Boston Bruins Report:

“Five On The Road”

Of course, everyone would like the Bruins to get off to a flying start, but practically speaking, the best we can hope for is that the team comes out of the gate playing solid two-way hockey. The first six weeks of the season is pretty much a time to determine how the team will solidify as a unit. Ottawa has gotten off to a great start, running the table in their first four games. So Bruins fans should not realistically consider whether the team will contend for any higher spots in the Eastern conference. Just getting to the post season would be a solid achievement.

Game 1 at Dallas (Fri. 10/5/07):
On opening night, the Bruins took to the ice in that veritable hotbed of hockey, Dallas, Texas. The Stars are good team comprised mainly of wily old veterans whose window of opportunity for Stanley Cup glory is closing quickly. They have a very good goaltender in Marty Turco, whose experience will keep the team in the thick of things all year. It was encouraging to see the “take no prisoners” approach by the B’s defense, though the offense had problems getting untracked.

Joel Lundqvist (1) put the Stars ahead late in the first period as Dallas had the better of play. Early in the second Niklas Hagman's backhander put Dallas up by two goals. That's when the fireworks started: As soon as the puck dropped at center ice, winger Shawn Thornton and Todd Fedoruk had a go of it, which was a pretty good thing to see. The atmosphere needed to be shaken up a little bit and Thornton was happy to oblige. No sooner were the combatants in the penalty box than Milan Lucic (making his NHL debut) started in with Brad Winchester. Still, the Bruins offense was unable to mount any sort of a sustained attack. Brenden Morrow scored midway through to make it three 3-0 Dallas. If Manny Fernández was trying to impress anyone in his first performance with the Bruins, he did not win any friends on that play. Morrow made him look like a minor leaguer when he put his wrist shot top corner right. Late in the period, the Bruins were the beneficiaries of some confusion on the Dallas bench when the coach put too many men out on the ice. On the power play, Patrice Bergeron scored the first goal of the season for Boston on a tip-in in front of Turco.

Heading into the third period, Thornton was called for tripping and Sergei Zubov blasted one in from the point to make it 4-1 Dallas. And that's how the game ended. Manny Fernández had a lousy debut for the Bruins, allowing four goals on 18 shots. The sound of distant laughter that you hear is coming from Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota. The Bruins simply showed that (as of now) they can’t compete with the big dogs on the block.

Game 2 at Phoenix (Sat. 10/6/07):
The following night, the Bruins found themselves in the Valley of the Sun to take on the Coyotes. About the only good thing going for Phoenix is they have the legendary Wayne Gretzky behind the bench. Unfortunately, the great 99 wouldn't be camped out behind the Boston goal looking to work the ol’ give n’ go with Kurri tonight…If there’s one team that presently resides in the dregs with the Bruins, it is the woeful Coyotes. Gretzky coaches the team because he has a financial interest in the business. For better or worse, it's one of those few instances in modern sport where the coach is the face of the franchise.

The Bruins made a statement from the opening face-off. Zdeno Chara leveled Shane Doan with a nasty hit and the Bruins came out with fire and a great physical presence. Derek Morris tried to respond and was caught for hooking at 4:02. The miscue laid the foundation for Patrice Bergeron's power play tally just seven seconds later. Savard passed the puck to Peter Schaefer in front of the net, who made a backhanded pass across the goalmouth to Bergeron who tapped the pass home. Schaefer was called for interference 10 seconds after Bergeron's goal, but being shorthanded didn't hurt the Bruins one bit as Chuck Kobasew intercepted a pass and flew down left wing and slid the puck past goalie Mikael Tellqvist, putting Boston ahead by a pair. Coyotes were able to generate a number of chances, but old reliable, Tim Thomas, had a great night in goal for Boston.

The only time the Bruins let down came midway through the second period when Niko Kapanen was able to get a slap shot past Thomas. But the physical dominance established by the Bruins early on was the real story. After getting banged around for half of the game, it seemed like the Coyotes forwards were less than thrilled at the prospect of going into the corners. Marc Savard went out with what appeared to be a pulled groin and didn’t return. Midway through the third, Phoenix made the mistake of getting chippy, putting the Bruins on the power-play where Marco Sturm banged in a slapper to put the Bruins back up by two. The Coyotes put up 37 shots for the night and Thomas brushed aside all but one. Bruins enjoyed their first win in the Claude Julien Era. Following the game, the Bruins headed out for Anaheim and a date with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Ducks.

