In this installment of the Bruins Report, we look at the team’s games from Thanksgiving through mid-January (Games 22-44). Rather than providing regular updates, it was better to look at the team during the heart of the season to see if there are any trends of note. Bruins are horrible in the third period. The big news during this period was the news that Phil Kessel had surgery for testicular cancer. His doctors reported that his surgery went well and, amazingly, is expected to return to the team in January. P.J. Axelsson was gone for about a month with a broken bone in his foot. During this time the Bruins crawled out of the basement and by the end of December found themselves in a pack positioning themselves for the final playoff spot in the East.
Week of 11/27 – 12/3/06:
Game 22 at Toronto (Tue N. 11/28/06): In an extremely rare occurrence, Bruins played back-to-back games against the same opponent. What made it even sweeter was the fact that the team came away with back-to-back wins. After a scoreless first period, Shean Donovan (1) finally put home his first goal of the year on a two-on-one. Leafs tied it late in the second on Nik Antropov’s goal. Early in the third, the B’s had two men in the box and it appeared as if Toronto would pull ahead, but Tim Thomas held down the fort. Moments after the Leafs’ power play expired, Petr Tenkrat picked off a pass, zipped the puck to Glen Murray (12), who slid a wrist shot past Andrew Raycroft to put the Bruins ahead. In the minutes that followed, it was back-and-forth action. Marco Sturm (4) got the insurance goal and Brad Boyes (5) banged home the third goal (empty net) of the period, and the Bruins skated away with a 4-1 win. As encouraging as the offense played, the story was Tim Thomas, who set aside 45 of 46 shots. Leafs through everything short of the Zamboni at him but he stood ‘em on their ears.
Game 23 vs. Tampa Bay (Thurs. N. 11/30/06): Bruins entered this one minus Paul Mara who was hurt Thursday in Toronto. Tonight, it was Phil Kessel’s turn to be the hero as the B’s gained a 4-3 shootout win against the Lightning. The game started quietly with both teams trading goals in the first. Boyes (6) scored midway through the first and Tampa tied it late. Martin St. Louis scored a shorthanded goal early in the second, then P.J. Axelsson (7) tipped in a Bergeron pass while the Bruins were shorthanded at 18:26. How often does it occur that two shorthanded goals are scored in a game, let alone in a period? Tampa Bay went ahead midway through the third on Lecavailer’s goal but Murray (13) tied the game less than a minute later. (Not that there were many of the faithful on hand to cheer the event). Through OT and into the shootout, Tim Thomas stood tall once again in goal, turning aside 31 of 34 shots. The only real drama of the night was the shootout. Both Thomas and Marc Denis stopped the first six tries that came their way. Thomas stopped his seventh shot leaving Kessel out there on his first shootout attempt. The kid skated down and calmly flipped the puck over Denis’ shoulder. The Bruins have now won three of their first five shootouts.
Game 24 at Carolina (Sat. N. 12/2/06): There’s a reason why the former Hartford Whalers are Cup Champs and the Bruins are not. The game kicked off with a nice fight two minutes in. The Hurricanes’ Andrew Ladd legally decked Mark Stuart, Shean Donovan took offense, so he and Ladd had a go. The Bruins scored twice in the first period on goals by Donovan (2) and Brad Stuart (2) and actually took a lead heading into dressing room after one. Slowly and certainly, the Hurricanes exerted their strength and took control, scoring two goals in the second and third to easily defeat Boston 5-2. This was nothing to write home about, a chippy affair where the Bruins were frustrated at every turn by a superior team. And to think, it was 34 years ago when the Whalers started playing at the old Garden in the WHA, and I was there for their inaugural game against Derek Sanderson and the Philadelphia Blazers (resplendent in orange and gold).
