Turkey Week:

2010-11 Boston Bruins Weekly Puck Drop:

Game 19 at Tampa Bay (11/22/10):

The B’s opened up their Florida trip with an uninspiring 3-1 loss in which they failed to show up for two periods before deciding to wake from their slumber in the final frame. Can’t win hockey games like that. Tuukka Rask got the call in goal against Mike Smith. After a scoreless first period, the Bolts scored all three goals in the second as Dana Tyrell tallied on a tip-in from Randy Jones’ shot at tallied 3:26, Steven Stamkos notched his 20th (already!) on a backhand on a rebound from Martin St. Louis’ shot at 5:15 and Teddy Purcell beat Rask at 11:15. The B’s scored their lone goal in the third as Michael Ryder tipped in a shot from Wheeler at 10:38. After the game, the coach and the captain admitted that the team simply can’t expect to show up for 20 minutes and win. This was simply one game to forget. Oh well, the team moved on to Miami for a Thanksgiving Eve date with the Panthers.

Game 20 at Florida (11/24/10):

On Wednesday night, the B’s traveled to Miami for a date with the Panthers at Telephone Company Center. The Panthers came out in their alternate double-blue sweaters (which they ought to wear full time). Tomas Vokoun and Tim Thomas started in goal and Thomas was tested within the first minute as former Bruin Dennis Wideman fired a blast from the right corner. The B’s came right back down ice and crashed the net to no avail. David Booth then followed with a nice rush, beating Johnny Boychuck, but his shot was turned away by Thomas. Matthias and Booth broke in on a 2-on-1 (the third one so far) and Thomas broke up the play. Ten minutes in and the Panthers had put eight shots in a row on Thomas, as they were seriously out-skating the B’s. Wideman got the first penalty of the period for tripping Marchand at 10:46 but the B’s had no shots on goal with the man advantage. After the penalty, the B’s had some good puck movement and their best pressure so far from the third line (Caron, Wheeler and Ryder). Thomas then robbed Wideman on a point blank one-timer. In the final minute, Frolik broke down left wing alone, but Thomas made an aggressive read and broke up the play. That period featured plenty of end-to-end action, perhaps a bit too much for the Bruins’ liking.

Stephen Reinprecht put the Panthers ahead at 2:15 on a rebound on a sequence where Florida crashed the goal and used their speed advantage to render Thomas defenseless. The Bruins lack Florida’s overall team speed and, rather than trying to play their intelligent, puck control/checking game, have allowed the Panthers to play to their strength and found themselves chasing around. Chara went off for hooking at 12:07, as he broke up a 2-on-1 the old-fashioned way…the B’s killed off the power play but faced another shorthanded situation in the final minute of the period as Lucic was sent off for hooking Frolik.

Brad Marchand scored on the shorthand at 8 seconds, right off the faceoff as he picked a carom off the boards and raced to the net and banged the puck past Vokoun. After the B’s killed off the penalty, they increased the pressure on Vokoun with a couple of quality chances. Recchi (3) scored at 2:54 on a rebound of Krejci’s shot to put the B’s ahead, 2-1. Thomas made a nice glove save through traffic of McCabe’s blast from the blue line. After the goal, the B’s succeeded in slowing down the tempo with good positioning and aggressively forechecked, taking the Panthers out of their game. B’s went back on the power play at 15:31 and then 14 seconds later, a delay of game penalty set the B’s up on a 5-on-3. Recchi scored at 16:00 in the triangle offense, the 1500th point of his magnificent career. Marchand took a wicked hit from behind the back by Kulikov, though he was able to skate to the bench with the B’s going on the power play to end the game. The B’s really bounced back well in the third and could have a happy trip home.

Game 21 v. Carolina (11/26/10):

What’s the old definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Every year the Bruins have a holiday matinee on the day after Thanksgiving and seemingly every year, they come out and lay a big, fat egg. This year was no different as the Hurricanes scored three times on the power play and Cam Ward held down the fort and came away with a 3-0 shutout. Though outplaying Carolina in the first period, rookie Jeff Skinner scored on the power play at 19:44. Midway through the second, Tuomo Ruutu scored on a tip in to make it 2-0. Jussi Jokinen capped off the scoring at 7:52 of the third and, though the B’s had more than their fair share of chances, Ward and the Hurricane’s D shut down every opportunity.