Earlier in the evening, the Providence B’s opened up their season with a 2-1 win over Manchester in a contest that featured a number of fights in the first and second periods. Tuukka Rask made his North American debut, setting aside 27 of 28 shots. Matt Hendricks (an AHL-type lifer) scored both goals, including one on the power play that put the game away in the second period. Of particular interest to B’s fans is the on-going development of their top prospects, who include:

Forwards:
Petteri Nokelainen C, Vladimir Sobotka C , Nate Thompson C , Pascal Pelletier C
Martins Karsums RW, Chris Collins LW, Wacey Rabbit C, T.J. Trevelyan LW.
Byron Bitz RW

Defence:
Matt Hunwick, Matt Lashoff, Adam McQuaid, Jonathan Sigalet
Goal:Tuukka Rask

Karsums, Lashoff and Collins were credited with assists on Hendricks’ goals and there were no “minuses”, so all in all it was a nice start for the P-B’s

Game 3 at Anaheim (Sat. 10/6/07):
In a scene that the Bruins could only hope to experience years down the line, Anaheim had its banner raising ceremony prior to the game. It was done very tastefully, and even the Stanley Cup itself was lowered from the scoreboard to center ice. The ceremony delayed the start of the game by about 10 minutes, but it was really nice to see the fans and the team have a moment to celebrate. Time will tell whether the Ducks can repeat or whether it will be hangover year.

Once more, Tim Thomas got the start in goal, but Savard was out of the lineup. Brandon Bochenski dressed but sat on the bench for the entire game (what’s up with that?). The Bruins started off quickly when Chuck Kobasew scored his second goal of the season barely a minute into the game. Hard to believe, but it took until the third game before the Bruins actually scored an even strength goal. The Cup Champions are a far better at the bump and grind game then are the Bruins. Primarily that's what this game was, a tight checking, hard-hitting affair that could have gone either way. There were no penalties in the first period and the Bruins held the 1-0 lead until midway in the second when Ryan Getzlaf tied the score while the sides were playing four on four.

The Ducks really clamped down in their own end of the rank and held the Bruins' scoring chances down to a minimum. The game stayed tied until around 13 minute mark of the third; that's when the Bruins were victimized by an unlucky bounce. David Krejci and Getzlaf had a face-off in the Boston zone. Getzlaf won the draw and Krejci moved to protect the zone. The puck went out to Francois Beauchemin at the point. He flipped the puck towards goal, where it hit Krejci's stick and the puck made its way past Timmy Thomas. That was it. Bruins lose 2- 1. It wasn't a good game nor was it a bad one. The Bruins hung tough, but came up one goal shy. Next stop, just up the road in LA on Friday night.

…NHL Notebook: Beware Bruins fans, for the highly touted Carey Price made his NHL debut for Le Club de Hockey Canadien on Wednesday night, turning aside 26 of 28 shots in Montreal’s 3-2 win over Pittsburgh. Last year, Price led the Canadian team to the World Junior Championship before going to Hamilton Bulldogs where he led the Habs’ farm team to the AHL Championship. At 6' 3", 226, Price is already drawing comparisons to the Great 29, who helped establish Canadiens’ last great dynasty. Let’s not be ticketing him for a plaque in Toronto just yet, but if he develops as projected Canadiens are back in the driver’s seat…in the latest episode of “Knuckleheads on Ice”,

Flyers’ forward Jesse Boulerice was hit with a 25-game suspension by the NHL for cross-checking Vancouver's Ryan Kesler across the face last Friday. Boulerice had already been suspended for a full year as a junior in Ontario years back for precisely the same thing. The idiots never fail to know the difference between clean, physical play and assault with a deadly weapon. Boulerice is the second Flyer in less than a month to be suspended for headhunting. Steve Downie was whacked with 20 games for nearly cracking Dean McAmmond’s skull on a flying leap into the boards. It’s beyond a matter of saying “there’s no excuse for this.”