Week of 12/3 – 12/9/06:
Game 25 at Montreal (Mon. N. 12/4/06): And so, for the 679th time since the autumn of 1924, the Bruins face their most hated and bitter rival, Le Club de Hockey Canadien. This match was played in another of those soulless corporate-themed venues that have taken the place of the great old, rat infested, piss smelling arenas where real hockey was played. There were six teams in the NHL who played in these splendid old buildings where it was unnecessary to create ambience or noise, there were no luxury suites or anything more creative to satisfy the appetite but hot dogs, beer, soda and popcorn. There was Chicago Stadium, Madison Square Garden III (’25-’68), the Olympia in Detroit, Maple Leaf Gardens, Boston Garden and the Montréal Forum.
When I was a kid, hockey players didn’t wear helmets and often skated around with no teeth. Even a ten or eleven year-old kid would know every player who played for every team right down to their uniform number and position. The Canadiens had first dibs on Les Québecois, the Leafs always got the Metro Toronto kids, and the other four teams fought it out for all the other Canadian juniors.
In the six-team NHL of the mid ‘60’s, the Bruins stunk. They had missed playoffs for about six years before that shy kid from Parry Sound hit the ice and revolutionized the game. In the fall of ’67, the NHL went from six to twelve teams, and with that came the explosion of Bruins hockey. People who’re old enough to remember can recall a time when hockey was King in Boston.
Tonight, it was the 97th Birthday of Le Club de Hockey Canadien, so the hosts decided to invite some of the more notable Bruins of years gone by for the party. And when it comes to throwing a pre-game event, there is no organization in sport that does it classier than Montréal. At the start of the game, the red carpet stretched to center ice, and in pairs they came out: Milt Schmidt and Jean Béliveau, Raymond Bourque and Guy LaFleur…if seeing those guys out there wearing their team colours didn’t give you the chills, then you know nothing about how great the game of hockey is.
This match was reminiscent of many of those great ones of yore, after Guillaume Latendresse started the scoring for Canadiens, Boston came back with two goals late in the first from Murray (14) and Sturm (5). In the second, Bruins came out flying on goals from Donovan (3) and a beautiful shorthander by Primeau (4). Then it was Canadiens’ turn: three unanswered goals to tie the score at four after the first forty minutes. Again, the Bruins agonizingly demonstrate their inability to hold a lead (this one of three goals).
In the third, it was all Brad Stuart: he scored two goals (3,4), the final one coming (slapshot from the right point) with 1:38 remaining, to break a five-all tie and send the Bruins home with an exhilarating win. Winning in Montréal is as sweet as winning at Yankee Stadium (and occurs with about the same degree of frequency).
Game 26 vs. Toronto (Thurs N. 12/7/06): Back home and another date with the Leafs (fifth time in four weeks). This was an Original Six-style game with goals coming at a premium. Both Thomas and Aubin held down their ends of the rink quite well until O’Neill got Toronto on the board early in second. Things stayed that way until midway through the third when Brad Stuart (5) slipped on past Aubin, and four minutes Primeau (5) pushed the game winner across. After that, the lads had a small rumble with the Leafs’ “chief punk and agitator” (quoting “Reg Dunlop”) in the thick of it as usual. Bergeron got the insurance empty netter late, and the Bruins skated away with a 3-1 win. Tim Thomas had another terrific night ‘twixt the pipes turning aside 23 of 24 Toronto shots.
Game 27 vs. New Jersey (Sat. N. 12/9/06): I’ll be the first to admit it: there’s nothing I like about the team the Bruins played on Saturday Night, Their name, colors, home base, style of play. Most of all I don’t like the fact that Lou Lamarillo has turned them into a powerhouse over the last decade-plus, winning three Cups with at least two guys who’ll be in the Hall of Fame. Divils were all over the Bruins tonight, outshooting them 42-20 en route to a 5-1 drubbing. Jersey got two in the first and three in the third. B’s only goal came early in the second from Savard (7). While the score remained close, the Divils had their way with the Broons and blew the game wide open midway-late in the third with three goals in seven minutes. It was an indication that the B’s are still not ready to run with the Big Dogs of the NHL.
Week of 12/10 – 12/16/06:
Game 28 at Montréal (Tue N. 12/12/06): The last time these teams met a few weeks ago, it was a night of tradition and excitement. Not so tonight. First came the sad news that Canadiens’ legend and current GM Bob Gainey’s daughter had been lost at sea while serving as part of a “tall ship” crew. Despite an intensive search by the Coast Guard, they were unable to locate her. Then came the tough news about Phil Kessel.