Game 22 at Atlanta (11/28/10):

After the Bruins’ traditional day after Thanksgiving Turkey Egg, the B’s traveled to Hot ‘Lanta for a Sunday evening date with the Thrashers. The Falcons had an afternoon home game across the street so it remained to be seen how many folks would show up in this hockey hotbed. The Thrashers ran a promotion that gave anyone who attended the football game $5 tickets. By the look of things, not many football fans took advantage of the offer. The Thrashers are 11-9-3 and in third place in the Southeast Division. They’re coached by former B’s assistant Craig Ramsey and picked up four players from Chicago in a post-Cup salary dump and look like they’ve put a talented and competitive team on the ice. They also picked up other talented players from New Jersey in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade last spring.

David Krejci and Jordan Caron were a no go for this one with the flu and Jamie Arniel was recalled from Providence. Tuukka Rask started in goal for the B’s against Ondrej Pavalec. Chara went off for delay of game at 34 seconds for inadvertently flipping a puck over the glass but (despite several shots), the B’s killed off the penalty. Chris Thornburn took a slap shot off the leg and had to be helped off the ice and into the dressing room. The B’s went on the power play at 4:32 when Anthony Stewart went off for holding. Evander Kane had a great rush down right wing but Rask knocked away Kane’s stuff attempt. Kane scored at 9:32 on a tip-in from Stewart at the right circle as Byfuligen circled the net with the puck and the B’s defense broke down. Byfuligen fed the puck to a wide open Stewart and Kane was prowling right in front of the net. It’s the fifth straight game the B’s have allowed the first goal of the game. Byfuligen scored at 12:22 on a wrist shot after he beat Seidenberg to a loose puck (Byfuligen was off-sides and the linesman missed it), skated in alone and beat Rask. Jim Slater made it 3-0 Atlanta as he beat Rask on a backhander on a pass from Byfuligen. The Thrashers were skating rings around the B’s. It was almost 4-0 as Rask broke up a 2-on-1. Wheeler was sent off for tripping at 16:59 but the B’s killed off the penalty. That was one brutal period for the Bruins and one would hope that the coach would have a few choice words for his charges.

The Thrashers picked up where they left off in the first period, but Matt Hunwick had a really nice go with Kane, giving away a lot of size. Perhaps his effort would jumpstart the B’s lackluster offense. The B’s offense did pick up midway through the period, as they had some chances relatively close to Pavalec rather than playing dump n’ chase and never challenging inside the perimeter. Shawn Thornton and Eric Boulton had a heavyweight tilt that was pretty much a draw. Blake Wheeler finally put the B’s on the board at 7:38 when he beat Pavalec on a feed from Ryder. Rask then made a terrific stop and Seguin came back up ice and made a great shot that was barely knocked away by Pavalec. Late in the period, the B’s put on their best sustained pressure of the game, peppering Pavalec with several shots. With less than two minutes remaining, there was a scrum of players after Paille hit Burmistrov from behind and his teammates naturally took exception. Begfors scored on the power play with 12 seconds left after the B’s had done a nice job killing off Paille’s penalty.

The B’s had an early power play to open the third but could do nothing. Byfuligen had a great chance midway through the period that Rask turned aside. The B’s had another power play but couldn’t generate any offensive pressure. The B’s had yet another power play with three minutes left. The B’s played like they couldn’t get off the ice fast enough, what a completely dreadful effort.

To The Pitch

Liverpool Match 15 at Tottenham Hotspur (11/28/10):

Reds lost 2-1 to the Spurs as Aaron Lennon’s goal at the end of extra time spelled doom for Liverpool. Earlier on, Martin Skrtel’s goal gave Reds a lead heading into the half but an own goal equalized and Lennon’s goal was the dagger in the heart. Liverpool is now 5-6-4-15 and in the middle of the pack in the Premiership table.

Wrexham Match 19 at York (11/14/10):

Jamie Tolley’s goal in the 13th nearly held up, but Michael Rankine’s penalty kick in the 79th equalized for the home side and sent their supporters home with a smile.

Wrexham Match 20 v. Darlington (11/20/10):

Andrew Mangan put Dragons up with a goal in the 10th but Darlington’s Liam Hatch equalized in the 58th. Just as it appeared as if Wrexham would have to settle for the one point, Mangan knocked in the go-ahead goal in stoppage time and the Racecourse supporters went home delirious.

Wrexham Match 21 v. Mansfield (11/27/10):

Paul Connor put MT ahead with a goal in the 19th, but Marvin Andrews equalized for Wrexham in the 37th, and from there, the sides played it out. Wrexham is now 8-4-9-33 and in 6th place in Blue Square Premier Conference.

