loss.

Game #4 (Thurs. N. 10/12) at St. Louis: A shootout OT loss that should never have happened. Tim Thomas got the start and, for the first 56 minutes, played very well redeeming himself from the Opening Night debacle. The Bruins got goals early in the first and third and looked like they were well on their way until Lee Stempniak scored with 3:57 left and Mayers scored the game tying goal with 1:27 remaining. The game went to a shootout where the Bruins lose virtually every time. Final Score: St. Louis 3, Boston 2 (SO). Goals were scored by Bergeron (2) and Marc Savard (1). A highly disappointing loss.

Game #5 (Sat. N. 10/14) at NY Islanders: If there’s one team the Bruins should beat it is the most dysfunctional team in professional sports. What other team hires a GM, fires him a few weeks later only to hire their backup goalie to take his place, then signs their starting goaltender to a 15-year deal? For half a game, anyway, the Islanders were playing true to form. Murray (2) scored on a power play late in the first, and for the first 30 minutes, Hannu Toivonen played well. Then, the wheels fell off the wagon as Islanders pumped in four unanswered goals. The final two were on power plays coming in quick succession early in the third. After that, it appeared as if the Bruins were just going through the motions. Final Score: NY Islanders 4, Boston 1.It’s not as if the Bruins didn’t have their chances, there were some awful defensive breakdowns.

Here’s what we know after five games: Chara has done everything the team has expected. The Bruins’ third defense pairing is not NHL caliber. The power play is woeful (putting Bergeron on the point doesn’t seem to be working), and the offense in general has been poor. Goaltending has been spotty.

Team Grade: D

The team comes home on Thursday, and the fans expect more than this. Last season, the slogan “It’s Called Bruins” and the surrounding hype backfired miserably. This year, new slogan, new identity, so far, it’s been the same old same old. The Bruins are presently a blip on the local sports relevance scale. While no one should reasonably expect a Stanley Cup contender, we have a right to demand a competitive product. The team needs to demonstrate a consistently competitive effort, night in and night out. So far, that spirit has been sorely lacking.