The normally boisterous Montréal crowd was subdued following the pre-game memorial. Hannu Toivonen got the start for Bruins, perhaps due in part to his strong second period relief performance against the Swamp Divils on Saturday. Life goes on, and both teams came out strong. Jason York went out for hooking at 5:02, which may not necessarily be a bad thing, because he should’ve been whistled for “Impersonating an NHL Defenseman”. There have been some lead-footed D-Men the Bruins had in years past and this guy’s right up there with the worst of ‘em. Matt Lashoff played well after having been called up, if he’s going to learn on the job he certainly couldn’t acquit himself any worse than York. Markov scored on the power play at 6:34, standing on the left doorstep, he took a pass from the right corner and roofed it top right.
Alberts went out for interference at 8:46. Bergeron had a nice shorthanded backhander streaking down left wing. At 10:18, Marco Sturm took an errant stick across to bridge of the nose from Perezoghin, leaving a red spot on the ice. About a minute later, Glen Murray deflected a slapshot with his helmet, the deflected puck struck his left ear, and he too, left the ice bleeding profusely. The B’s had a four minute power play as a result of Perezoghin’s high stick, and other than one brief flurry, couldn’t mount a sustained attack. At 14:47, Chistov got called for interference (a no-doubt-about-it collision at the Canadiens’ blue line) but this time, Canadiens floundered. At 17:56, Savard went to the box for tripping, and once more the B’s played it tough. After one, 1-nil, Montréal.
Early in the second the B’s had a flurry of shots, and went on the power play right off the bat. Bing-bang! At 2:08, Marc Savard (8) tied it on a beautiful one-timer in the left circle from Bergeron. Canadiens countered a few minutes later and “Minus -9” Mara got called for holding at 5:24. At 5:59, Koivu was called for holding and the teams went 4 on 4. Our Boy Sergei put Habs up at 6:52. Don’t you think he loves stickin’ it to his former employer? The Bruins’ D (why is York out there in a 4-on-4?) allowed Samsonov to dipsy-do in the Bruins’ zone. Whatcha think he’s gon’do? Bury it! I wonder if he’s thinking. “F-You, MOC!” At 7:34, Savard (9) stripped Kovalev’s outlet pass and banged the puck in a split second later. This was felony grand theft. Can this kid shoot the puck or what?
For the next ten minutes, Canadiens had the better of the play, and Toivonen made a series of terrific stops. But the B’s have been aggressively forechecking and hitting any tricoleur sweater who’s carrying the puck. Late in the period, Alberts just crushed Samsonov with a check that almost pushed him through the boards. For the most part, a highly entertaining second period with the score tied at two.
Canadiens had the better of the play starting the third period. Things started getting wide open midway through, which pretty much spells disaster for an aggressive forechecking team. The Canadiens have traditionally always been a high flying bunch, and allowing them to play their game in their building generally vanquishes the visitors. Through the fifty minutes, Toivenen already made 32 saves, some routine, some darned good. At 12:50, Chara failed to clear a pass from behind the net and was stripped of the puck. Samsonov was waiting directly in front of the goal, took the pass and banged in the puck to put Canadiens in front 3-2. At 16:00, the Habs went up 4-2 on Latendresse’s whirl around shot from the right corner. He basically pulled the puck away from Chara, circled around and zipped it low past Toivonen’s right leg. Highlight reel goals like that are practically impossible to stop. It looks that this kid will be the next great francophone goal scorer for the Canadiens. At 19:09, the B’s pulled the goalie and York scored on a slapshot from the left point, with Chara using his 6’9” frame as a perfect screen. But it ‘twas too little and too late. Montreal wins 4-3 in a highly entertaining match.