Piacenza Match 17 v. Torino (11/27/10):

Torino’s Daniele De Vezze scored in the 8th as the visitors looked as though they would send biancorossi down to another defeat, but Daniele Cacia equalized in the 71st and Piacenza came away with a desperately needed point. Piacenza is now 3-7-7-16 and in relegation zone of Serie B.

To The Gridiron:

The 98th Grey Cup Championship

Saskatchewan Roughriders v. Montréal Alouettes (11/28/10):

The 98th Grey Cup was held at a sold-out (63,317) Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and was a rematch of last year’s game, which was a heartbreaking loss for the Riders. At the end of last year’s game, the Als went downfield to attempt a game-winning field goal. The kick was no good and it looked as if the Riders would pull off the upset, but they were penalized for having too many men on the field and the Als did not fail on their second try. The Riders did pull off a big upset last week, defeating Calgary on the road while the Als steamrolled their way through the East and blasted Toronto last week in the division final. To suggest that the Alouettes are favorites for the championship would be understatement, though avenging last year’s loss has been a big motivator for the Riders all year long. They worked very hard to get this chance and hopefully will make the best of it.

Needless to say, the temperature in Edmonton in late November wasn’t exactly balmy but it wasn’t “Ice Bowl” conditions (-4⁰C/25⁰F) with light flurries. The field conditions were also great. After a nice pre-game ceremony with fireworks and a flyover, the teams got down to business. The Als won the toss and started out at their 35. Jamel Richardson picked up 15 on first down on a pass over the middle from Anthony Calvillo. On second-and-10, Calvillo’s pass fell about a yard short and Damon Duval came on to punt away. Ryan Grice-Mullen returned Duval’s punt to the 12. The Riders went two n’ out on their first series and Eddie Johnson punted from the goal line and a “no yards” penalty against the Riders put the ball at the Riders’ 38. Calvillo carried up the middle for 8, and then Avon Cobourne carried to the right for 15. From the 20, Calvillo hit Richardson, who broke a couple of tackles down to the 3. From there, Cobourne carried up the middle and into the end zone. With Duval’s point after, the Als grabbed a quick 7-0 lead. Montréal is 13-0 this year when scoring first. The Riders stared out their next drive at their 15. Cates carried up the middle for 20. But after a pass to Cary Koch gained eight, Johnson punted away again. Calvillo hit Ben Cahoon for 10 on first down and then followed up with pass to Cobourne for 7. A penalty against Omarr Morgan for illegal contact moved the ball 10 yards further downfield. On the play, the Riders’ Leron Mitchell was injured and had to be helped from the field (later diagnosed as a leg fracture). Donovan Alexander came in at wide-side corner. Brian Bratton then carried on an end around for a first down. Cobourne then carried down to the 30. The drive stalled there and Duval kicked a field goal that went wide right and the Als had to settle for a single (8-0). Durant started out the Riders’ next drive at the 35. From there, he found Jason Clermont on the left flat down to the Als’ 32. Andy Fantuz then took a pass and a tumble down to the 15. A pass intended for Chris Getzlaf in the back of the end zone was broken up but the Als’ Chip Cox was hit with a pass interference call, putting the ball on the 1. From there, Cates leaped into the end zone, and after Warren Kean’s kick, the Riders pulled to within a point at 8-7.

Moving into the second quarter, Johnson kicked off after the touchdown and the Als’ Tim Maypray returned the ball to the 39. Calvillo was sacked by Jerrell Freeman for a five yard loss on first down, and then Freeman broke up a pass, forcing a punt. Grice-Mullen returned Duval’s punt to the 40. On first down, Koch made a great catch and run on the left sideline down to the Als’ 28. Clermont was able to get the ball down to the 20, so the Riders settled for a field goal by Kean to put the Riders up 10-8. Maypray was able to return the kick out to the 41. Freeman broke up Calvillo’s pass on first down. On second down, Keith Shouligan sacked Calvillo for six and Duval punted away. From the 30, Durant scrambled for 9 on second down so Johnson punted away and Maypray was ripped down by Kitwana Jones on the return. Cobourne carried twice to pick up the first down at the 45. The Riders got the ball back and were able to move the ball to midfield before having to punt away. Maypray was able to return to the ball out to the 25 at the three-minute warning. Richardson made a clutch grab over the middle and carried out to the 40. Morgan nearly picked off Calvillo’s next pass at the left sideline. SJ Green made a fantastic grab that was waved off after it was ruled that the ball hit the turf. Weston Dressler returned the short punt out to the 36 but a holding call set the ball back 10 yards. Cox was hit with a face mask call against Getzlaf moved the ball to the 50. On second down, Durant hit Cates on the right flat to the Als’ 48 with 1:30 left in the half. The Riders fell a few yards short of the first down so Johnson punted away into the end zone and they settled for a single (11-8) with a minute left. SJ Green made another key catch at midfield, and then another in positive territory. But a holding call set the ball back and out of field goal range with only three seconds left. Kerry Watkins dropped Calvillo’s pass as the half came to a close.