The League is being more proactive in dishing out lengthy suspensions (last spring the Islanders’ Chris Simon was given 25 games off for attempting to decapitate a player; and no one can ever forget the infamous Todd Bertuzzi and Marty McSorley incidents. Nor can any Bruin fan from the Glory Days forget when Teddy Green’s skull was nearly crushed in a stick-swinging incident in a meaningless exhibition game in Ottawa in ‘69. Hockey has had enough of these no-talents who resort to such tactics to survive, and in the case of repeat offenders like Boulerice, 25 games without pay is not only not enough, it’s almost like getting a bonus, considering that Kesler appears to have suffered no ill effects. After his suspension, Boulerice out to be immediately sent to the minors and not allowed as much as a sniff of the NHL until he proves that he is professionally worthy of the honor. EDIT: The Flyers placed him on waivers on the 15th. If he resorts to such tactics again, he ought to be banished from playing again in North America.

Hockey is a tough, physical game. Anaheim won the Cup last year in large part to their bruising style of play. The Hall of Fame is filled with players who knew how to resolve on-ice disputes without having to use their stick. Every team usually employs one or two players whose sole responsibility is to prevent opponents from taking advantage of the team’s skill players. Everywhere Gretzky went, there was always some one (Semenko, McSorley, et al.) who had his back. Boston has maintained a long tradition of players that were adept at scoring goals and settling disputes.

Fighting may be an acceptable part of the game, but the line gets crossed when players use their sticks to injure an opponent. In some circles, Bobby Clarke was regarded as a hero for giving Kharlamov a two-hander that broke his ankle in the ’72 Summit Series. Clarke was a master of carving, smacking and poking, using his stick for a variety of purposes beyond its primary intent. The Flyers had to deploy a virtual goon squad during Clarke’s distinguished career to keep him from getting killed out there.

In hockey, as with anything else in life, there are varying degrees of ability. At the top of the food chain are the elites, Howe, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, Richard and Beliveau. At the lower end are the honest fourth-line muckers and grinders who get by on sweat and guile. They skate every shift as if they’re one false step away from a one-way ticket to Moose Jaw. Without these guys, there is no hockey. Then, there are a handful of outlaws, who through a lack of personal discipline do not know how to play the game without acting like cavemen. All jerks like that do is clog the pipeline for players who would add the necessary heart and grit any team needs to succeed.

Game 4 at Los Angeles Kings (10/12/07):

This turned out to be one of the wilder hockey games the Bruins have played in recent memory. It’s been the first time in four years that Boston has played LA on the road so maybe it was a good idea to make it a memorable encounter. The Kings, like Boston, are challenged in a number of areas so, this was a very winnable game for the Bruins. Manny Fernandez got the start in goal against LA’s prized prospect Jonathan Bernier. For a game that finished with fourteen goals in the aggregate, the start was relatively tame, save for Lucic and Ivanans having a go of things midway through the first.

As the period moved into the latter stages, Phil Kessel snared his first goal of the year, whistling a wrist shot past Bernier from the left side. Ward went out on an interference call with a minute and change left, and our old friend Brad Stuart (the gift that keeps on giving) tied the score with thirteen seconds left.

Early in the second, Glen Murray put the Bruins up 2-1 on the power play when he was parked in front of the net and snapped in a rebound. About a minute later, Kessel and Lucic fought with Cammallieri for the puck in the left corner. Lucic gained control, flipped the puck to Aaron Ward at the point and Ward slapped it past Bernier. Midway through the second, the Bruins rushed from their end after a flurry in front of Fernandez. Chara, at the left point tapped the puck across to Bergeron, who saw Savard directly to the goaltender’s left, and it was 4-1 B’s (though not for long).

Late in the period, LA’s Brady Murray brought the Kings to within two on the power play, then 1:26 later (once more with the man advantage), Cammallieri found Kopitar directly to Fernandez’ left with a wide open net, and it was suddenly 4-3.

The third period was just as crazy. About a minute and a half in, Kessel poked in a rebound of Savard’s wrist shot to give the B’s another two-goal lead. It was Kessel’s first NHL hat trick. Three minutes later Cammallieri got the goal back, knocking down a deflected pass from Armstrong and snapped it past Fernandez. Kings went back on the power play midway through. Fernandez was screened and took Kopitar’s shot from the point off the coconut and went down. He stayed in the game, and Kings tied it when Kopitar rifled another high blast from the point that hit the crossbar, bounced off of Fernandez into the net. Then it was the B’s turn on the power play: Schaefer took control in the corner and flipped the puck to Murray, who saw Savard wide open on Bernier’s left. No chance, and it was 6-5 Bruins.