Game 29 vs. New Jersey (Thurs N. 12/14/06):
The Bruins can thank Jersey’s coaching staff for two points. After having easily dispatched the B’s five days ago, the Divils’ staff deemed it appropriate for Martin Brodeur to have a night off. With Scott Clemensen in goal, the Bruins came out flying and never looked back, winning 5-3. The Garden crowd was treated to seeing new Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka drop the ceremonial first puck, resplendent in a Bruins’ sweater bearing his name and number 18. Before the fans had a chance to sit, the B’s were up 2-0 on goals by Boyes (7) and Bergeron on the power play (9). Following Boyes’ goal, Alberts got into a fight with White (who was tossed for being the instigator). Jersey tied it later in the period and the teams traded goals in the second (Tenkrat 2). Brad Stuart (6) banged in the game winner early in the third on the power play and Bergeron (10) iced it with an empty netter with 1:10 remaining. It was the B’s turn to turn up the heat as they put 45 shots on goal while Thomas only saw 29.
About the only good news in Bruins World was on this day was a very encouraging report about Phil Kessel. Game 30 vs. Florida (Sat. N. 12/16/06) proved to be a big disappointment. The Bruins got off to a quick start on Marco Sturm’s (6) bang-bang wrist shot, and things were looking good. But “Eagle Eddie” Belfour (a contemporary of Gump Worsley and Jacques Plante) has been stopping the Bruins since about 1962, and tonight was no different. Two-Time Ex-Bruin Stumpel tied the score midway through the first period. Glen Murray scored twice (16, 17) in the second, but the Panthers came right back with equalizers. Then, in the third, the bottom fell out. Stumpel scored on the power play early on, Jokinen scored midway through and octogenarian Gary Roberts applied the coup de grâce into an empty net. This is the second time the Floridians came north and stumped (no pun intended) the Bruins. What was particularly depressing was the empty building. Allegedly the attendance was in excess of 10,000. No way, if there were 6,000 there, it would’ve been a stretch. Unfortunately, when the Bruins went from the Gahden to the Global Bank Garden, they hiked prices beyond the budgets of the working class, the boisterous sort who have no place in the denizens of the well-to-do that the “new NHL” is trying to cultivate. Unfortunately, the “white wine and cheese” frontrunners have no passion or rooting interest in a hockey team that is still early in the latest rebuilding phase. They’ll only be seen with the “winners”.
After 30 Games, the B’s are 15-13-2, 32 points, still in 12th Place in the East.
Week of 12/17 – 12/23/06:
Game 31 at Ottawa (Tue. N. 12/19/06): Anytime the B’s blow out an opponent it’s a moment to savor. This was Chara’s first trip back to Ottawa since having signed with the B’s as a free agent over the summer. But tonight was all about the oh-fense. Marco Sturm hit for le truc de chapeau and Marc Savard had four points as the B’s demolished Les Senateurs 7-2. Sturm (7), Murray (17) and Savard (10) (PPG) put the B’s up 3-0 in the first. In the second, they kept up the pressure with two more from Sturm (8, 9) before the Senators got on the board with five seconds remaining in the period. At 9:34, there was a rumble when McGrattan nailed Mara on what appeared to be a cheap shot. His teammates responded, and Primeau was one of the combatants who were invited to leave the match. In the third, Savard (11) scored on the power play and Mara (1) got sweet revenge scoring his first Bruins’ goal to cap things off late. This was a very encouraging win.
Game 32 vs. Vancouver (Thurs. N. 12/21/06): The sign of a good (?) team is the ability to play well in both ends of the rink. Tonight, it was a veritable goaltending and defensive clinic put on by the Bruins as they skated away with a 2-0 win against the Canucks. The Bruins scored two power play goals in the first by their big guns Bergeron (11) and Murray (18), and that was all they needed. Play was a little chippy near the goaltenders and there were a couple of scrums, but nothing of consequence. The Bruins had a two-man advantage midway through the first and wasted no time putting home their second goal on Murray’s one-time slap shot. About 98% of the play in the second period seemed to be in the Boston end, with the Bruins’ D-Men blocking a number of shots in front of Thomas. Late in the period Brad Stuart took an errant took an errant puck in the puss and required a few stitches (nothing that would slow down a hockey player). In the third period, Bruins killed off three Vancouver power play chances, and incredibly put zero shots on the Canucks’ goal. With one second remaining, it appeared that Vancouver picked up a goal on the power play, but the ol’ “quick whistle” did them in. Despite having been outshot by more than a 2-1 margin, the Bruins came away with the two points.