The Riders opened the second half at their 30. On first down, Durant hit Fantuz over the middle for 16 and then Cates ripped up the middle for 23 to the Als’ 40. The drive stalled there as Billy Parker broke up a pass intended for Fantuz. Johnson’s punt rolled out at the 11. SJ Green caught a hitch pass from Calvillo and moved the ball to the 30 but the Als could move the ball no further. The Als then faked the punt as Eric Deslauriers took the short snap and rushed it up the middle for a first down. Calvillo hit Cahoon over the middle for a first down at the Riders’ 41. Calvillo then scrambled to the right and picked up a first down. On the next play, Watkins picked up 9 yards on a hitch n’ go route. Adrian McPherson then carried for the first down. Calvillo found Watkins on the right sideline at the 10. Calvillo was sacked again by Shouligan at the 15 and the Als had to settle for a chip shot field goal from Duval to tie the score 11-11. On the Riders’ next drive, Durant was sacked by Anwar Stewart and Johnson punted away. From the 38, a reverse gained 7 and Cobourne picked up a two, setting up a 3rd-and-1. Calvillo then gained the first down on a keeper. Green picked up another first down at midfield on a pass from Calvillo. But Calvillo threw two incompletions and Duval punted away with the Riders taking over at the 15. After yet another two n’ out, Johnson punted away and Maypray returned the ball to midfield. Bratton picked up 5 on a short pass from Calvillo as the third quarter came to a close.

Richardson picked up a first down on the first play of the fourth quarter opened. On second and 10 from the 41, Calvillo’s pass fell short of the first down and Duval then kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Als a 14-11 lead. From the 35, Cates carried off left tackle for 18 yards but the drive fizzled out at 47 when Durant three a poor pass and Johnson punted away for the seventh straight time. Richardson picked up a big first down on a sideline route at the 52. A pass interference penalty against the Riders’ Bullitt negated an interception as he accosted Cahoon prior to stealing away Calvillo’s pass. On second-and-7, Richardson made a spectacular leaping catch on the right sideline at the 2. Cobourne carried in from there and Montreal went up 21-11 with 7:30 left on the clock. Duval’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and the Riders took over at the 45. An off-side penalty against the Riders pushed the ball back 5. The Riders faced a 3rd-and-3 at midfield and Johnson punted away for the eighth straight time. The Riders’ D held on Montreal’s next drive deep in their territory, where Dressler scooped up Duval’s punt and with a “no-yards” penalty tacked on, moved the ball to the Als’ 35. On first down, Durant hit Fantuz down at the 2. From there, Durant hit tackle-eligible Marc Parenteau wide open in the end zone to bring the game to within a field goal at 21-18 with 3:15 remaining. Maypray returned Johnson’s kick out to the 41. On first down, Calvillo hit Kerry Carter on the left sideline down to the Riders’ 37. After the three minute warning, a holding penalty against Montreal pushed back the ball 10 yards. Green then made a leaping catch over the middle to the 35, but on the next play, the Als lost ground so Duval attempted a 40-yard field goal, but his kick fell short and Grice-Mullen returned the ball to the 16. Jason Clermont picked up 8 on first down and then Cates carried up the middle to move the chains. An off-sides penalty negated a first down on a scramble by Durant. Durant then escaped the grasp of the pass rush and then threw wildly and his pass was intercepted by Billy Parker on the left sideline, and that was the ballgame for the Riders.

We didn’t hang around to watch Montreal receive the Cup, as we’re Bruins fans and have witnessed Montreal teams hoist championship trophies enough for one lifetime. Besides, the Riders may be disappointed, but how can a team expect to win when the offense repeatedly falters? That they were in the game up to the final minute was quite remarkable but Durant did not have it on this night and if he’s not functioning well, history suggests that the Riders aren’t going to be successful.

Once more, the Riders gave their faithful supporters a wonderful season. No one can feel too sad about the outcome of this game. We look forward to next summer and the resumption of CFL play.