With less than five minutes remaining, Krejci picked up a deflection on the right side. Krejci streaked down the wing and found Lucic to his left, flipped a perfect pass to Lucic who zipped it past Bernier. Lucic recorded his first NHL goal and first “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” (fight, assist and goal). With a minute and a half remaining, Kings pulled their goalie, and Kobasew grabbed a pass from Axelsson (who took a nasty hit) on the left wing and slid the puck into the net as he was being hauled down, 8-5 Bruins. With five seconds remaining, Kings grabbed a garbage-time goal by O’Sullivan, but it was too little, too late.

In addition to Kessel’s hat trick, Savard had a big night with a goal and four assists. The Bruins are a completely different team when he’s not in the lineup. Lucic had a nice night with two points as well. On the defensive end there were some problems, especially with Wideman and Mark Stuart (both -2) and Fernandez, who allowed six goals on 31 shots. Granted, one was in garbage time and three more came when the B’s were shorthanded. Fernandez expressed frustration with his performance in the post-game. This is a team that still has a lot of work to do in both ends of the rink. Either they can’t score and play close to the vest or the puck is finding the back of the net on both ends with alarming frequency. There’s a happy medium somewhere.

Game 5 at San Jose Sharks (10/13/07):

The Bruins finished the lengthy road trip one night later up the road against the Sharks, who have been struggling coming out of the gate. The game was delayed by about 30 minutes due to a power outage…which carried over into both teams’ offensive play as goals were at a premium (until the final seconds). The Sharks are featuring a sharp new “old school look” like the Bruins. According to the Bay-Area media, Joe Thornton is being loosely referred to as the “A-Rod of the NHL.” It’s been a couple of years since he went West, and he won an MVP award, but the Sharks have not been able to move any further during playoffs than before he arrived. Joe’s been in the NHL since 1996 (hard to believe, isn't it?) and it’s getting time for him to lead a team to the Cup. Tim Thomas got the start, which was no surprise.

Late in the first at the conclusion of a power play, Chara maintained possession of the puck in San Jose’s end. He drove the puck from the left point into a scrum in front of Nabokov. Bergeron grabbed a rebound to the goalie’s left and stuffed the puck high and the Bruins were on the board.

The Sharks had successive power plays to open the second and really applied the heat in the Bruins’ end, but Thomas held down the fort. Midway through, Michalek hit the right post (one of several the Sharks would hit) and Thomas held the rebound. The B’s were held without a shot in the period as the Sharks really pressed things in the Boston zone.

Early in third, Marleau had a great chance in front that Thomas kicked aside. The Sharks went back on the power play and had a couple of glittering chances (hitting another post) but couldn’t get it past Thomas. Bernier had a great shot out front that Thomas stopped with about seven minutes left. A minute later, Michalek hit another post in a pile up in front of Thomas. Moments later, Thomas was caught behind the net trying to clear the puck. It passed across to what appeared to be an empty net when Krejci slid into the crease and kicked it away. With two minutes remaining, Thomas withstood another barrage of shots. Going into the final minute, the Sharks kept the heat on in front of Thomas.

With an empty net, Michalek picked up a rebound from Thornton’s pass and flipped in the tying goal with 37 seconds remaining. But the B’s weren’t content to play for an extra point in overtime. Off the faceoff, the Bruins moved the puck into San Jose’s end. Bergeron flipped the puck to Sturm, who circled behind the net and found Aaron Ward who jumped into the play just inside the blue line to Nabokov’s left. Ward took Sturm’s pass and slid a perfect wrist shot low right for the game winning goal with 11 seconds left on the clock. The Sharks were completely deflated, and the B’s were completely elated. No one predicted that the B’s would come home with a winning record, so this has to feel very good for a team who is beginning to come together. Another note worth mentioning is that Game 5 is the final time Boston will play any games outside of the Eastern Time Zone.

Three Stars (“Les Trois Etoiles”):
1. Tim Thomas (2-1-0, 1.34 GAA, .957 SV%)
2. Patrice Bergeron (3G, 2A, -1)
3. Marc Savard (1G, 6A, E)

There was encouraging news from the farm as well, as the P-B’s downed Rochester 4-3 on goals by Nate Thompson, Sean Curry, Jeff Hoggan and Matt Lashoff. Three of the goals came via the power play.

The Bruins open their home schedule on Thursday with Tampa Bay.