Game 33, vs. Montreal (Sat. N. 12/23/06)
Before a raucous, sellout crowd at the normally sterile Corp-O-Bank Garden, the Bruins put on one their better performances of the year and sent the holiday crowd home happy with a 4-2 victory over their most hated rivals. Zdeno Chara (6) started off the scoring, followed by Marco Sturm’s (10) power-play goal midway through the period. One of the problems with the Bruins this year is their inability to hold onto a lead. Historically, it is always been rare for the Bruins to hold a two-goal lead over Montréal, and such was the case tonight. Canadiens got a goal late in the first, and a shorthanded goal midway through the second, so the teams went into the third period tied at two. Kovalev, the Canadiens big gun, had been called for eight minutes worth of penalties in the first two periods, so his absence from the ice most likely kept the score down.
At 6:11, Milan Jurcina (1) scored his first goal of the season on a slapshot from the point that the Montréal goaltender could not see from all the traffic in front of his net. Jurcina seems to have been in Coach Lewis’s doghouse, so was a very nice to see him knock in the go-ahead goal. Just over a minute later, at 7:22, Stanislav Chistov (2) scored what has to be the prettiest goal the Bruins scored all season. Chistov was a one-time can’t-miss-kid, whose level of play has really started to pick up of late. It’s really difficult to articulate how brilliant a move Chistov made. He received the puck in the Canadiens’ zone from Boyes, spun around, the Montréal defenseman, put it through his eggs, picked up the park and put it through the Canadian goalies five holes. It’s definitely a highlight reel goal. Late in the third, Bruins defenseman Andrew Alberts, took a high stick in the eye and the and the Canadians were shorthanded for the next four minutes. The girls use the power play, and the remaining minutes of the game. In a rope a dope fashion and skated off the ice with the very nice win.
Week of 12/24 – 12/30/06:
Game 34 at Columbus Talk about an awful way to begin the post Christmas road trip. The Bruins journey to beautiful Columbus, Ohio, for their only meeting of the year with the Blue Jackets. PJ Axelson returned to the Bruins lineup after having missed the last 10 games with a broken foot. This was a game that the Bruins had in their back pocket and let slip away, losing in overtime five to four.
Bruins started fast on first-period goals by Brad Boyes (8) and Wayne Primeau. But Columbus scored twice as well, including Sergei Fedorov’s shorthanded goal. In the second period, the referee put the whistle in his back pocket allowed the boys to play hockey. Stanislav Chistov (3) and Patrice Bergeron (12) on the power play. David Vyborny scored late to pull the Jackets within one.
Columbus had not won a game this year after being down, going into the third period. Bruins, being up a goal, needed to play some consistent two-way hockey. But little by little, they allowed the Blue Jackets back into the game. Midway through the period, it was basically an all out assault on the Bruins goal. Tim Thomas had another terrific night in net, but two penalties late in the third period spelled doom for the Bruins. Columbus already had a two-man advantage before pulling their goaltender, creating a six on three. No hockey team, no matter how good they are defensively, can withstand that degree of pressure. All the Blue Jackets needed to do was play a little tic-tac-toe, and Fedorov slammed in the tying goal with 23 seconds remaining. In the third period, Columbus had 20 shots on goal, which was indicative of how well they’ve played in the period. The game went to overtime. The Bruins killed off the remaining penalty time, but ended up losing on a somewhat accidental freak play. There was a scrum just outside the Bruins’ blue line, a Columbus player meant to kick the puck into the neutral zone, but it ended up on David Vyborny’s stick, who skated in alone on a breakaway and flipped a backhander over Thomas’s shoulder. Game over, and this was really a case where the Bruins allowed their opponents to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Game 35 at Chicago (Fri. 12/29/06): Once upon a time, long ago, the Bruins-Blackhawks rivalry was pretty intense, especially during the late ‘60’s – early ‘70’s when Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito went head to head with Bobby Orr, Johnny Bucyk, Gerry Cheevers and Phil Esposito. The games were always raucous tilts, always fistfights, fans throwing garbage on the ice, and first rate hockey. But expansion changed everything. Chicago went to the Western Conference and the teams saw less and less of each other until it’s now once in a blue moon. Hard to believe, but the last time these two Original Six teams got together was almost three years ago. Over the last thirty five years, if there has been one more ownership group that has been more miserly and meddling than Boston’s, it has been the Wirtz family in Chicago.
The Blackhawks haven’t won a Cup since ’61 and haven’t been a contender in a dog’s age. Like the Bruins, it’s been a coaching carousel. Recently, the great Denis Savard stepped behind the bench, and the team has really turned it around.
This was one terrific hockey game. For the first two periods, it was all Bruins. Nikolai Khabibulin got the start for Chicago, but didn’t last too long. Brad Stuart leveled Peter Bondra early on, setting the stage for a chippy match. The Bruins came out flying, scoring three times in the first on goals by Murray (19), Mowers (2) (SHG) and Jurcina (2). Exit Khabibulin, enter Brian Boucher. In the second, the Hawks regrouped and only allowed Bergeron’ power play goal (13) late in the period. The B’s went to the dressing room up by four goals, which should’ve sent up red warning flags due to the team’s inability to hold a lead. And so it was. After a nice ten-bell tilt between Alberts and Sharp to open the third, Chicago came back with a vengeance, scoring three even strength goals in five minutes. After that, it was a fight to the finish. The Hawks really turned up the heat, putting 18 shots on goal during the period, and Thomas was tested big time.
With 1:44 remaining, Thomas absolutely robbed Hamilton point blank, it was the save of the season. Moments later, Seabrook went out for conking a Bruin off the head with his stick. The Hawks pulled their goalie and Savard scored (12) an empty net power play goal to end it.
Then, the Bruins went into a slide…
Game 36 at Nashville (Sat. N. 12/30/06) The Predators are a team that the Bruins see very rarely. Based on the Bruins’ performance Saturday night, perhaps that’s a good thing. Nashville has been patiently built from expansion and are now one of the best teams in the NHL. Hannu Toivonen got the call in goal for the Bruins and had a rough night. Offensively, the Bruins skated well and peppered the Nashville goal, but couldn’t get the puck past Chris Mason. Nashville got a pair of goals in the first and second and applied the coup de grace early in the third, Predators 5, Boston 0. Tonight, they outshot their opponents 2-1 and it meant nothing. What was a red flag was Toivonen’s dreadful performance.
Hockey seems to have caught on well in Music City, USA. It’s as tough a ticket in town as is The Opry. Things certainly help when the team’s winning, but the fans did not seem as if they were unfamiliar with the game. The best thing is the giant saber-tooth tiger’s head that descends from the rafters at the beginning if the period from which the Predators enter the ice. Then, it eerily ascends once more into the heavens.
Week of 12/31/06 – 1/6/07:
Game 37 at Toronto (Mon. N. 1/1/07): Not the most auspicious way to start the New Year, but this is a young team, after all. Coach Lewis expressed the Bruins effort best when he stated, "We just looked like we were skating in sand." Unlike the great effort the team put forth in the Nashville loss, the Bruins were flat the whole night. Perhaps the wisdom of scheduling three games in four nights is an issue, but the schedule is what it is. Since the Bruins have enjoyed recent success against Leafs this year maybe they thought that they could coast. The Leafs have a pair of agent provocateurs in the lineup (Tucker and Belak) who are old school in every sense of the word. Early on, Paul Mara leveled Tucker behind the Bruins’ goal and he stayed down for a little bit. Zdeno Chara (7) put the Bruins up early on a power play, then it was all downhill.
Sundin tied it shortly thereafter and none other than Hall Gill tallied late in the period. Note: whenever Gill scores it’s pretty much a given that it’s not your night. Midway through the second, Belak’s tenacity in front of the Bruins’ net related in a goal. Chara banged Belak repeatedly, knocking off his helmet, yet he was a whirling dervish out there, getting the puck to Newbury who banged in Leafs’ third goal. Belak’s celebratory gestures were a little too much for Chara to bear and a small rumble broke out, nothing of consequence. Toronto scored twice within the first five minutes of the third to make it 5-1. Midway through, there was another small scrape, but that was it. Final score: Toronto 5, Boston 1. In the last two games the Bruins have been outscored 11-1 and finish the trip 1-2-1.
Game 38 vs. Toronto (Thurs. N. 1/4/07): The Bruins were humiliated by Leafs by a final score of 10-2. There is nothing worth reporting beyond the fact that over the last three matches, Bruins have been outscored by their opponents by a 20-3 differential.
Game 39 vs. Philadelphia (Sat. Aft. 1/6/07): After the disaster of the last three games, the Bruins came home for their first Saturday matinee of the year. In years past, they’d always wear those awful yellow sweaters with the bear’s head and lose about 90% of the time. Zdeno Chara was out with the dreaded “lower body injury” (taking a page from the Patriots’ play book, are we, now?). But his absence wasn’t terribly missed as the B’s started fast and hung on for a 4-2 win vs. the now-lowly Flyers. Philly scored early on a shorthanded goal in the first, but Bruins got their act together midway through the period and Savard (13) and Murray (20) scored within thirty second and Bergeron scored (14) on the power play in the final minute.
So, this crew of Flyers isn’t exactly the Broad Street Bullies, but they’ve historically never been a team to give up without a tussle, and this game was no different. Philly pulled within a goal early in the second, and after forty, the Bruins were up 3-2. Robert Esche made a couple of acrobatic saves in the period to keep things close. Flyers were whistled early in the third and Savard (14) made ‘em pay on a nice wrist shot. The game went back n’ forth, but Thomas had another good day, turning aside 30 of 32 Flyers’ shots. Old friend Mike Knuble scored with a minute and change left in the game after Esche was pulled, but ‘twas too little, too late. Bruins win 4-3.
Week of 1/7 – 13/07
Game 40 at Ottawa (Tue. N. 1/9/07)
The best possible news for the Bruins came in the way of seeing Phil Kessel out there taking a regular shift, only weeks from testicular cancer surgery. While he’s been helped by his age and physical conditioning, it’s still a tremendous accomplishment. Anyone who previously questioned this kid’s ethic should take note. What would’ve been icing on the cake on this night would’ve been two points. Unfortunately his teammates are incapable of holding leads, and allowed Ottawa five (that’s right, five) unanswered goals in the third and Boston went down in flames 5-2.
Chara and Brad Stuart were out, and without a team’s best defensemen a defense lapse would be understandable, but not a total collapse. Things started well for the Bruins. Sturm (11) was hauled down early in the game and awarded a penalty shot. He made the best of it by putting it past Emery. Later in the first, Mara (2) knocked one in from the point and Boston was up 2-0 after one. After a quiet second, the roof caved in. The Senators tied the score within the first five minutes and added three more late in the game.
Game 41 vs. NY Islanders (Thurs. N. 1/11/07): How is it possible to blow a third period lead not one, not twice, but three times! It seems that if there’s a way, this year’s edition of the Bruins will find it. Bruins and Islanders are both tied with 43 points, among a bunch of teams hovering around the final playoff spot in the East. The Bruins scored twice in the first two periods on goals by Bergeron (15) and Savard (15), so far, so good. The Islanders pulled within a goal early in the second. A dull first two periods set the stage for a wild and (from the Bruins’ perspective) highly aggravating third period and overtime. Trent Hunter tied it in the first minute. Bruins came back on Chara’s power play goal (8) at 4:20. Five minutes later, Islanders tied it on a power play. Things stayed that way until 13:41 when Mara (3) slipped a wrist shot past Rick DiPietro. A rumble ensued in the neutral zone when the B’s came to the aid of Savard who got whacked after passing the puck to Mara. A few minutes later, Mara got whistled and Islanders scored the game tying goal with 1:39 remaining. After an uneventful overtime, the teams went to a shootout. Both teams scored one goal before going to a “sudden death shootout”. Boyes missed on his opportunity and the Islanders’ Jason Blake converted his. Islanders get two points and Bruins blow a golden chance to get back into contention.
Game 42 at NY Rangers (Sat Aft. 1/13/07): This was the opener for NBC’s “Game of The Week” regional coverage. They should’ve run infomercials instead. Other than Savard’s goal (16), there wasn’t a whole lot to write home about other than Tim Thomas’ fantastic day in goal. It was a typical 2-1 back and forth affair, but it seemed as if the Bruins lacked the will to push things in the Rangers’ end. They had their chances, but it was missed passes and other missed chances. Late in the game the Bruins had a power play when Savard got popped in the mouth with an errant stick. The woeful power play didn’t work; Ortmeyer picked up a loose puck in the Bruins’ zone and raced toward the net. Bergeron hauled him down. A penalty shot was called, Ortmeyer scored and the Bruins lost 3-1.
Game 43 vs. Buffalo (Mon. Aft. 1/15/07):
Bruins’ fans were treated to a highly entertaining game against the Beasts of the East, defeating Buffalo 3-2 in a shootout. The crowd saw four goals in the first, two from the Bruins’ Savard (17) (PPG) early in the first and P.J. Axelsson’s (8) with one second remaining. In the second, Ryan Miller made an outstanding save on a Mara shot, and Alberts had a good tilt with the Sabres’ strongman, Peters. In the third and through overtime, it was clean up and down hockey. Both teams had their chances, but Thomas hung tough for Boston. Onto the shootout, where Marco Sturm scored the lone goal and the Bruins came away with two points against a very tough opponent.
After the game, it was announced that Primeau separated his shoulder and will be out for awhile. The next day, the Bruins traded Yan Stastny to St. Louis for their fifth pick in the ’07 draft. This one’s hard to figure. First we drafted Stastny, then we traded him to Edmonton, then we got him back as part of the Samsonov trade last year, then he’s traded again. So he’s not going to be a 50-goal scorer, but he always hustled out there.
At this point, the Bruins are a mediocre team at best, fighting it out with a number of other teams for the last playoff spot. Eddie Shore must be turning in his grave. It’s not that Bruins fans were expecting a Cup contender right off the bat, but there are a number of highly paid, highly talented guys on the roster. Coach Lewis’ proclivity for using muckers and grinders on a regular basis is disconcerting. The units are constantly jumbled and there is no cohesion. They hustle and work their butts off, but without being overly cliché about it, that degree of commitment is understood.
Game 44 at Buffalo (Wed N. 1/17/07): Home n’ home tilts with the best team in the East isn’t the best way to get things back in gear. This time, the B’s shuffled off to Buffalo, and quite frankly, this game pretty much told the story of the Bruins’ year. They’re ok, but just not good enough. They’re working their goaltender into early retirement and have no viable backup.
The only heartening news of the evening was Phil Kessel’s first two-goal game. There were five goals in the first period, Kessel (6) on a nice breakup and stuff shot, two Buffalo goals, then Murray’s power play goal (21). Buffalo scored with five seconds remaining on a fluke wrist shot in which Thomas appeared to have been screened. In the second, there was no scoring but the usual hitting and up and down play. In the third, Kessel struck once more (7) on a one time wrist shot that Miller never saw. The Bruins had made it a one goal game, but the Sabres came back with three goals in the final ten minutes. Bruins are now an abominable -29 in third period. Something needs to be done about this.
After 44 games, the Bruins are at 21-19-4, 46 points, last place in the Northeast and 11th in the Eastern Conference, four points out of a playoff spot. The state of the team is better than it was under MOC. But if the team is supposedly trending upward, there are a number of personnel moves that ought to be made at the deadline. As constituted, this team is not going to win the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
If the goal is to put a mediocre team out there year after year and sell a ton of hot dogs and beers, that philosophy isn’t going to work. Have you seen how empty the lower bowl of the Fleece Center is at most home games? People aren’t buying the “Hub of Hockey” sales gimmick any more than they bought into “It’s Called Bruins” pitch from the disaster of last season.
